Learn how to make beeswax candles with just a few supplies. These homemade beeswax candles have an amazing aroma on their own, but you can play around with different essential oil scent combinations to create many unique varieties.
This post was updated June 2019
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I Love Being a Homemaker
I guess I am a maker in every sense of the word.
Even when I know I can get something relatively inexpensively at the store, I still find so much satisfaction in learning how to make it myself at home.
Being a maker allows me to add my own creative spin on everything and enjoy the process of seeing pieces and ingredients become finished things.
Sure, I can buy handmade dresses for my girls on Etsy, but adding an extra ruffle here, and little ties there, is such a rewarding experience for me.
Even though I can get a knitted hat for my baby boy at the Dollar Store, nothing can replace the love a mama puts into making it.
There is so much more value in a handmade piece. Love, care and creativity are behind every item.
I want to see my kids have the same love for creating that I do.
I want to see them bake the bread, knit the hat, sew the dress and arrange the flowers.
Their homes will be richer for it.
This week I added something new to my handmade repertoire.
How to Make Beeswax Candles Video Tutorial
It All Starts With a Hunk of Beeswax
I had a hunk of beeswax, that my mom brought home, from a beekeeper that comes into their farm store. Seeing it laying around made me think of candles.
I had been wanting to pour my own for quite some time. So, I finally had an excuse to try!
For my local beekeeper beeswax, I just put it in a glass bowl over a pot of boiling water with a little bit of coconut oil. Out of laziness I didn’t even grate it down. It did eventually melt and make a beautiful candle.
For my next go round, I bought these beeswax pellets on Amazon. Until I can get more wax from the local beekeeper, this is the route I will go.
They were so easy to work with and inexpensive.
Homemade Beeswax Candles Are Super Simple to Make
To be honest, there isn’t a whole lot to this whole candle making.
It’s basically; melt the wax, add the wick, pour it in.
I will get a little more detailed in the instructions to make it feel like I’m really teaching you something here, but there isn’t a whole lot to it.
But, trust me, if you make these for gifts, your family and friends will be super impressed.
I made vanilla one year for Christmas, and everyone was so surprised by my skills.
I may do a post on it one day, but here is the process: Add vanilla beans to vodka.
Amazingly simple, and delicious results.
Many Variations
For a batch of beeswax candles, just to experiment, I added a few hunks of cocoa butter, to my next batch.
And, oh my word, what a heavenly scent of honey and chocolate!
I can’t decide which candles I like more.
That is what I love so much about DIY. You don’t have to follow the instructions so rigidly. Experiment and see where your creativity can take you.
Next time I plan to add quite a bit more cocoa butter and lavender essential oil. Doesn’t that sound like a relaxing combination?! Lavender and chocolate, oooooh, or orange and chocolate, or maybe a holiday candles with pine and cinnamon, or honey lemon, or …….
I can see I am going to have a lot of fun with this candle making business! 🙂
Tips For Making Homemade Beeswax Candles
- Secure the wicks to the bottom of the jars using hot glue so they stay secured.
- Play around with essential oils for scents. Candles will need a lot of essential oils to get a stronger smell. But also, don’t expect these beeswax candles to smell like artificial candles.
- If your beeswax begins to harden, just remelt it over a double boiler or if it is in a oven safe dish, place it in the oven at 350 until its melted again.
- Use different kinds of jars, thrifted jar, mason jars, old tin cans, or tea cups for the candle holder.
Homemade Beeswax Candle Ingredients and Supplies
- 1 pound of beeswax pellets
- 1/2 cup coconut oil
- candle wicks
- various sized mason jars
How To Make Beeswax Candle Instructions
Step 1. I added the one pound package of beeswax pellets and 1/2 cup coconut oil to my double broiler set up.
Step 2. I used hot glue to secure the wicks to the bottom of the jars, doing my best to center them as much as possible. I bought these wicks on Amazon.
To keep the wicks centered, I wrapped them around skewers, that I laid on top of the jars.
Step 3. After the beeswax and coconut oil were fully melted, I added essential oils. This step is totally optional.
Beeswax smells delicious all on its own, but I wanted to experiment with some different scents.
I decided to make citrus candles, so I added five drops each of lemon, lime, wild orange and grapefruit.
Step 4. Now, here is where it can get a little tricky, especially if you stop to take pictures for your blog. ;).
This stuff hardens VERY quickly, so don’t take your time filling the jars.
If you do, just return the bowl to the double broiler.
Since I had poured my wax in a measuring cup for easy pouring, the wax was sticking to the sides of it. I just put the measuring cup in the oven for a few minutes on 350, and it was liquid again.
Due to blog picture taking, and kids underfoot, I had to return to the oven and double broiler several times during this process.
Step 5. It took the larger candles about 5-10 minutes to set up completely.
Shop the supplies to make beeswax candles
Watch my FREE essential oils class HERE.
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How to Make Beeswax Candles
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound of beeswax pellets
- 1/2 coconut oil
- candle wicks
- various sized mason jars
- skewers
Instructions
- Add the one pound package of beeswax pellets and 1/2 cup coconut oil to a double broiler set up.
- I used hot glue to secure the wicks to the bottom of the jars, doing my best to center them as much as possible. I bought wicks on Amazon.
- (To keep the wicks centered, I wrapped them around skewers, that I laid on top of the jars.)
- After the beeswax and coconut oil are fully melted, you can add essential oils. This step is totally optional.
- Beeswax smells delicious all on its own, but I wanted to experiment with some different scents.
- I decided to make citrus candles, so I added five drops each of lemon, lime, wild orange and grapefruit.
- Start filling the jars. This stuff hardens VERY quickly, so do this step as fast as you can!
- If it hardens, just return the bowl to the double broiler.
- (Since I had poured my wax in a measuring cup for easy pouring, the wax was sticking to the sides of it. I just put the measuring cup in the oven for a few minutes on 350, and it was liquid again.)
- Leave candles to harden. It took the larger candles about 5-10 minutes to set up completely.
Notes
- Secure the wicks to the bottom of the jars using hot glue so they stay secured.
- Play around with essential oils for scents. Candles will need a lot of essential oils to get a stronger smell. But also, don’t expect these beeswax candles to smell like artificial candles.
- If your beeswax begins to harden, just remelt it over a double boiler or if it is in a oven safe dish, place it in the oven at 350 until its melted again.
- Use different kinds of jars, thrifted jar, mason jars, old tin cans, or tea cups for the candle holder.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
For those troubleshooting and having issues, I used the same amount of beeswax and tallow (instead of coconut oil), 1lb each, just because that’s what I had on hand and I wanted more candles without using all my beeswax. I also used wicks specifically made for beeswax candles, and lead free. The size I think would depend on the jar size as well.
I never made candles before and they turned out perfect, no sinking or cracking, they’re beautiful. I did melt the beeswax prior to adding the tallow since the latter is way softer and melts faster, so if I use coconut oil next time I will do the same thing.
Also Lisa, please update the ingredient list because it just says “1/2 coconut oil” without specifying what you’re referring to (I imagine lbs?).
I have trouble with my candles sinking like a hole forms close to the wick. What am I doing wrong?
Lisa, thank you for all you share. I’m a fellow maker and homemaker and can relate to so much of what you and your family do :). I hope it is okay to add a note to help those struggling with tunneling, sink holes, and essential oil amounts.
Angela is right, unfortunately it isn’t quite as easy as Lisa’s tutorial (she must have hit on the right combination the first time – bravo!!! 🙂 🙂 :)). There are a LOT of wicks available and they are made for different types of waxes (paraffin, palm, soy, beeswax, etc.), different diameter jars, and even jar vs. pillar candles. I highly recommend purchasing your wicks from a candle/soap supplier where you can glean from their testing. A good supplier will list what each of their wicks is rated for (diameter and type of wax), but they always recommend you also do your own tests. It is not a one-size-fits most. It can be costly and time consuming to do all the testing yourself, so I always start with the supplier’s helpful charts and testing. If you are experiencing tunneling, you will have to “wick up”. You need a wick that can handle the high temp melt point of beeswax and the diameter of your jar. A good rule of thumb with candle making is it should burn about 1″ diameter per hour, so a 2-3″ diameter candle should take about 2-3 hours to create a full “melt pool” (melt the entire top surface of the candle). Burn your candle to reach a full melt pool before extinguishing, because not doing that is another cause for tunneling. The next time you light the candle (if you didn’t achieve a full melt pool), the tunneling continues to worsen.
Regarding the sink holes at the wick, that is from the shrinking that happens as your wax is cooling. You probably need to create relief holes. Once the top layer of wax has formed a skin, poke about 3 holes into the wax around the wick. Poke at them to keep them open as the wax continues to cool. Once your candle is mostly cooled you can then remelt the leftover wax in your jar and do a “repour”. You will fill those holes you created and then you should have a nice, solid candle without sinking at the wick or even sink holes that you discover later as you burn your handcrafted candle.
And finally, I usually use about 6% essential oil or even 6-9% fragrance oil load. You can’t really go by drops, this should all be weighed (actually, depending on the type of wax, you have varying “scent load” each wax can tolerate). So if your beeswax, cocoa butter, and coconut oil come to say 18 oz., multiply that by .06 = 1.08 oz. Essential Oils. You want to watch the temperature of your melted wax and not add your EOs when the wax is too hot, or you will burn them off (I won’t get into flash point and all that…lol!). Candle making really is a complicated science but very rewarding! 🙂
I hope it is okay to share a link. I think you might find it helpful to see Candle Science’s resources. https://www.candlescience.com/how-to-make-soy-candles-with-essential-oils/
Wow Nice!
Hello! I need some help. I have recently started making organic beeswax candles but I have a problem. After I pour the wax into my jars and the it is cooling the wax dips in the center around the wick. I’ve never heard of anyone having this problem. Am I doing something wrong???
I spent years making 100% soy candles for a candle company I owned, and I never had that problem. But now that I’m trying my hand at beeswax, about 50% of my candles have tunneled at the wick. Both my wooden wicks and my cotton ones. I am experimenting with temperatures now because I’m wondering if it’s from cooling too quickly?
You need a wick that will get hot enough to melt the wax. Beeswax has a very high melting point. My guess would be that your wicks are not hot enough to properly melt the wax and that’s why you’re getting a bit of tunneling.
Hi, thanks for your instructions. What do I do about candle tunneling? How do I prevent this?
Also, what ratio of beeswax to coconut oil? Do I have to use coconut oil?
I see you use DoTerra oils. How much?
Thank you!! Nafisha
It is best to add coconut oil. Add ½ cup for every pound of wax. I always do a ¼ cup of coconut oil for every cup of beeswax. I have the same problem with the tunneling and I don’t know how to prevent it from happening, sadly.
How many candles does this yield?
Sounds fabulous! I bought wicks for another project so after Christmas ( no time this week! ) I’ll purchase beeswax and start filling all the odd and beautiful jars, teacups and containers that somehow fill the house.
Thanks!!
Your link for the wicks leads to a Hamilton Beach food processor…
Just made these candles but mine seemed to have cracked. Any idea what I did wrong?
I just finished pouring my wax into tea cups. Love them! Now I am wondering ho you clean the pot?lol