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How to Make Beeswax Candles with Raw Beeswax

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How to make beeswax candles at home with raw beeswax in mason jars for yourself or to give as gifts. It’s such an easy DIY project to do.

I’ve always loved the scent of a burning candle, especially in the cold months of winter.

There’s nothing like the beautiful flicker of soft candlelight and soothing scent.

I’ve always bought my candles already made but when I found out how easy they were to make, I started making my own.

Soy has always been my choice for candles but Roger gave me beeswax candles for Christmas a few years ago and I was hooked.

lit beeswax mason jar candle on cutting board

They burn cleanly and the scent is subtle yet lovely.

I don’t like an overly scented candle so beeswax candles are perfect for me.

Being the DIYer that I am, I went searching for a way to make homemade beeswax candles and started making my own.

Luckily it’s so easy to do and now I can have beeswax candles in the size that I need, whenever I want. 

The great thing about this project is that you only need a few supplies.

I used to think that you needed all kinds of candle making equipment to make candles but that isn’t the case (full tutorial in the How-To card at the bottom of the post).

Supplies for DIY Beeswax Candles

for full instructions, check out my How-To card at the end of the post

3 empty mason jars, a block of raw beeswax and cotton wicks on countertop

Buying Beeswax

– Beeswax can be expensive, so look for deals on bulk beeswax or beeswax sheets

Making mason jar raw beeswax candles

The first time I made these I started by grating the beeswax block using an old cheese grater.

It worked but it was slow going because raw beeswax in block form is very hard. 

cheese grater and raw wax grated up

To speed up the process I tried cutting the block into small chunks that would fit into an old glass measuring cup.

Since I already had a shredded pile of beeswax, I did a little experiment.

I put the shredded wax in a mason jar with a cotton wick, and alongside it I added a glass measuring cup with the chunks of beeswax.

They both went into a sauce pot of steaming water (no need to boil the water, just hot enough to melt the wax).

You can use a double boiler for this but I didn’t have one so I improvised.

soup pot filled with water with mason jars filled with raw beeswax

They both melted but the measuring cup method seemed to work best.

I had to keep adding shredded wax to the mason jar as it melted and it ended up taking longer to make.

Not a total fail but the measuring cup was easier. 

So…with my preferred method I continued making my candles, pouring the melted wax into the prepared mason jar.

pouring melted beeswax into mason jar with cotton wick wrapped around pencil

After I poured my first jar I added more chunks of raw wax to the measuring cup to melt.

I also had some leftover ends of beeswax from the candles Roger gave me a few Christmases ago so I added them to the cup.

I knew I kept them for a reason.

melted beeswax in glass measuring cup sitting in pot of hot water

Can you add scent to homemade beeswax candles?

Short answer…absolutely!

It’s totally optional but you could add essential oil as your wax is melting. Just a word of warning that beeswax doesn’t hold scent very well so you may need to experiment if you want scented beeswax candles.

I am a purist and love the natural honey scent of beeswax so I skip this step. 

lighting a mason jar beeswax candle

When the second batch of wax melted, I poured it into my remaining jars and let them sit out to harden. 

That’s it!

You could stop right there and have three pretty homemade beeswax mason jar candles to keep for yourself or give as gifts.

Or…you could go a step further.

Looking to add a bit of fall to your mason jar beeswax candles?

Check out how simple it is to make fall leaf candle holders, and it’s very inexpensive.

fall leaf candle holders on white buffet

See how easy it is to make beeswax candles at home?

Yield: 3 small mason jar candles

How to Make DIY Beeswax Candles

How to Make DIY Beeswax Candles

How to easily make DIY beeswax candles with raw beeswax to give as gifts or to use in your own home.

Prep Time 15 minutes
Active Time 20 minutes
Time to cool 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 35 minutes
Difficulty Easy
Estimated Cost $3 per candle

Materials

  • 1 lb. raw beeswax
  • cotton candle wicks (pencils to hold wicks in place)
  • 3 - 8 oz. mason jars
  • glass measuring cup
  • optional: scented oil

Tools

  • sauce pot
  • cutting board
  • sharp knife

Instructions

  1. Fill sauce pot with water (just enough to cover bottom half of glass measuring cup)
  2. Place on medium heat
  3. While water is heating cut beeswax into chunks with sharp knife
  4. Put chunks of beeswax in glass measuring cup
  5. Once water is steaming, carefully place measuring cup in hot water
  6. Let wax melt
  7. Optional: add scented oil to melted wax for more fragrance
  8. While wax is melting, prepare mason jars by placing cotton wick in center of each jar
  9. Use a pencil to keep wick centered by wrapping wick around pencil and placing it on rim of jar
  10. Once wax is fully melted, carefully pour into mason jar (use pot holder when handling hot glass)**
  11. Make sure wick is centered
  12. Let wax dry
  13. Once wax is hardened, trim wick with scissors
  14. Light and enjoy!

Notes

***Use caution when handling hot glass and melted wax

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