Who doesn't love a candle? There is nothing more enchanting than the glow of a candle. Candlelight. Every day, all year long. Memorable and elegant. In the past, I made candles to share as gifts, and even today the journey of candle making is just as fulfilling as striking the match to the flickering wick. By making your own beeswax candle, you are creating a very special, no two are alike, the most delightful candle around. It's a 'feels good' thing to do. Make a few for your most dear friends or woo someone special with the magic of a beeswax candle made by you. Very impressive. Sweet and simple. Ambiance guaranteed.
Natural beauty.
This is how my day started. An omen. The day I planned to start my yogurt jar candle blog, this was my greeting! How can that not be a good
sign? A few of my little loves in one day, candles and small glass jars.
This is what you will need-
Glass Yogurt Jars
Hot Glue Gun
Coconut Oil
Bamboo Skewers
4-Cup Glass Measuring Cup
1-Cup Measuring Cup
8-Quart Pot (Pasta Pot)
Shallow Pan
Beeswax is a natural base for making candles. It is clean
burning, pure, chemical free and there is less black smoke residue when
extinguished. If you love candles like I do, your walls and ceilings will thank
you.
Beeswax is made by bees, really. Here are photos from my brother-in-law and sister-in-law’s hives and bees. Of their many interest, one is raising bees and harvesting the honey.
And, recently, my sister-in-law has discovered that beeswax is great for making lip
balm and (wow) making candles. And yes, her candles are outstanding, most
beautiful. Raw beeswax is purified in two steps, then when clean, is ready for
making candles. It doesn’t get any more natural than that. But, because I’m a
little more suburban, I must skip the raising, harvesting, stinging, purifying steps, so my beeswax comes from Amazon. Its on my doorstep the very next day.
This is beeswax I use, it comes in the form of small little
pellets or pastilles. I love that they come in white or light yellow-gold,
their natural color. Both make beautiful candles, but if you choose to tint you
candles with color, white is the way to go.
One pound of beeswax will yield four (glass yogurt jars)
candles.
Prep-
Cut four bamboo skewers about 1" longer than the mouth of the jar.
Place a dot of hot glue on the bottom of the metal disk attached to the
wick and press and hold in place in the center of the bottom of the glass jar.
Roll the end of the wick around the skewer to hold the wick in place and most importantly, centered.
Measure 1/2 cup of coconut oil into a measuring cup. Set aside. Coconut oil is added to the beeswax to lower the temperature of the melting beeswax so the candle will burn a bit more evenly.
Fill a shallow pan with very warm water. This will become
the “cooling bath” for the newly poured candles. The bath allows the candles to
cool slowly and to prevent the beeswax from cracking as it hardens.
Use an 8-quart pot, or a pot with tall sides. Add a couple
of inches of water and bring to boil. Adjust the heat to medium-low.
Pour all the pastilles into the 4-cup measuring cup and
place carefully into the boiling pot of water. Take great care not to get any water in your beeswax.
Use a skewer to stir the beeswax while it is melting. Do not
walk away.
Once the beeswax is completely melted, add the coconut oil
and quickly mix until it is completely dissolved. If you choose to tint your candle or add fragrance, this is the time to do so. I prefer my candles sent-free, the beeswax has its own soft sent and the color is perfect just as is. Pure and natural.
Carefully remove from the pot and pour the beeswax/coconut
oil into the prepped jars, one at a time.
Gently place the jars into the water bath. Check to make
sure the wick is in the center of the candle, you have a few seconds to adjust
the wick before the wax hardens on the surface.
Let the jars cool several hours. Remove from the bath and
set on counter overnight. The next day cut wick to ½” long.
Or make for gifts...
Or light a few just because...
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