Bees have my heart. I love all things bee related. Give me all the honey, honey comb, and beeswax. One of the reasons I love beeswax candle so much is because they burn beautifully. Beeswax has a higher temperature melting point when compared to some petroleum waxes or soy wax. Meaning that beeswax will melt slower and drip less. It’s a natural gift from bees. Plus, I love the smell. These candles smell fresh with a slight earthy fragrance. Follow along as I make beeswax candles in beautiful vintage glass jars.
For one of our homeschool field trips this past spring, we visited a bee farm. Check out my post here about our visit to the farm. I was able to purchase this beeswax block from them. I’ve been waiting till fall to make my candles. I happened to make them right before Hurricane Helene hit, and we lost power for about a week. It was perfect timing for the candles I had just made!
Materials Needed for Making DIY Beeswax Candles
- Beeswax block, 1 lb. Look for a local bee farmer in your area, and they will most likely sell beeswax blocks.
- Beeswax pastilles/pellets, 8 oz. These can also be melted down to make salves, so I prefer to get the organic pellets.
- Cotton Wick #2
- Needle nose pliers
- Silver wick tabs, 14mm
- Beautiful glass thick glass jars with no cracks.
- Sharp scissors to trim the wick.
Selecting the Glass Candle Jars
The glass jars should be thick without cracks. This could be something memorable to you or simply a mason jar. I was at an antique shop and snagged this beautiful talc makeup jar with silver lid. The lead glass was so delicately cut, and it was the perfect shape and size for a candle.
The little blue glass pedestal glasses were a wedding favor given out at my in-laws’ wedding decades ago. They were sitting around collecting dust. It is so much better to give something new life and a purpose than have it sitting around taking up space.
How to make a Beeswax Candle in a Glass Jar
Start by slowly melting the block of beeswax over low heat in a metal bowl. Pick a bowl that you won’t mind dedicating to your beeswax projects. I use the melt/warm burner on the back on my stove. It took about an hour for the wax to fully melt.
Prepare your glass jars while the wax is melting by making sure they are clean and fully dry.
Cut a piece of cotton wick about three inches longer than the size that you’ll need for the candle. Measure it by holding the end of the wick to the inside bottom of the jar. Then, measure about three inches past the top of the jar and cut the wick.
Insert one end of the wick into the round metal tab piece. Using needle nose pliers, squeeze the top of the metal tab piece. This will be the base of the wick.
Push several beeswax pellets onto the bottom of the small metal tab piece. Then, push the beeswax covered metal piece onto the center of the bottom of the glass.
Depending on the size of your jar, the beeswax pellets may become loose from the bottom of the jar. If this happens, you can use a pen to prop the wick in place. This may happen to the larger candles. The smaller candles, the wick, should stay right in place where you put it.
Allow the candle to cool before trimming the wick. You can make slight adjustments to your wick as the candle cools. Then, pour a thin layer of melted beeswax on top to cover any imperfections.
Your beautiful beeswax candles in vintage glass jars are now ready to use! Enjoy a beautiful fall or winter morning with candlelight and the cleanest burning candle.
For more homemade family inspiration and recipes follow along @homesteadonlakeside.
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