Hey everybody, it's Charlotte! Today on Makers Moments we'll be teaching you
how to make a candle using beeswax. Beeswax candles have been used for more than
a thousand years. The wax is the substance secreted by honeybees when
they construct their honeycombs. The wax is obtained by melting the empty comb in
boiling water. It tends to be a bit stickier than other waxes and its
composition varies slightly according to the geographical location
and diet of the bees. Beeswax is a relatively soft wax but has a high melt
point. It is the most expensive of all candle waxes and it is valued for its
slow burn, golden color, and unique aroma. Beeswax is available in yellow or white
bleached color. We're going to walk you through how in just 8 simple steps, you
can make your very own luxury beeswax wooden wick candle! First, get prepped.
Here's what you're going to need: vessels - today we're using two from our aura
collection. Wax - we're using beeswax cocoa cream. Fragrance oil - today we're using
one from our Naturals Collection. Wooden wicks, wick clips, wick stickers,
safety labels, a pouring pitcher, a stove safe pot, a whisk or stirring utensil,
thermometer, and wick trimmers. Now let's get started heating things up! Cover the
area you're working on or be sure to work on an easy to clean surface. Clean
your vessels with a damp cloth to remove any dust or debris. Fill a stove safe pot
with water until the water reaches approximately three inches in height.
Preheat the water until it's barely simmering, not boiling. Now we can get
started melting our wax down. Today I'm using the beeswax cocoa cream from the
Wooden Wick Co. It's often helpful when using pure beeswax to add a small amount
of coconut oil to lower the melt temperature and increase the wax blend's
ability to hold fragrance. I love using beeswax cocoa cream because it's already
formulated with coconut and palm waxes so you're ready to go!
So you're going to want to cut your wax into smaller chunks so you can easily
put it into your pouring pitcher. You can use a wax cutter or a simple kitchen
knife for this and then simply place the wax chunks into your pouring picture. The
total ounce fill for each vessel is the equivalent to the amount of wax needed
per vessel. For example, if you're using an 8 ounce vessel, 8 ounces of wax will
be needed. If you want to determine how much wax you need for your vessel, you
can fill up a measuring cup with water to find out how many ounces of liquid
will fill that container. Or if you're using a vessel from The Wooden Wick Co.,
like I am in this tutorial, you can just look on the product page on our website
for the ounce fill of that particular vessel. If you're using a flake wax
instead of a slab, you'll need to weigh the flakes with a scale to determine the
amount that you need to melt. For these two vessels you're going to need a total
of 20 ounces of wax. Carefully place your pouring pitcher into your water filled
pot and leave the pouring pitcher in the pot until the wax is completely
liquefied and reached the appropriate mix and pour temperature for your wax
type. If you're ever unsure about the mix and pour temperature for your wax, refer
to the manufacturer or product page where you purchased the wax. If you're
using the beeswax cocoa cream wax like I am in this video, the mix and pour
temperature is a hundred and thirty seven degrees Fahrenheit, which is 58
degrees Celsius. While the wax is melting, you'll want to assemble your wicks and
place them into your vessel. If you've never used wooden wicks before, they're
really easy to use since they stand straight up on their own with the help
of our provided wick clips. For help with which wick to use, you can check out our
wick selection guide online for suggestions on which wick is best for
you - we've linked that below. For this candle, I'm using the Crackling Booster
0.03 in 0.625 inches wide from The Wooden Wick Co. I'm using this wick
because of the way it performs with beeswax cocoa cream and because of the
particular size vessel that I'm using. Understanding the relationship between
wicks, wax, and your vessel size is key to successful candle making with wooden or
cotton wicks. But it isn't all that hard - I've included a link below that's a
great foolproof guide to picking the right wicks.
press the wick gently into the wick clip by rocking the wick from edge to edge
until it's fully inserted into the wick clip.
Next, take your wick sticker and adhere it to the bottom of your wick clip. Simply
pull back the double-sided adhesive and place the entire wick clip assembly into
the center bottom of your container. Now let's check the temperature of our wax.
Perfect! Once we've reached the perfect mix and pour temperature, it's time to
stir things up. Remove the pouring pitcher from the pot
with a heat-resistant glove. Measure and pour in your fragrance oil and stir
briskly for two to three minutes. This prolonged stirring will help the molecules
of the fragrance oil fully bind with the molecules of the wax. Today we're using
creamy vanilla and coconut sugar from our Naturals Collection - it's a warm, woody
fragrance and two ounces is the perfect amount for these two Aura vessels. That
means you'll be using one ounce of fragrance oil for each candle to give
you a 10 percent fragrance load. To dive into the math, a fragrance load of 10%
is the amount of fragrance concentration in your total wax fill for each vessel.
In this case my aura vessels each have a 10 ounce wax fill, making the ratio of
fragrance concentration one out of 10. 10 percent of 10 ounces equals one ounce.
This is an excellent fragrance load that will give you both the powerful hot and
cold throw. If you're making more than two candles, you can refer to our
fragrance percentage chart in the links below for exact details and pouring
measurements based on your desired fragrance load. Now it's time to pour
some candles! Slowly pour your blend of wax and
fragrance into your vessel until between half an inch to one inch of the wIck
remains above the wax. This can vary a bit depending on your personal
preference and the vessel size. In bigger vessels, it's normally best to leave
about 1 inch remaining above the top of the vessel, but if you're using a votive
or a shorter vessel, half an inch should be sufficient.
Perfect! Now we get to chill out. Let your candle set on a flat surface
for at least 24 hours. Once your candles have fully cooled, trim your wicks 2 to 0.2
inches or 5 millimeters above the wax. Once your candle has fully cooled, you
can apply safety labels to the bottom of the candle. Congrats! You're officially a
candle maker! Once you've created your candles, it's important to make sure that
you also properly care for and store your beautiful new creations. Be sure to
trim your wick in between burns where the wood naturally breaks off to prevent
sooting. You can trim the wick by gently pinching burnt bits off with your
fingers when the candle is completely cooled. Never burn your candle for longer
than four hours - we recommend burning in cycles of two to
three hours until a full melt pool has been achieved. This maximizes an even burn and
maximizes the throw of your fragrance. When not in use, store your candles
upright in a cool dry environment and out of direct sunlight. Ready to put your
newfound knowledge into practice? Everyone has an interesting first candle
making story - share yours in the comments below! If you want to purchase any of the
components that we used in this video, we're going to link them all below. Don't
forget to subscribe to our channel to stay in the loop on all the latest
makers tips and tricks. See you next time on Makers Moments. Happy Making!