How to Make Homemade Beeswax Candles
Candle making just doesn’t get any easier than this arts and crafts project — rolled beeswax candles.
The candles pictured above are traditional beeswax pillar candles. To make them, basically, all you do is roll a sheet of beeswax around a wick!
Of course, you can use beeswax sheets to make much fancier candles than the ones shown here. But this page will show you the basics to get you started on your creative way.
This is the first rolled beeswax candle I ever made. In the past, I always made candles using pots of molten wax. I am delighted to have discovered this quick and easy option. I love the attractive honeycomb texture of the beeswax.
Here are the details on how to make this homemade candle. (Thanks to coworker Mike for serving as my hand model.)
Materials
Beeswax sheet
- The sheet I used measured 8 x 16 inches (20 cm x 40 cm).
- Beeswax sheets come in assorted colors, including natural.
Wick
- Wicking often is sold in spools. There are several types of wicking. For pillar beeswax candles made from beeswax sheets, use the “square braided” kind.
- Length depends on the size of the beeswax sheet you use. To begin, cut a piece of wicking about one inch longer than the height the candle will be. (You will later trim the wick a bit.)
Scissors
Instructions
Lay the bees wax sheet on a flat surface as shown in the photo. I placed mine on a big sheet of brown wrapping paper.
The wax sheet should be room temperature. See this craft tip for more information.
You will need a small bit of wax later to “prime” the wick. Cut off a thin strip from the end of the beeswax sheet to use for that purpose.
Place the wick (unprimed) along the edge of the beeswax sheet, as shown in the first photo below. Roll the wax around the wick until the wick is completely covered, as shown in the photo below.
- The wick needs to be flush against the bottom of the finished candle. If you want to, before you start rolling you can have the wick extend a little beyond the edge of the sheet that will be the bottom of the candle, then snip it off later when the candle is completed.
- To ensure proper burning of the candle, press the wax firmly into the wick for the first roll around.
Continue rolling the candle. As you roll, take care to keep the edges level. After you have rolled the entire sheet, press the edge smoothly to the candle so it does not unravel.
To prime the wick, wrap bits of beeswax around it and press it in. Another way to prime the wick is to melt a small amount of the wax and dip the wick into it.
Before you light the candle, cut the wick to 5/8 inch (1.5 cm), as shown in the photo below.
We’re all done now. And that is just how easy it is to make beeswax candles.