DIY Beeswax Essential Oil Candles

Beeswax candles are a great natural way to burn candles without synthetic fragrances. Try these DIY beeswax essential oil candles for an easy way to add your favorite scent to your home!

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I’ve always loved the ambiance candles create in my home, but I had quit using them for the last couple of years because of the potential health concerns  they present. There are so many things I can’t control that come into my home, but candles are one of those easy items I do have a choice about. If you’re interested, I talked about the changes our family made by removing as many toxins as we could from our home in this post.

Quite honestly, this is one of those DIY’s that I never would have done if I hadn’t been looking for a safer alternative to regular store bought candles. I also make my own candles because I’ve found that while buying naturally made beeswax candles on Etsy or Amazon is easy, it’s not very cost effective.

I’ve been making my own candles for about a year now, and there is something cathartic about collecting your own used jam jars, melting down the beeswax, and filling them with a scent you get to come up with completely on your own. You get to create something useful for your home with your own hands, and it feels good to do that;)

How to Make DIY Beeswax Essential Oil Candles

Since beeswax has a high melting point, it’s a good idea to cut it with another oil, otherwise your candle may “tunnel” (burn a hole down the middle and leave a bunch of unused wax around the edges).  I’m a fan of using coconut oil for this purpose. It’s budget friendly and gives your candle wax a little bit of coconut essence when it burns. Yum.

What You Will Need:

• 1 pound of granulated beeswax pellets
• Aluminum pitcher or can
• Sauce pan
• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• Cotton candle wicks
• Candle wick holders
• Two 12 oz glass jars (I used old jam jars)
• Essential oils  (I use this brand with candles for cost purposes)

1. Place the beeswax pellets into your aluminum pitcher (or an aluminum can)
2. Fill your sauce pan with about two inches of water and place the pitcher in the middle of it.   Heat the pan on medium/low and wait for the wax to melt.
3. While the wax is melting, place your cotton wicks in the middle of the bottom of each jar. If you want to use a larger jar, go for it – just make sure you place extra wicks in it to avoid tunneling (you can see where I used three wicks in the large jar above). I like these wicks because they come with a sticky dot that keeps the wick attached to the bottom of the jar.
4. Thred the wick through the wick holder so that it stays centered in your candle.

5. Once the beeswax is completely melted, turn off the heat and add 1/2 cup coconut oil. Stir until combined. The coconut oil will help the candle burn more evenly and help prevent tunneling.
6. Add essential oils. I generally use three different oils and add 20 drops of each to the melted wax. Essential oils and heat aren’t friends, so if you want a stronger scent you may want to add more. Just be aware these aren’t going to smell as strong as something you buy in a store since there isn’t any synthetic fragrance in them.
7. Pour the wax into your jars and let them cool at room temperature.

Essential Oil Candle Recipes

Extra tip: If you’re looking for essential oil combo ideas, I made a chart above of my favorite candles scents for each season and the amounts I use. I generally make a double batch of wax, which makes four 12 oz jar candles, and make one for each season so I have them ready to go!

And now you have some beautiful candles ready to use!

p.s. If you’re interested in more DIY projects, you might enjoy making these:

DIY Dip Dyed Kitchen Utensils

DIY Pom Pom Straw Clutch

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