DIY Coconut Oil & Beeswax Scented Candle 1 lbs (or 2 cups) of natural beeswax 2 cups of coconut oil 60 drops of cinnamon oil (or other essential oil) mason jar or other heat tolerant container balsa wood for wick (find at ACE Hardware)
by Zest it Up
DIY Coconut Oil & Beeswax Scented Candle
5 Materials
$7
1 Hour
Easy
There is something so dang magical about the arrival of autumn. I finally am reunited with my favorite sweaters, boots, cups of hot tea, and candles. Oh, the candles! I love cozying up with lovely candles ablaze. My jam is scented candles that make my home smell warm and inviting. There is something spellbinding about watching the flames flicker and having my whole space transformed by delicious smells (without having to whip something up in the kitchen). The only drawback is what goes into making so many of those lovely candles. Lead in the wicks?? Artificial scents that burn up and pollute my home’s air?? Wax that is a byproduct of petroleum???? YUCK! Thank goodness we have healthier options. Here is a truly delicious smelling candle that you can whip up at home. It is so dang easy and you can feel confident about the air quality in your home! Blog URL: DIY Coconut Oil Beeswax Scented Candle Photo Cred: Anya McInroy
Chop up your beeswax (or better yet, buy it in pellet form to save time). Add your coconut oil and place the mix in a disposable pan resting over a pot of boiling water. Why disposable? It is not necessary, but it makes ruining your pots obsolete.
Once your wax and oil have completely liquified and combined, add 60 drops of your favorite essential oil. I chose to use cinnamon because I could not think of any better way to usher in autumn.
Now, dip your balsa wood into the mix, completely coating the stick. You can use a wick from the craft store here, but I like the concept of burning a simple wooden wick….no chance of lead! I will have to give a quick disclaimer here. I picked up some balsa wood at Michael’s, but it was honestly too thick (as you can see in the below picture). If you go to ACE Hardware, you will find much thinner balsa wood sticks that will stay lit perfectly. You want it to be almost as thin as construction paper.
Measure your balsa to your container and give it a simple snap where you want it for height.
This is so easy, guys! Pour in a small layer of your candle mix, like about a 1/2 inch. Then let it set up just a bit. Now all you have to do is jab your balsa down into the soft wax and it will hold up beautifully while you pour in the rest of your melted candle mix.
You can use chopsticks to rest the balsa up against if you are worried about your wick taking a dive…but it worked perfectly for me without supports.
With a bit of patience, your candle will cool and completely set.
I was able to make two rather large candles from my recipe. Obviously, if you went with smaller containers, you could make more (a great DIY Christmas hint for sure).
Ahhhhh, things are smelling so cozy! I want to curl up with a glass of wine and have a good chat with a friend. Cheers to the quiet peace of autumn! xoxo Chanda
Suggested materials:
- 2 cups of Coconut Oil (Had on Hand)
- 1 lbs (or 2 cups) of Natural Beeswax (Amazon)
- 60 drops of Cinnamon essential oil (or any other essential oil) (Amazon)
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![Pat Carr Abels]()
Pat Carr Abelson Dec 11, 2017Please beware of decorating candles with coffee beans. They catch 🔥 FIRE and burn. My daughter had one on her mantle and when it caught fire she saw it immediately, but unfortunately the candle itself was hot, burnt her fingers, spilled on her carpet. The fire fortunately went out, but carpet was ruined.![Patricia]()
Patriciaon Dec 24, 2017We tried this project today,Christmas Eve. I recommend using a regular wick. The balsa wood would not stay lit. We even looked up another project using balsa wood for a wick. It said to soak them in olive oil first and then dip in wax. Stayed lit for a few seconds longer but not a good burn. Not even enough to melt the wax a little. Otherwise they are beautiful unless you actually want to burn them
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Does it burn evenly
Hi Karen! If you stir the mixture and everything is congealed evenly it should burn equally!
Hi! Great project! Quick question- when you said to completely cover the wood in the wax (prior to putting into the jar) - donyou want it all the way to the top where it wil eventually be lit? Just want to make sure I do it right. Thanks!
The balsa needs to be coated from one end to the other so that when you light then end that is standing outside the candle itself won't set aflame. The wax will keep it so it will react like a normal wick would. It would be tragic to begin to burn a new, homemade candle and singe your nosehairs and eyebrows unnecessarily (tongue firmly implanted in cheek here). ;)
Hey Rachelle, We recommend completely covering the balsa in wax!
Do you know if these are safe to burn when you have birds (parakeets etc) in the house?
Cigarette smoke is much worse for dogs than humans. I throw this info out every time I get the chance. Stop smoking around your dog and their ability to breathe will improve.
Just a guess, but I'd assume it's to stretch the recipe and make the candles more affordable. In a jar, they can be softer than tapered candles, so this mix will work fine while making more candle(s) for your diy buck.
You can make this candle without the coconut oil in the recipe. We added it to make the recipe larger so we could make more candles! The Beeswax is a little pricey by itself so it gave us a bigger bang for our buck also!
It made 2 - 16 ounce candles. It depends on how much you have on hand. We had almost all of our ingredients on hand so we ended up spending about $7 total.
Great question! No it doesn't
Great question! No it doesn't
Great question! You can find essential oils on Amazon, at Walmart, Bed, Bath & Beyond, and Craft stores.
Great Question! The cinnamon definitely takes over the coconut scent.
Hi Lisa! The wax helps to prevent the candle turning to liquid
Great question! You should be able to hover over any picture and see two icons pop up in the left corner for you to share via Pinterest or Facebook. You could also copy and paste the URL if you wanted to share via email or text message.
Yes you can!
Yes but be careful as some candles are only colored on the outside and they use cheap wax. You can use paraffin but Beeswax is much smoother and smells better.
What is the purpose of the coconut oil.
Adding some coconut oil to your beeswax should help the candle burn more consistently and avoid tunneling, but technically you can also make a 100% beeswax candle as well.
I think this would make the candle more cost efficient also.
How can I make coffee scented candles
I would add some beans and/or grounds to the mix- would be super cute in a coffee mug! xo