Description

Beeswax is one of nature’s most amazing products! It is derived from the nectar of flowers collected by honey bees which is the same source that honey is produced from. Honey bees have four pairs of glands on the underside of their abdomen that secretes this incredible product. Beeswax has many wonderful natural characteristics that make it one of the most popular waxes used both in candles and body care products. This particular type of beeswax has a naturally sweet aroma and a golden honey color. Since it is a completely natural product, the color and aroma will vary from lot to lot depending on where the hives were placed that the beeswax came from.

It is also filtered naturally by pouring the melted wax through a double metal sieve. This filtering process removes the impurities that are found in unfiltered beeswax which might include pollen and bee parts. Once the beeswax is filtered, it is poured into silicone molds, either a 1 oz. bar mold or a 16 oz. hexagon shaped mold, to cool and dry. No additional processing is performed other than this.

Another characteristic of our beeswax is its high melting point (approximately 145° F).This makes it a harder and more firm wax compared to other types. If using beeswax to make candles, you will also find that it is nearly dripless and will burn more slowly. When used as an ingredient to make body care products, it will make them more solid, which is ideal for products like soaps, lip balms and salves.

Sourcing Information

We are proud to say that we source all of our domestic beeswax from the Pacific Northwest (Oregon, Idaho, Washington and Western Montana). We have long established relationships with Pacific Northwest beekeepers who we purchase this beeswax from and we strongly believe it is some of the highest quality wax around!

Storage Recommendations

Product shelf life is dependent room temperature. Do no store below 59° as this will cause the product to "bloom". Bloom is where low melting-point fractions of the wax leach to the surface to create a white film. This does not affect the quality of the wax, once it is re-melted. When stored under optimum conditions, the shelf life is 5 years, but beeswax has been known to maintain it's integrality up to 10 years.

Projects

A wide array of products use beeswax as an ingredient including candles, soaps, salves and creams. It is one of the main ingredients in lip balm as well as widely used in woodworking to condition and protect the wood. Our filtered domestic beeswax is considered cosmetic grade and food grade so can be used in any body care recipe. We have a wonderful recipe for making peppermint lip balm located here.

Bloom

Over time, our beeswax will develop a naturally occurring white film on its surface. This white film is called "bloom" and is very similar to what happens to pure chocolate over time and is an indication of the quality of the beeswax. If you do not like the look of bloom, it can simply be removed by buffing the surface of the candle or other beeswax product with a soft cloth or applying low/warm heat with a hair dryer.

Why Choose This Beeswax?

Our filtered domestic beeswax is ready-to-use and no further filtering is required. The 1 oz. bars is a convenient size to use in recipes and there is no need to split them if you don’t want to.

Important Notes

Beeswax shrinks very little upon cooling. Given this, the liquid volume is close or equal to its dry weight. Since it doesn’t shrink much and if using to make candles, extra care is needed to prevent sticking in candle molds. To prevent sticking, we suggest spraying candle molds with olive oil or silicone spray before pouring hot beeswax into the mold. Another useful tip for getting beeswax candles to release from molds is to place the wax-filled mold in the refrigerator or freezer for the last 30 minutes of cooling.