Beeswax candles can be made from a yellow wax that comes straight from the hive and has been filtered which typically is not made in to a candle that has other scents or colors added. These have a very pleasant honey smell and are probably the cleanest burning on the market today. They do not smoke, and expel no pollutants like paraffin. In fact they add negative ions to the air that will help to clean the air in the room. The color of these candles will vary as the nectar and pollen that the bees gathered locally will cause a color differentiation in the wax itself. Therefore it’s likely that though you may have two or more candles, they may not have exactly the same shade of coloring even though they may have been made the same way in similar molds. They will all typically will have a generally honey color.

White beeswax will give you the same choices that a paraffin or soy will in a candle. This wax takes color very well, and holds much more scent that the others. This allows you to obtain the same look that paraffin will give, but enable you to have a much smellier and longer lasting candle. Virtually the same advantages of the yellow beeswax are available her too. These are cleaner burning than other types. The major difference between this and the filtered straight beeswax is the color because this one has been bleached. That’s what gives us the ability to color the wax in as many shades as we can other types. A fragrance or essential oil can be used to scent these.

The appearance of this type of candle is creamier than others. A Paraffin candle will tend to have a shiny exterior. Beeswax is more smooth and non reflective. The result is a very rich appearance that is very pleasing to the eye. The wax is very opaque and does not tend to show light shining through it. As the wax ages, it will stay pliable and will not turn brittle as other wax types. Color has a tendency to stay bright and rich over time as well and tends not to fade out as others will.

Beeswax has a very high melt point at 150 degrees Fahrenheit. This is a large part of the reason that your candle will last much longer. The wax does not melt as fast, and therefore does not burn off as quickly. The flame produced tends to be a little smaller, but brighter than others. As others have described, the flame from a Beeswax candle has a light spectrum most similar to sunlight, where a paraffin or soy candle will emit light more similar to an incandescent light bulb.

For those that burn candles every day you may have noticed a slight buildup of soot or a black film that accumulates over time on things around where you burn your candles. Since the beeswax does burn very cleanly, you should not notice any buildup of soot. Okay, so not only do they last longer, but they’re very easy to clean up after too! Our shedding pets should do the same for all of us. Wouldn’t that be nice?

Why in the world are these more expensive? Just think of all the extra hours of overtime those busy little bees worked for all of this! Ah, no. Beeswax does have to be harvested from the hive, and is a natural result of secretions made by the female worker bees. There is only so much wax that each producer gleans from each hive.

Beeswax is very versatile for our purposes. As a decorating accessory for candles, additive for soaps, cosmetics and bath and body products. Adding a bit of beeswax to a paraffin candle will increase the amount of fragrance that the candle will hold. Adding a bit to a lotion will make the skin very smooth. Blocks are also used to coat thread to stiffen it, or on metal tools to keep off rust…… It goes on and on.

If you’ve never tried on of these, please do. You’ll be very pleased!

Check out this example of a handmade scented beeswax pillar candle..

Plan on spending just a little bit more for the better candles. We’re all familiar with the ones we see on the shelf in many a store. The ones we pick up, bring up to our face to smell the great scent the label announces to find that we can either just barely pick up the scent, or the dust from the shelf it was on. Achoo! This is where the little bit of extra cost for a truly great candle can make all the difference in the world. With a bit more care in the making and a bit more in fragrance or essential oil added to the wax, you won’t have to pick it up to enjoy the difference. Just inhale and enjoy your prize.

A pillar that is truly handmade will have more fragrance oil added which will enable the candle to have more scent throw than many others. The waxes used will typically be of better quality and the wicks will be carefully chosen for just the size of candle you have. The better the wax blend, the more fragrance it will hold, and the smoother and longer burning the candle will be. The possibilities for color are endless too.

The wick will ideally be a cotton core wick that has no artificial components to it such as a zinc core found in many types.  The zinc is used as a wick stiffener to help the maker of the candle stand the wick up while the wax is cooling. Cotton cores can do the very same thing if constructed properly. The advantage is that the cotton cores are a cleaner burning wick producing less in smoke and other residues that can accumulate over time on the walls or other things in the room. They put out fewer pollutants than other types.

The size of wick is important. It should not burn too hot which could result in the candle ‘tunneling’ or melting through to the outside of the candle where the hot wax can create a real mess. It should also not burn too coolly so that the candle burns only down through the middle leaving tall sides and wasted wax. Ideally the melt pool should cover most of the top of the candle leaving just enough solid wax on the outside to prevent spills. As the candle burns down, it is useful to ‘hug’ the candle sides with your hands to bring the rim a bit closer to the flame so that it melts down as the wick burns down. Remember that the wax is the fuel for the flame. Not the wick itself. The wick is the carrier of the fuel to the flame.

Part of the care taken by the craftsman is to ensure that the candle cools slowly. This produces a smoother appearance on the outside of the candle, and allows the wax to solidify evenly without forming bubbles of air in the middle, or in extreme cases developing a divot on the outside of the candle that is not exposed until the candle is removed from the mold. Either case can prevent the candle from burning smoothly throughout.

A few simple rules like ‘hugging’ your candle, never leaving your candle unattended while burning, and not burning for longer than 2 hours at a time can make your experience safe and enjoyable.

Here’s a sampling of handmade scented round pillar candles..

Another sampling of interesting geometric shaped handmade scented pillar candles..