If you’re lucky enough to know a local beekeeper, you may be able to pick up some raw, honey-scented beeswax with for a good price. However, before you get started on making homemade beeswax candles, lotion bars, reusable food wrap, food-grade crayons, calendula salve, homemade lotion or another project, be aware that unfiltered beeswax comes with bits of propolis and other debris that needs to be removed before it is used.
Several of you have asked how to do that recently, so I’ve put together a quick tutorial for you. Here’s how to make your beeswax “project ready.”
How To Filter Beeswax For Candle Making & Other Projects
Supplies you’ll need:
- double boiler
- tightly woven old t-shirt or pillowcase
- parchment paper
- large stainless steel or heat-proof bowl
Step 1: Melt the beeswax in a double boiler. If you don’t have a double boiler you can use a stainless steel bowl set inside a pot of boiling water.
Step 2: Line your bowl with a tightly woven old t-shirt or pillowcase. If desired, you can line the bottom of the bowl with parchment paper so that serves as a “mold” for the wax to harden in. Pour the hot wax over the fabric, then gently lift the fabric out of the bowl to remove the propolis and other debris – make sure to hold it over the bowl until it has stopped dripping
If you’re using the bowl as your mold, when the beeswax is solid simply pop it out and remove the parchment paper.
Another option is to pour the melted beeswax into silicone molds after you’ve filtered it. I used these square molds that say 100% handmade.
Cleanup Tip:
Beeswax is usually difficult to remove from the bowl it was melted in, but I’ve learned a little trick that I want to pass along. I preheat my oven to 200F, then turn it off and place the bowl inside. Within a few minutes the wax is completely melted, making it easy to wipe away with paper towels. After that, I just scrub with soap and water as usual.
When melting wax in the past I’ve made a double boiler from a pan and a used can. That way I didn’t have to worry about cleaning it after. Would that work for beeswax too?
Yes, this works great, and you can use the multiple times.
As a beekeeper, I simply strain the melted wax through cleaned panty hose (which I’ve managed to collect from various friends over the years). That holds all the propolis and other detritus and it doesn’t absorb the wax the way cloth does. Then I peel away the hose and use the propolis in tinctures.
I would love to learn about what you use these rements in
Can I use a cheesecloth?
You can use cheesecloth. The finer the mesh the cleaner the wax. I am making a mix of wax and linseed oil to treat my hives so I don’t need wax as smooth as I would for, say, lip balm. All depends on how you want to use the wax.
Do you have to filter more then once?
Equipment can also be cleaned up using a concentrated solution of Washing Soda. Add the Soda to the bowl and pour boiling water over it. Leave to soak, if necessary and wipe off. Rinse thoroughly afterwards, of course. Steel equipment comes out gleaming!