Beeswax Recipes
Beeswax Crafts Recipes
Lip balm
2tsp coconut oil
1 tsp beeswax
1 vitamin E capsule
Melt together and pour into a container, allow to cool.
There are endless variations using more and less of different ingredients, and other moisturizers for the lips. Various Essential Oils and flavors may be added to taste. Try a few drops of peppermint essential oil, Rosemary Essential Oil, Orange or Lemon Essential Oils, or any flavors you might enjoy! You can use the candy flavoring oils to be found in the candy making shops.
Skin Cream
2 1/2 ounces (weight) beeswax
4 ounces (weight) lanolin
2/3 cup baby or mineral oil
3/4 cup water
1 teaspoon borax (sodium borate, CP)
Fragrant oil (optional)
Melt the oil, lanolin and beeswax to 160 degrees F. Heat the borax and water in a separate container to 160 degrees F. Be sure the beeswax is melted and the borax is dissolved. Add the water mixture to the oil mixture while stirring. When a white cream forms, stir slowly until the mixture cools to 100 degrees F. Pour the cream into small, wide-mouth jars.
Petroleum Jelly
Petroleum jelly is easy to make and it is an ingredient of many other products. Naturalists may substitute a natural oil, such as grape seed oil or sweet almond oil for the baby or mineral oil to create an "un-petroleum jelly." 1 ounce (weight) beeswax
1/2 cup baby or mineral oil
Melt the beeswax in a microwave or a double boiler. Stir in the mineral oil. Remove the mixture from the heat and stir until cool.
Basic Lotion Bar
3 ounces beeswax
2 ounces cocoa butter
3 ounces sweet almond oil
Melt and mix all ingredients thoroughly. Mold into desired shape.
Solid Perfume
3 parts Sweet Almond or Jojoba oil
2 parts White beeswax
1 part Scent
Melt all ingredients over double boiler until well mixed and integrated. Pour into containers and let cool.
Rosemary Cream
(excellent for getting mascara & makeup off) - FOR ALL SKIN TYPES EXCEPT OILY Will keep without refrigeration for about 1 month, so don't make up too much at once. Step 1 12g beeswax
15g emulsifying wax
1 tablespoon (thick) coconut oil
100ml olive oil. Melt in a double boiler, I use the microwave in a pyrex bowl, works fine. Remove from heat. Step 2 2 tablespoons water
1/4 teaspoon borax
1 tablespoon rosewater Heat water mix slightly in a pyrex bowl till borax is dissolved. Add slowly to the melted oils from step 1 & stir constantly till almost cool. Doesn't take long (not like tracing). Mix well, when lukewarm, then add 5 drops essential oil, e.g.. rose geranium is good for general skin care.
If the E/O is added above 45C it will vaporize & you will loose your therapeutic qualities as well as most of the fragrance. Pot into sterilized glass jar.
Beeswax Castile Soap
16 oz weight olive oil
1 oz beeswax
1 oz palm oil
2.1 oz lye
1 cup water (8 fluid ounces) (melt the beeswax with the fats) Fat and lye/water temperature about 150 degrees F Tracing time: about 12 minutes FAST! (This is not a good blender soap candidate!) Time in molds: 48 hours Place the soap in a freezer for 3 hours, then remove it from the molds
Age: 6 to 8 weeks for the bars to harden.
Cold Cream
Pour 84 ml olive oil and 28 g beeswax into a jar or basin and stand in a pan of hot water on the stove. Warm gently (do not boil!) until the wax is just melted. Warm 30 ml rosewater. Stir the oil and wax together and while stirring, add the rosewater gradually. Remove the jar from hot water and stir vigorously until cool. To make a cream which is effective in fighting wrinkles and scars, add the contents of one or two vitamin E capsules (prick the capsule and squeeze the contents out).
Candle Wicks
The herb Mullen was used centuries ago to make wicks for candles. You will have to find the seeds for Mullen and grow them yourself. Mullen is a tall straight plant with a hard stem. When the plant is fully grown and ripe, cut and remove the hard outer stem. In the center of the stem is a vegetable cord like substance. Remove the cords and twist carefully, tying at top and bottom, then hang with a small weight like a pebble attached to the bottom. You can plait several cords of Mullen together to make the thickness of wick you require. Leave to dry for several weeks, then use in candles as normal.
Spice Sachets
1 1/2 oz. weight beeswax
1 cup applesauce
1 1/2 cup ground cinnamon or a mixture of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves.
Up to 1 teaspoon of essential oil from any of the spices may also be added.
Heat the wax and applesauce in a microwave or double boiler until the wax is melted. Stir in the ground spices. Knead the mixture until it is dough-like. Roll the dough into sheets and cut out forms or hand-form the dough into balls or beads. Place the forms on cardboard. They will harden in 3 or 4 days. The fragrance will last for years.
Sweet Honeyed Carrot Soap
7.5 oz Coconut Oil
8 oz castor oil
8 oz olive oil
16 oz Sunflower Oil
16 oz Crisco
2 oz Beeswax
8 oz carrot juice
14 oz water
7.58 oz lye (sodium hydroxide)
Instructions: Measure oils on your scale. Warm on the stove or in the microwave. Bring temperature to near 120° F. Exact temperature is not critical.Add sodium hydroxide to the water. Mix well. Allow to cool to near 120° F. Exact temperature is not critical. Combine oils and lye solution and carrot juice. Stir until trace. Stir well. Pour soap into molds. Allow to sit until soap is firm. Depending on the depth of the mold this will happen in 6 to 36 hours. Deeper molds allow for faster firming. Cut into bars. Stack to allow good air circulation. Allow to cure for several days before using. Longer curing will result in a harder bar.
Notes & Comments: At trace I added honey which had been caramelized in the microwave & aloe vera. The soap is a lovely almost translucent pale orange & has a warm sweet scent but not sickly sweet.
"Bee Good Soap"
16 oz wt Almond Oil
26 oz wt Canola oil
32 oz wt Coconut Oil
28 oz wt Olive oil
26 oz wt Hydrogenated Soybean Oilbean Oil
48 fl oz water
18 oz wt lye (sodium hydroxide)
4 oz wt Beeswax (.5 oz per pound x 8 lbs.)
4 oz wt Honey (.5 oz per pound x 8 lbs.)
Instructions: Heat oils to 150° F. Add Beeswax (you can grate it, chunk it, pre-melt it). Cool to 115° F. Lye and water to about 110° F. Add lye/water to oils, at light trace, add the honey. Stir till well blended. Pour no more than an inch deep. Cover with Saran type wrap prevents soda ash). Don't wrap with a blanket, just put a cookie sheet over the top, as this will get warmer than soaps without honey.
Notes & Comments: You can scent this as you like, add scents at light trace.
Art Mediums with Beeswax
Wax Crayons
Parts by weight:
2 parts beeswax
1 part talc
pigment
Melt the wax in a microwave or small can placed in boiling water ( a double boiler). Stir in the talc and dry artist's pigment or fresco colors. Pour the mixture into a lubricated aluminum foil mold. The crayon may be melted again and more pigment added until it is the exact color desired. Caution: These crayons should not be used by children because some pigments are not food safe.
Wax Pastels
Parts by weight:
1 part grated soap
1 part beeswax
Pigment
Melt the beeswax in a small can placed in boiling water. Add the grated soap and stir until the soap melts and the mixture is smooth. Color the mixture with dry artist's pigment or fresco colors. Pour into lubricated aluminum foil molds. After testing the crayon, it can be melted again and more pigment added. Caution: These crayons should not be used by children because some pigments are not food safe.
Wax Pastels for Children
Follow the directions above for "Wax Pastel Crayons" using concentrated food coloring as the pigment. The paste is sold with cake decorating supplies. The crayons are food safe and they blend well. Their color is almost as concentrated as the crayons made with the artist's pigment.
Oil Paint #1
8 measures beeswax
3 measures turpentine
Melt the beeswax in a microwave or double boiler. Remove it from the heat and stir in the turpentine. For direct painting, combine the mixture on a palette with tube oil paint. Thin or thick coats can be applied over oil, tempera or glue paints. Use only a wax varnish over the finished painting.
Oil paint #2
4 measures beeswax
1 measure Damar varnish
1 measure boiled linseed oil
12 measures turpentine
Heat the ingredients in a double boiler until they are combined. Remove the boiler from the heat and stir until the mixture forms a soft paste. Combine the soft paste on a palette with tube oil paints. Apply the paint as a final paint layer or glaze. Varnish the painting with a wax varnish only.
Beeswax Polishes
Famous Three in One Solid Furniture Polish
Equal portions of linseed oil, warmed beeswax and turpentine.
This, like some of the other recipes, can be experimented with for best results. Here it is good to begin with small quantities, about a cup of each ingredient. The warmed materials should be carefully and thoroughly mixed together with a wooden stick, then pour into the usual wide mouthed storage jar. The final color is usually a rich gold.
Beeswax Polish
Beeswax furniture polish with it's soft, satin shine is considered the ultimate in wood care. Note that there is very little difference between this formula and the formula for shoe polish. 4 ounces (weight) beeswax
2 tablespoons carnauba wax
2 1/2 cups odorless turpentine or mineral spirits
Melt the waxes on high in a microwave or in a double boiler. Remove the waxes from the heat and stir in the turpentine or mineral spirits. Apply the polish with a clean cloth and rub in small circles. Turn the cloth as it becomes dirty. Allow the polish to dry, then buff with a clean cloth. If more than one coat is desired, wait two days between applications.
Liquid Polish
4 oz. (weight) beeswax
2 T. carnauba wax
2 1/2 Cups mineral spirits or Turpenoid
Melt the waxes on high in a microwave (watch closely) or in a double boiler. Remove the waxes from the heat and stir in the mineral spirits.
Beeswax Special furniture Cream Polish
4 oz. beeswax
1/4 cup liquid soap
2 cups turpentine
1 cup very warm water
1/4 cup pine oil
Dissolve the soap well in the warm water, and let cool. Using the double boiler technique, melt the beeswax shavings in the turpentine, remove and cool. When both mixes are cool , mix gently and thoroughly with a wooden stick. If, as happens, the mix cools too quickly and hardens again, re-heat gently while stirring.
Furniture Cream Polish #2
1 pint linseed oil
4 oz. beeswax
Melt together, mix thoroughly, and put into container.
Furniture Oil
1 pint linseed oil
6 oz. beeswax
Melt the two ingredients together over low heat and store in closed bottle.
Floor Polish
Melt equal portions of beeswax and turpentine together for use on wooden floors.
Holiday Floor Polish
4 oz. beeswax
1/2 cup liquid soap
1/2 pint water
1/4 cup linseed oil
1/4 cup turpentine
Melt the wax in the warm water, then mix in the soap. When cooled, add the turpentine and linseed oil. Store in covered container.
Shoe Polish
Parts by weight: 1 part aluminum oxide powder
1 part tin oxide powder
1 part petroleum jelly
1 part beeswax Melt the wax and petroleum jelly in a microwave or double boiler. Remove from heat and stir in the dry ingredients.
Home Uses/Tool Box
Leather Waterproofing
4 oz. beeswax
4 oz. resin or rosin (music stores carry)
1 pint vegetable oil
Melt the solids in the oil, and apply while warm.
Arthritis wax treatment
Warm wax treatments are approved by the Arthritis Foundation to help relieve sore, painful joints caused by arthritis. Wax treatments provide moist heat, increase blood circulation, and ease stiffness due to joint inflammation. 5 lbs beeswax
2 cups mineral oil Step 1: Melt ingredients in an oven set between 170 to 200 degrees F. Stir to mix the oil and wax. Step 2: Remove the mixture from the oven and allow it to cool until there is a film of cooled wax on the surface (about 125 degrees F). Test the wax to be sure it is very warm, but not uncomfortable. Step 3: The body part treated must be clean and dry. Dip the body part into the wax mixture and withdraw it. If the hand is being treated, keep the fingers apart. Do this a few more times until there is a thick coating of wax. Step 4: Return the body part to the wax and leave there (15 to 30 minutes) until the mixture cools. Step 5: Remove the body part and peel off the wax.
Save the wax in a closed container to use again. The treatment may be repeated. The mixture will melt more quickly now that the oil and wax are combined.
Waterproof & Leather Softener
1 oz. (weight) beeswax
8 oz/ (weight) petroleum jelly
Melt the ingredients in a microwave or double boiler. Brush the hot mixture onto the leather and allow it to penetrate. If possible, place the item in hot sun. Polish the leather with a cloth to remove excess waterproofing.
Ironing Wax
Rub a cake of wax over a hot iron, then press canvas or unbleached muslin. This wax finish gives a gloss and protects the cloth from dirt and water. While the iron is still hot, wipe it clean with a paper towel.
Envelope Sealing Wax
1/2 oz. weight beeswax
3 oz. weight blonde shellac
dry artist's pigment or fresco colors
Melt the beeswax in a microwave. Add the shellac flakes and microwave, stirring every 30 seconds until the mixture is melted (about 2 1/2 minutes total time). Stir in the dry pigment. Judge the amount of pigment to add by the color of the wax. Pour this into molds and let it cool.
Dust Mops & Dust Cloths
1 Tablespoon beeswax (1/2 oz. weight)
2 Tablespoons mineral oil
2 cups turpentine
Heat the wax and oil in a microwave or a double boiler until the wax melts. Remove this from the heat and stir in the turpentine. Wet flannel cloth or a dust mop in the liquid. Wring it out and spread it to dry.
Golf Club Grip Wax
2 oz. weight beeswax
1 teaspoon powdered rosin
Melt the ingredients together in a 250 degree F. oven. Pour this into a paper tube. Peel away the paper as the wax is used.
Sealing Putty
1/4 cup linseed oil
2 teaspoons beeswax
Whiting (calcium carbonate powder) Whiting is sold by building suppliers or "Woodworker's Supply" (800-645-9292).
Melt the beeswax in the microwave or a double boiler. Add the oil and stir. Heat the mixture again if necessary to get a smooth texture. Let it cool. Stir in small amounts of whiting until the mixture is dough-like and can be handled. Knead the mixture until it is smooth and store it in an air-tight container.
Waterproof paper
4 oz. weight beeswax
6 oz. weight alum
1 oz. weight soap
1 quart water
fragrant essential oil (optional) Combine the ingredients and boil them for 10 minutes. Be sure the beeswax is melted. Dip paper into the hot solution and hang it to dry. Alum is sold in the grocer's spice section.
Copper Cleaner
Parts by weight. 2.4 parts beeswax
9.4 parts mineral oil
42 parts vinegar, 5% to 7% acetic acid
42 parts citric acid, USP crystals
42 parts soap flakes
Combine the soap and vinegar to make a paste. Melt the beeswax and mineral oil together in a microwave or a double boiler. Stir in the soap mixture and the citric acid. Let the cleaner set overnight before using it. Apply the polish with a clean, damp cloth. Rinse the copper and wipe it dry with a clean cloth.