DIY BEESWAX CANDLES | Hand Poured in Thrift Shop Finds

Cocoa Butter Beeswax candles have a subtle chocolate scent. In this tutorial I make a large candle, with three wicks, in a vintage crock from a thrift shop.
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You know those ideas you just can't stop thinking about? They might not really be that great, but you just have to try them.
Almost like scratching an itch.
That's how this project has been lately. I'm not really sure why, but I have been loving the idea of making beeswax candles in something other than just new mason jars. Over the last couple months, every time I found myself in a thrift shop I kept my eye out for perfect candle vessels.
I envisioned crocks, square ironstone bowls, and maybe even an antique gravy pitcher, filled with beeswax.
I also wondered how the candles would work with the addition of cocoa butter. Since it is so hard at room temperature, it seemed like the perfect addition to the beeswax. Plus, it has the most delicious chocolatey smell. I already keep it on hand for DIY Lip Balm, Sunscreen, and Whipped Body Butter.
And though I have already shared the method for hand poured beeswax candles, these two differences deserved a new blog post and video.
For this project I used a gray crock that I found for $3 from a thrift shop.
I like that it was larger that candles I have made before, because I wanted to try out adding more than one wick.
Cocoa Butter Beeswax Candles Ingredients
1 Pound Beeswax Pellets
1/2 Cup Coconut Oil
1 Cup Cocoa Butter
Other Supplies Needed
Natural Candle Wicks
A candle vessel- I mentioned a couple ideas up above, but use your imagination on this one. I love that this project gives me another thing to keep my eye out for at the thrift shop!
Cocoa Butter Beeswax Candles Method
Pour all the ingredients into a double boiler and heat until it is all melted together. I just put a glass bowl over a pot of boiling water to accomplish this.
Meanwhile, use a hot glue gun to attach a wick to the bottom of your candle. Since I had a larger crock, I glued down three wicks in a triangular pattern.
Once everything is melted together, pour it in your candle vessel. This stuff hardens VERY quickly, so make sure to work fast!
Inevitably, there will be a little the hardens on the outside of your bowl. Just pop it in the oven, or back on top of the pot of boiling water, for a bit to melt it again.
*Since my last post on Homemade Beeswax Candles, I have had a few people ask about the wax that is left when you burn the candles a while. They are quite long burning, but they don't burn all the way down, leaving no wax on the sides, like store bought candles. When you have a bunch of candles that the wicks are burned down on, juts put them all in the oven and pour them into a new jar with a new wick. :)
Allow all the wax to harden and trim the wicks to about 1/2" length.
Enjoy watching your thrift shop finds turn into all natural candles for you windowsills, night stands, or shelves. :)
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[@CottageOffMain]

I love your idea of using reclaimed vessels! The style possibilities are endless, and what a neat gift opportunity as well.

[@cooldesert30]

Thank you for a great tutorial, I can't wait to try.

[@normalopezingle7732]

Awesome I actuaaly have all those things to make a candle. So excited!!

[@kimshawwalker]

What concerns are there for heat point safety for various containers? Certain glass can't be used as could shatter and I would imagine porcelain would have a lower heat point for cracking

[@alexise.2270]

I love making candles for gifts and these ingredients sound wonderful. I love the crock you used.

[@lololol4357]

your vids are so soothing and perfect to watch if your stressed and wanna cool down :D

[@dotthomas5131]

Thanks for this tutorial Love the idea of reusing something you may already have

[@christinabeiderbecke9625]

Mission accomplished! You have inspired me to look for items in the thrift shop that I can reclaim to make beeswax candles for gifts. Thank you Lisa.

[@ourdiyary]

Oh yum! I have never thought of using cocoa butter in candles!

[@MindyourMatters]

Love this!

[@d.s.3551]

We have kept bees in the past and I miss them. One thing I thought you might find interesting. At one of our bee classes we were told that the luminosity of beeswax candles is like that of the sun. Just interesting that it's like a tiny glow of sunlight that you can have indoors when it's dark or dim. Can't get a more natural yet a man made (sort of) light. Just an FYI. Great video. Definitely track down some local bees wax.

[@sandylunden5782]

Hi Lisa, I have a small collection of crocks that I display on my shelf that I love. I'm going start making my own candles, its a lot healthier for you. Thanks for the tips :)

[@ninarivers]

I like to warm the vessel up in some hot water (and then dry it) before pouring the wax in, then wrap it in a tea towel so it cools down more slowly- stops the wax from pulling away from the sides when its sets :)

[@kiebelemily]

You're awesome! Thanks for the video!

[@karisaslater5018]

I love love love your videos!!!!!

[@FarmhouseonBoone]

Thank you so much!

[@2893960271]

I love this idea!! Thank you for sharing

[@FarmhouseonBoone]

Thank you!

[@donna8212]

Beautiful job Lisa!! They turned out great!! 🕯😊

[@FarmhouseonBoone]

Thank you Donna!

[@hannahbentson9374]

Love this! I’ve been looking for a more natural candle option

[@kendallbryant2079]

Lisa! You are my absolute favorite youtuber! I can relate to you on so many levels. Thank you so much for putting out all of your wonderful content. I get so excited when I see a new video of your has come out.

[@FarmhouseonBoone]

Thank you so much!! 😊

[@JoanneJowsey]

wow, so easy!

[@walkbyfaithfamily9177]

Cool! I love thrifting- it’s amazing how we can turn junk into something we love!

[@FarmhouseonBoone]

Yes! A perfect day in my book is lots of thrifting and coffee. ;)

[@bibianesproule6585]

Great DIY candle Lisa!!! 👍

[@FarmhouseonBoone]

Thank you!

[@cc3mathews]

Another great idea!

[@FarmhouseonBoone]

Thank you!

[@mpuett10049]

You made that look way too easy. Thanks so much for sharing. ☺️

[@FarmhouseonBoone]

It's pretty simple! ;)

[@Wronglewis]

Instead of using hot glue, you could always use a little of your melted wax to hold your wicks in place. It also makes it easier to get the old wick up and reuse the container for other future candles :)

[@FarmhouseonBoone]

Great idea!

[@juliecreative1]

Since i watched your video you inspired me to make mine own candles ,butter hand cream ,hands scrub, macrame plant hanger ....you're amazing...cant wait to see more !!!!

[@FarmhouseonBoone]

I am so glad! I hope you are enjoying making all those things! :)

[@susanvelez6534]

So glad you did this

[@FarmhouseonBoone]

Thanks Susan!

[@rakneehitt5311]

Coconut oil and cocoa butter I can almost this nice candles 😍

[@theflossi56]

I’ve always thought of making candles maybe i will do it now that I’ve watched this great video

[@FarmhouseonBoone]

I hope you do! I think you will enjoy it. :)

[@Cupcakerainbowsful]

You’re the best!! x

[@FarmhouseonBoone]

Aw thanks!

[@MyDaisy66]

I’ve been making candles recently and it’s all your fault 😃 love this idea. You are easy to follow and easy to listen to.Thank you.

[@FarmhouseonBoone]

Haha! So glad 😆😆

[@simaj41]

@@FarmhouseonBoone Thank you but so sad so many of you tubers buy things from Amazon!!!

[@halleynicholas7254]

I love this! Beeswax is so much healthier to burn than other waxes...I’ve made these before and researched it and that’s why a lot of old churches only used beeswax candles. Thanks for the video!!

[@FarmhouseonBoone]

Oh I didn't know that about old churches! I love beeswax. :)

[@PlowAndPantryHomestead]

Thanks!

[@JeannetteValenc1a]

Thanks for the tips! Im new to your channel.

[@dgates1555]

If you add the three ingredients in equal parts it also makes a great leather balm!

[@coconvert]

I have a great tip to use the leftover wax is to put the candle into the frizzer overnight , then you just have to take the wax for the other time !

[@rkatika9]

Another beautiful video Lisa! We burn a lot of candles and started to melt the leftovers and pour them all together to make more candles. I feel like it's such a waste when you still have a 1/4 - 1/2 inch wax left on the bottom when the wick runs out. The oven method is a great suggestion, as I always used a pot and boiling water to melt the wax. Also, you gave me an idea of how to use up those mini orchid ceramic containers which are laying around as I usually repot them into a larger container after they lose the flowers. Thank you!

[@FarmhouseonBoone]

Oh, I bet that will be beautiful for the little orchid containers! They would also make great gifts. :)

[@indigoblue4791]

Another great video! Beautiful pots for your homemade candles and I just know how good they will smell with Coco butter added. I stopped buying shop bought candles because they're too strongly perfumed for me and I just hate those artificial scents. You did a great job! 💛

[@FarmhouseonBoone]

Thank you so much!

[@TTTMONK883]

my daughter and I made her a candle with a old canlle holder from the second hand store..The candle was so beat up the the jar was in amazing shape and the exact color my daughter has in her house,we scooped out the old candle

[@maureenharrah931]

I have a gravy boat to match your sugar bowl.... Use it ALL THE TIME.

[@andreasimmill9966]

Hey Lisa! Do you have a video for your taper candles?

[@bt464]

So I'm curious if the coconut oil and the cocoa butter makes the candle burn quicker? I would love to see how you salvedge the remaining wax from a spent candle 😊. Thanks for sharing.

[@mandybewkes5300]

Hi love the candles, if I wanted to give them a hint of color, how could I do that?

[@MyKitchenCorner]

LISA, THIS WAS AN ENJOYABLE VIDEO AS ALWAYS. WE DON'T BURN CANDLES IN MY HOME, WE HAVE SMELLING ISSUES...... BUT, NOW I WANT TO TRY MAKING THESE....HEHEHHE I WAS OUT OF THE COUNTRY FOR THREE WEEKS AND I MISSED YOU... HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEK....... CHRISTINA

[@FarmhouseonBoone]

Thank you so much Christina! Hope you enjoyed your trip. :)

[@lisao3041]

There's an entire methodology for sizing the wicks properly for the vessel size of your candle. There are wick guides in abundance online. The reason you have beeswax left on the sides of your vessel is because you've undersized the wicks. The burn pool (the liquid wax formed while burning) should reach the sides of your vessel after an hour or two. If it's tunneling down the center, your wicks are too small. If the burn pool is greater than about 1/2" after a couple hours, your wick is too big and you're burning wax too quickly. At least use a guide to start with to get a decent chance of sizing the wick properly. For your own use, not the end of the world, but at least aiming for the right size helps....

[@marlenapeg4121]

Can I ask you about the bowl you use to melt the beeswax? I want to try it and found a glass bowl to use at a thrift shop. How much water do you put in the pot? Once the water boils, you keep it boiling until everything melts? Thanks for your help. I love your videos!

[@MagicFeather0]

Can I ask a question? Happy new year :)! I just made a candle from this recipe, but something strange happened. Normally I make beeswax candles with only coconut oil. For this recipe I used the same beeswax, coconut oil and wicks (which burns great), but now with cocoa butter added. For some reason the candle goes out. The flame is normal in the beginning but starts to get smaller and smaller, until stops burning. Did your candle burn up correctly? Could it be that something is wrong with my cocoa butter? The wick size should not be the problem. Great channel and video, subscribed!

[@karisaslater5018]

Could you do some videos on how to make body butters and such please?

[@FarmhouseonBoone]

I shared that here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oJPHo6Jnlpdll7s :)

[@livingthefruitfullife654]

Lisa, i was recently given a clean soy candle that had a double wood wick. i'd never seen those before. have you used them? they are amazing and they actually crackle like a fireplace (yes, it's quiet, but it's wonderful!) do you have a recommendation on which brand to pick. they are clearly expensive. are these candles considered "vegetable candles?" it seems like online they suggested certain wood wick whether they were soy or vegetable, or parafin. do you think that matters?

[@tabithaadams5153]

What do you use to clean your bowl and wooden spoon when your done?

[@dcat0603]

Thank you for sharing!! Would this work in clay flower pots? Holly

[@FarmhouseonBoone]

Yes! That would be petty. :)

[@teddygingerbear1647]

Great DIY tutorial! Do you think it would work to add essential oils to homemade candles? I love balsam and eucalyptus and would love to give it a try to reuse candle tins I already have on hand.

[@Cindi.Bennett]

Teddy GingerBear essential oils are perfect for candles! That's what I remember doing at summer camp.

[@FarmhouseonBoone]

Yes you sure can! It takes quite a bit to make a strong scent, but it can be done. :)

[@ericatarbutton7541]

What oven temperature works best to melt down old candle wax?

[@FarmhouseonBoone]

About 300 degrees Fahrenheit is good. :)

[@jensjunk5688]

Hi just wondering if it’s ok to add in your favorite essential oils? If so, do you still use the cocoa butter?

[@FarmhouseonBoone]

Yes you sure can! It takes quite a bit to make a strong scent, but it can be done. :) And yes you can do that alongside the coconut oil.

[@rkatika9]

Oh, and something else... I noticed you used a wooden spoon to stir, are you able to use that again to stir food, or is it just dedicated for the wax? Thanks!

[@TheSunnites]

Since you use bees wax and cocoa butter in thinks like lip balm (that you ingest some of) I would imagine the spoon is fine to use with food.

[@rkatika9]

When In Idaho thanks, that's what I thought, but wasn't sure. You can never be careful enough.

[@FarmhouseonBoone]

Yep! I just use the same, since everything is natural and edible. :)

[@shannabarefoot4160]

I like to use beeswax melts in warmers. Can I use the same recipe to make the wax melts? Also, the beeswax doesn’t evaporate in a warmer like it does when burning a candle, so how long should I be able to use the beeswax (for effectively cleaning the air) before I change it? Or is it better to make candles instead of wax melts?

[@FarmhouseonBoone]

I don't think the scent would be strong enough to put in a wax warmer.

[@nildaramoscutrone337]

hi I have a question, so u can put any essential oil to any bees wax candel? how much quantity of candel to how many drops?

[@FarmhouseonBoone]

you definitely can! i have the recipes i use on the blog

[@beckyann8502]

I used your candle wax process with small mason jars. Used one Wick in them because they're the Pint jars and the wax only melts down the middle of the candle. Is there something I'm doing wrong and that the whole candle does not melt? Ok never mind heard the end of the video lol. I just wasn't sure if there was a thicker Wick a thinner Wick to use or not

[@rkatika9]

bhill55 It also helps if you burn the candle enough for the first time that the melting reaches the side of the jars. I think it's an inch(radius) per hour, but not sure. You can google it for the exact timing.

[@rkatika9]

bhill55 www.candlejunkies.com/complete-guide-to-preventing-and-fixing-candle-tunneling/ here is a great article

[@FarmhouseonBoone]

Thank you so much for that helpful info Kati!

[@dawnbe_well7626]

Did the cocoa butter make the candle smell like chocolate while it was burning? 🍫

[@FarmhouseonBoone]

Very subtly, but the candle is mostly fragrance free.

[@Lifeszebarbie]

Do you need to add coconut oil? I thought just melted beeswax was all you needed! I have a huge block of beeswax from our local beekeeper to make dipped taper candles!

[@FarmhouseonBoone]

I'm sure that would work too! :)