As far as DIY staples go, I think beeswax (USA / Canada) might be the eggs of our DIY kitchen. It does so much (thickening, hardening, increasing staying power), is hard to replace, and ends up in so many recipes (though it is a pretty poor breakfast food). Beeswax was one of the first ingredients I ever purchased, and I’d never bee (groan) without it. So, since I have oodles and oodles of recipes that use beeswax, I wanted to take the time to feature some of my favourites—from a wide range of projects. From wood polish to perfume, beeswax is awesome. Let’s get making!
Before we dive into the project list I want go over beeswax 101. Beeswax is a honey-scented golden yellow wax made by bees. It melts around 63°C (145°F), which is higher than most ingredients we’ll work with (shea butter melts at 37°C [99°F]), but lower than two other common DIY waxes, candelilla (~70°C [158°F]) and carnauba (~82°C [180°F]). Beeswax is primarily used to harden and thicken our concoctions, and it also increases staying power (think of a body oil vs a body balm; one will stick around on your skin a lot longer). Beeswax can make concoctions sticky if used in high concentrations, which can be annoying or great (like in a sticky lip balm)—it’s just something to be aware of.
I’ve done some experiments with it, to see how beeswax performs when melted with liquid oil, and how beeswax performs when melted with coconut oil. The two experiments are surprisingly different, and definitely worth checking out to understand just how strong beeswax (USA / Canada) is. You can purchase refined and unrefined beeswax. I recommend the unrefined, honey-scented stuff for almost all applications—the only exception I’ve found so far are a few cosmetic recipes in my upcoming book, where the precision of the refined stuff is necessary. Try purchasing your beeswax locally; most beekeepers/apiaries will have some for sale, so just ask at your local farmers market.
Alright—onto our 10 recipes to make with beeswax (USA / Canada)!
1. Beeswax Furniture Polish
I’ve got a lot of wood furniture and cuttings boards, and they need to be cared for. This furniture polish more than does the trick—it completely revives dull, dry wood, making it lustrous and rich again. The beeswax helps boost water repellency, preventing your furniture and cutting boards from drying out and cracking.
2. Super Nourishing Hair Balm
This recipe is one of my oldest, and still one of my most popular. It’s a beautiful blend of great-for-hair oils that have been thickened with beeswax to help you apply just the tiniest amount of it to your hair, leaving it hydrated but not of heavy or greasy.
3. 1915 Redwood Beard Balm
There’s no need to spend a small fortune on shop bought beard balms when you can easily make your own! The beeswax in this formula thickens a great blend of liquid oils to make a beard balm that’s easy to apply and offers some styling power.
4. Steamer Trunk Solid Perfume
Solid perfume is super easy to make, and far less messy than its liquid counterpart. If you’re feeling extra creative you can always pour it into an old locket so you can wear it around your neck (this feels rather Victorian luxe to me!), and of course—you can make it smell like anything you want. I love this Steamer Trunk Solid Perfume, but the sky is the limit!
5. Scottish Rose Salve
I love this stuff. This pink, rose-scented salve is one of very few creations that has made it into my bag, and it has been a lot of places with me. Perfect for hands and lips, and any other dry spots I might find, it’s part body butter, part lip balm, and just perfect. It’s not sticky, and absorbs into my skin quickly. Thanks to the beeswax it stays solid, even on hot days, so I never have to worry about it sloshing out of the container after a summer day spent rolling around my purse.
6. Mustache Wax
If you’re the proud owner of a twirlable, styleable ‘stache, you should have some ‘stache wax. And you should make it yourself so it can be precisely as strong as you’d like it to be. Yup. Score.
7. Coral Lipstick
My new book has some amazing new lipstick recipes in it, but if you can’t wait for it to come out, you should definitely dive into some of the lipstick recipes I’ve already shared. This one is perfect for warmer days, coloured with a blend of red and yellow iron oxides. Want a brighter coral? Try using carmine instead of red iron oxide!
8. Scar Salve
This lovely herb-infused salve is fantastic for healing salves; my testers all had great results fading scars old and new. The beeswax in this salve helps it stick around on the skin long enough to do what it’s supposed to.
9. DIY Egyptian Magic
Maybe you’ve heard of the shop-bought version? Why not make your own for a lot less? There’s a truckload of bee goodies in here—beeswax, of course, but there’s also pollen, honey, and propolis! You can also watch my video of this recipe if you want 🙂
10. Rose Spearmint Lip Balm
This lovely lip balm is a favourite of mine. Hardened with just enough beeswax, it’s not at all sticky—it glides across the lips, hydrating them without any tackiness. LOVE.
Well, those are my picks! What do you love to make with beeswax?
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Andreaon August 25, 2016 at 8:08 am
Hello from Spain again! That`s great you are posting recipes that contain beeswax! I use it in nearly all of the products i am elaborating because it is so versatile – it thickens up products, it nourishes and protects skin without clogging pores, in even such small amounts like 1 % it helps me, together with tiny amounts of honey and a little bit of organic pig lard, to create faster curing, non slimy castile soaps..my list is endless. But the most important reason for me to use beeswax from local, organic honeyfarmers is that their activities contribute to support bees in a respectful way – and bees are in utterly need for support taking into account the population crushes tied to pesticide use, disappearance of food plants (my local farmers tell me they have serious problems now to give bees access to good food all year around since a lot of wild plants are disappearing and dominant agricultural practices are tied to monocultures)and introduction of invasive species. So using local, organic beeswax is a great way to support those farmers that take care of our territories and sustain biodiversity – and by the way, our own vegetable garden that would not give us harvest without the bees! Long live the honeybee and lets continue to use beeswax, honey and propolis in body care!
Thank you!
Greetings from Spain!Reply
Marieon September 1, 2016 at 9:35 pm
See AlsoThe EASIEST DIY Lotion Recipe Anyone Can Make!!Lavender Simmer Pot Recipe For SpringGjetost Recipe (Norwegian Brown Whey Cheese)DIY Shower Steamers (12 Best Recipes + How to Make Them)Thank you so much, Andrea! I couldn’t agree more—support bees and their keepers!
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Rachelon August 25, 2016 at 8:31 am
Yessss, thank you! Your older post on ways to use beeswax was how I discovered Humblebee & Me a few years ago. My husband and I had just started beekeeping and I was more excited for the craft possibilities of the wax than the delicious honey. (Now the two are tied.) I’ve been hoarding propolis for a few years, too. Maybe you’ll have some more ideas for using it in the future for those of us who haven’t gotten around to making tincture yet? 🙂
As always, thanks for all that you do!
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Annie P.on August 28, 2016 at 4:35 pm
Check this out for making tincture
http://www.tc.umn.edu/~reute001/htm-files/Propolis%20extract.htmlReply
Marieon September 1, 2016 at 8:49 pm
OOoh, lucky you! I’d love to have my own mini apiary 🙂 You should give tincture making a go, though, it’s really easy and make propolis mucho easier to use!
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Pennyon August 25, 2016 at 8:33 am
I agree with you about the unrefined beeswax. When I first started making things it was the pellets and I went through kilos of the stuff. Then one day I got it into my head to make candles and needed the unrefined stuff. I was a little unhappy with the colour, but as soon as it melted to pour into the candle mold I couldn’t stop my nose. My entire house smelled of honey! So I decided to make some lip chap and I have never gone back to the pellets.
The real deal is so worth the inconvenience of trying to grate it up! It’s te most amazing product I think.
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Marieon September 1, 2016 at 8:49 pm
So true! Long live real, unrefined beeswax! 😀
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Sharonon August 25, 2016 at 10:36 am
I love love love using beeswax in my CP soap. It makes for a harder longer lasting bar. I use it as a selling point at local fairs & markets – “Made with local beeswax”. Let’s not forget all the “goodness” it leaves on the skin!!
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Marieon September 1, 2016 at 8:52 pm
Beautiful! What % do you usually use it at?
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Pennyon August 25, 2016 at 3:45 pm
And I forgot to mention,mi much prefer the unrefined beeswax in lip chaps for the colour. I prefer the butter yellow over the more orangey yellow of pellets!
Have a good one! Great article!
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Marieon September 1, 2016 at 8:55 pm
OOh yeah, so true—it looks so creamy and lovely! And it’s far preferable to the weirdly sterile white lip balm the refined pellets give… it can end up looking like a tube of lard haha.
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Tinishaon August 28, 2016 at 10:01 am
Hi,
The YouTube video with links to purchase DIY products is gone. Please bring it back!
Thanks,
TinishaReply
Marieon September 1, 2016 at 8:41 pm
Hi Tinisha! I’m afraid I have no idea what video you’re talking about—I’ve never made a YouTube video specifically about purchasing products. All my videos do have links underneath them in the description box, though, and I haven’t removed any of that 🙂
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Tinishaon September 2, 2016 at 4:35 am
Hi Marie,
So sorry! I think Sophie Uliano has a video that has such links for purchasing DIY ingredients/supplies. It was wishful thinking that it was yours! ☺️
TinishaReply
Marieon September 2, 2016 at 6:59 pm
No worries 🙂
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Lavanyaon November 17, 2017 at 5:34 am
Hi, I am a great of fan of humblebee and me.i very eager to know about natural preservatives.like Willow wood bark extract, leudical liquid, phytocide ellerberry os. Is it true and will it work as chemical preservatives. Looking forward for your valuable reply
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Marieon November 17, 2017 at 11:36 am
I’d recommend reading this, but generally speaking, no—they aren’t as effective, and are harder to use safely.
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Sandyon July 15, 2019 at 10:43 am
Do you have a paw recipie for the desert?
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Marieon August 1, 2019 at 9:40 am
Nothing specifically for the desert, no, but I do have two paw recipes if you search for them 🙂
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