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12.11.13

Have a night off between holiday parties? Try this all-natural DIY by Lacy over at free+native. Rather than the glittery messes we, at times, love, Lacy is sharing instructions for a sweet and rewarding craft as calm and quiet as falling snow. Beeswax candles are unique in that they actually release healthy ions into the air, creating a healthier environment. Enjoy pouring just one candle for the house or an entire batch for a super-sweet gift. Here’s Lacy…

For me, the holidays are all about bringing seasonal nature indoors. Our house is very ethereal and grounded that way. No commercial decorations — only items we can forge and create ourselves, such as holly, berries, and branches to create wreaths, sewn linens, or bowls of tangerines and cranberries. A beeswax holiday candle fully encompasses this vibe. It connects us with an earlier time when things were much more about the changing season, friends and family gathering, and nothing to rely on but magic.

We love purchasing organic beeswax from our local beekeepers at the farmers market, and hand-selecting our spices at The Spice Station in Silver Lake. Because my guy has dreadful allergies, I only burn beeswax candles in our home in order to purify the air, create healing and lessen his asthma. And I refrain from using essential oils in our candles, since cold-pressed oils, like cold-pressed olive or walnut oil, turn toxic after a smoke point of 350-degrees plus, so I use spices in their ground form because they sustain their molecular form at a higher heat point and create less toxicity in the air. It’s also incredibly rewarding buying the spices in their natural form, and grinding them myself. The aroma of freshly ground nutmeg is like nothing on earth.

Don’t be intimidated. This process only takes about 30 minutes, and you’ll feel so empowered while doing it.

Spiced Beeswax Holiday Candle

Ingredients

100% organic beeswax pellets (or a block, chopped into small shavings)
organic virgin cold-pressed coconut oil
1/8 tsp organic clove, ground
1/8 tsp organic cinnamon, ground
1/8 tsp organic nutmeg, ground
1 Tbsp Christmas-tree trimmings, minced, or cedar, minced
1 ceramic or glass jar (any recycled glass container in your house will do)
cotton wick
chopsticks
knife for stirring
large Pyrex measuring cup
medium sized pot

Directions

Coat your Pyrex measuring cup and knife with coconut oil to make cleaning the items easier. Fill your pot with three inches of water and bring to a medium-high boil. Measure your beeswax in your chosen jar. In order to get one candle, you’ll need about 1 and 1/2 of your jar.

Place your measured beeswax into your Pyrex. Place your Pyrex into the boiling water to create a double boiler so your wax will melt smoothly and evenly. This process will take about 15-30 minutes depending on the size of jar you’ve chosen.

While wax is melting, add your spices and tree trimmings to a separate small bowl and mix together well. 

Place your wick into your chosen glass and secure it in the middle with two chopsticks (odd, but these will hold your wick in tact while pouring in your wax).

Now that your wax is melted, carefully remove your Pyrex from the boiling water and add spice and trimming mix to melted wax. Use your knife to stir wax and mix until no clumps from the spices remain.

Slowly pour your wax, spice, and trimming mix into your glass slowly, as not to disturb the wick.

Let your candle set for about thirty minutes. Trim wick and enjoy the magic illumination of your new candle.

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Comments


  1. what a gorgeous DIY project! I’m definitely going to make this one for the holidays. How much beeswax should you use in relation to all the other ingredient measurements?

    Sonja (@lifeinblush) | 12.11.2013 | Reply
  2. Sonja!

    You should fill your container of choice 1 and 1/2 times with beeswax. That should be the perfect amount. Good luck + cheers!

    Lacy Phillips | 12.11.2013 | Reply
  3. Can’t wait to make this! How much coconut oil do I need to use? Thank you.

    Tina Korangy | 11.25.2014 | Reply

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