The Powerful Benefits and Uses of Beeswax for Health and Home
When beekeepers uncap or break honeycombs or have unusable combs, they try to salvage the beeswax. First, they recover as much honey from the combs as possible by drainage or extraction. Then they place the material in water heated to slightly over 145 °F (63 °C). This melts the wax, which rises to the surface. After it cools and hardens, the cake of wax is removed and refined for reuse in comb foundation.
and more. For some projects, All you need is Beeswax Block to get started!
In 2013, the Korean Journal of Internal Medicine published a study that investigated the alcohols found in honeycomb and if their antioxidant effects helped protect the liver. Researchers conducted the study using a mixture of beeswax alcohol to evaluate the safety and effectiveness in people with fatty liver disease. The study was conducted for a period of 24 weeks, finding that it helped normalize liver function and improve symptoms of fatty liver.
Research reports that very long-chain fatty alcohols obtained from plant waxes have been reported to lower cholesterol in humans. The nutritional or regulatory effects produced by wax esters or aliphatic acids and alcohols found in unrefined cereal grains, beeswax and many plant-derived foods lower low-density lipoprotein (“bad”) cholesterol by 21 percent to 29 percent and raise high-density lipoprotein (“good”) cholesterol by 8 percent to 15 percent.
- 12 oz. beeswax, roughly chopped (find it at our online store here
- 12 oz. organic palm oil/shortening or coconut oil
- mason jars ( 4 half-pint jars with this recipe)
- square braided cotton #4 or #6 wicks wick
- kitchen scale – for weighing ingredients
- wooden skewers (cut in half) or pencils – to keep wicks in place
- newspaper for covering work areas
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large glass measuring cup for melting ingredients (4 cup Pyrex one)
1. Using a kitchen scale, measure 12 oz. of beeswax in your large glass measuring cup. Place this measuring cup into a pan filled with a few inches of water. Melt beeswax over medium heat. (Do not heat your beeswax over high heat or it could ignite.)
https://www.bhg.com/crafts/easy/beeswax-food-wraps/
- Pinking Shears
- Saucepan
- Glass
- Chip Brush
Materials
- Cotton Fabric
- Beeswax (Buy it Here)
- Pine
- Jojoba
- Kraft
- Parchment Paper
Step 1 Prep fabric wraps
Choose a fabric you like and use pinking shears to cut it into the desired size and shape. When choosing shapes, think about what you'll be using the wrap for; circular wraps work best for covering stored leftovers in the fridge, while square or rectangular pieces make it easy to wrap up a sandwich for lunch. Be sure to cut the fabric a few inches larger than the surface you want to cover; if you're covering a bowl that's 6 inches in diameter, we recommend cutting an 8-inch circle.
Since you don't need much fabric for these (and they don't all have to match!), this is a great way to use scraps. If you plan to compost the fabric later, use all-natural or 100 percent cotton fabric.
Step 2 Melt wax
Adding a layer of beeswax to your wraps will give the fabric a naturally water-resistant coating that won't absorb food or moisture. To add beeswax to your fabric wraps, you'll need to melt it first. Fill a saucepan half full with water and place the glass jar in the pan. Add 3 tablespoons of pine resin and 4 tablespoons (or 2 ounces) of beeswax. The pine resin helps the wrap stick to food and storage containers. We found beeswax pellets were easiest to measure and use but you can also buy beeswax bars. Simply grate the bars and measure the shavings.
On medium heat, melt the resin and wax, stirring occasionally. After the mix has melted, add 1 teaspoon jojoba oil and stir. This helps keep your wraps pliable. Remove from heat and move immediately to the fabric. This mixture will cover about 24 square inches of fabric.
Step 3 Add Wax to Fabric
When the beeswax mixture is melted and fully combined, prepare to brush it on to each fabric wrap. Prepare your work surface by laying down a large sheet of crafts paper and then place a large sheet of parchment paper on top of it. Lay out your fabric wrap on the parchment paper.
Brush the wax mixture onto the fabric. If the mixture hardens while you're brushing the wraps, simply return it to the heat until it has re-melted. Once covered, lay an extra piece of parchment over the fabric and iron over the parchment paper on medium heat. Push the wax around until it's evenly distributed over the fabric.
When you're done ironing, peel the top layer of parchment paper off and carefully remove the waxed fabric from the bottom layer of parchment paper. Let the wrap cool and wait until it is completely dry before using.
Step 4 Wrap and Store Food
When your wraps are cool and dry, you can use them to store or wrap food items. The warmth of your hands will soften the wraps so you can form it for a good seal on any shape container or foods in your lunch box.
You can use these reusable food wraps with most food items, but be sure they never come in contact with raw meat. They're simple to wash too; just use lukewarm water and soap. Let them dry completely after each wash. You'll be able to use each wrap between 100-150 times before they'll need to be replaced.
Don't have all the tools or ingredients, we can help! Check out these amazing designs and DIY creator kit to play and make your very own!!!
Furniture polish of all kinds can contain lovely oils and waxes that help hydrate and protect. Most types also contain petrochemicals and other solvents that can get eaten accidentally (little ones) or evaporate into the air. In this recipe, just two main ingredients, beeswax, and olive oil, and make it in less than 30 minutes. It takes a couple of hours to cool but can be used immediately after. When combined, these simple oils form a semi-hard wax that you can massage into most any wood to restore a beautiful sheen.
A beautifully scented and natural beeswax furniture polish suitable for most wood types.
150g (2/3 cup) Beeswax (Can be purchased Here)
600g (3 cups) Olive oil*
30 drops Anti-oxidant such as clear Grapefruit Seed Extract or Vitamin E (optional)
10 drops Essential oil Woodsy Essential oil blend or Lavender Essential oil (optional)
1. Place both the beeswax and the olive oil into a double boiler such as demonstrated in the image below. You can make a double boiler by floating a saucepan inside another pan filled with hot water. You want your oils heated indirectly and evenly in this way because it’s safer for you and helps maintain the integrity of the ingredients.
3. Add the optional anti-oxidant and essential oil and stir well. Pour the hot mixture into clean and dry wide-mouth containers.** Allow to cool for at least two hours into a semi-hard balm consistency
10 grams beeswax
5 grams shea butter
5 grams coconut oil
10 grams food-grade castor oil
10 grams sweet almond oil
10 drops vitamin e oil
7 drops peppermint essential oil
3 drops lemon essential oil
3 drops bergamot essential oil
Instructions
In a small double boiler, or in the microwave set at medium-low power, melt the beeswax, shea butter, and coconut oil together.
Add the castor and sweet almond oils, vitamin E, and essential oils to the melted beeswax mixture and stir to combine. Rewarm if needed to keep the balm warm and liquid.
Pour the liquid balm into small, shallow tins or clean lip balm tubes. The balm will last for at least 6 months, though the essential oil scent may fade over time.
To use, rub lightly over dry or chapped lips as often as needed.
Beeswax has a few effects on soap. They are similar to the effects of shea butter or mango butter, but more pronounced. First, since it has a high melting point and returns to a solid form quickly, it makes the soap harder. This means that while you are soaping it will start solidifying right away, which is a negative. But in your finished bar, it will keep its shape well and will show the details of the mold you use. Any recipe containing beeswax is best made in individual bar molds, because it will be very hard to cut after curing.
Beeswax will also reduce the lather of your soap. Well… more like make the bubbles smaller. You won’t get big, dramatic lather like you do with my shower soap recipe. I typically use this recipe for hand soap because it is so cute and also because the lather is not as great.
Honey adds moisture to the skin and the natural sugar increases lather. (This somewhat counteracts the lather decreasing properties of the beeswax.). It also colors the soap a tiny bit.
Its main effect on soap is heating it. For whatever reason, any sugar added to a soap batter cause it to heat up tremendously. All soap batter heats up, occasionally enough that it “gels”, or gets extra hot and translucent, altering the colors. But any soap recipe with honey will almost always gel. DO NOT put it in the oven to force gel phase.
- 2 ounces sweet almond oil
- 2 ounces avocado oil
- 11 ounces coconut oil
- 9 ounces olive oil
- 9 ounces palm oil
- 2 ounces beeswax
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2.5 tablespoons Pure Honey fragrance oil (optional)
- 4.94 ounces of lye
- 9–13 ounces of water
Beeswax is also good for your liver. The alcohols in beeswax normalizes liver function, and more importantly, improved symptoms of fatty liver. Researchers have also found that those same alcohols are capable of reducing insulin levels.
The best way to eat beeswax is to eat the honeycomb. Honeycomb is the beeswax cells with honey in them. It is delicious, sweet, and has a pleasant texture. Honeycomb and chunky honey varieties can be purchased online Here