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Every once and a while, a visitor comes to the Honey House specifically for our beeswax. These people are DIY mavens: they've either been using beeswax for various projects for years or recently saw something on the internet and feel like being crafty. Other times, people ask us about beeswax uses, and we're happy to provide insight on the topic.
We gathered a list of interesting ways to use beeswax shortly after we worked on the great beeswax filtering project in our lab. We don't process beeswax often, partly because it is so laborious. I can't say that this was the most graceful of projects at the Honey House. Our processes have since changed after that day so that our wax is in better shape when we start.
Do you know where beeswax comes from?
We harvest beeswax from our hives as a byproduct of processing our honey. Bees use honeycomb, made from beeswax, to store their honey. When you collect honey, you remove capped frames from the hives and slice off the top layer of wax to remove the honey. The frames spun in a chamber, which removes the honey and loose bits of wax. After we filter and process our honey, we're left with a few pounds of raw beeswax. Then, we filter our beeswax by hand and with special equipment in our lab.
This beeswax then gets poured into various molds and is allowed to cool until it hardens. From here, the possibilities are endless as to how you can put our beeswax to use!
Beeswax uses are varied and widespread.
Beeswax is a common ingredient in many products, and you might not even be aware of it! It can be found in furniture polish, lip care products, and even hair pomades. You might even find this natural wax in your chewing gum, too! But if you're looking for some DIY beeswax uses, we have ideas for you.
Using beeswax around the house
Want to ditch the chemical sprays and clean your furniture with safe, natural ingredients? Mixing beeswax and essential oils make for a great all-natural wood furniture and floor polish. Around the home, beeswax has a number of other uses. It can be a natural lubricant for stuck doors, windows, and nails. It can be used to treat tools to prevent rusting, as the wax acts as a waterproof coating. This brings me to another great use…
Waterproofing shoes! Numerous DIY tutorials teach you how to waterproof your leather and canvas shoes with beeswax and a blow dryer. My main tip is to do a small test patch before treating the entire shoe.
Hate wasting plastic bags and cling wrap? Reusable food wraps are another great project to try with beeswax. With your choice of fabric, create your own eco-friendly beeswax wrap to keep food fresh. Make sure to find a recipe with pine resin; it gives the wrap the traditional cling and durability needed.
Some unusual beeswax uses
Apart from using beeswax around your house, you might be a little stumped about what else you can do with it. These are some of our more unique beeswax recipes that we think you'll enjoy.
- Beeswax is flammable! Thus it makes a tremendous non-toxic fire starter with pinecones that can be found in your backyard. Just be sure to do this at a lower temperature, and don't allow children to play with flammable materials.
- Try making do-it-yourself beeswax crayons for a fun weekend project. Mix equal parts beeswax and soap and add food coloring for a splash of color; it’s an easy way to make non-toxic crayons.
- Beeswax is good for the skin. Several recipes use beeswax as an ingredient in do-it-yourself home remedy salves for minor burns and scrapes.
- Eat it! Chew on a piece of raw honeycomb-like chewing gum, or smear it onto hot toast. Honeycomb is also fantastic over top of granola or oatmeal and perfect on ice cream.
What are your favorite ways to use beeswax? Have you used it around the house for years, or is this your first go? Whatever the case may be, we wish you luck in your adventures.
If you come up with exciting new ways to use beeswax, share a photo with us on Instagram! We always love seeing what you're up to.
