As a beekeeper, I have learned firsthand how amazing beeswax can be. You'll find this natural substance in many of my DIY recipes for everything from soap to lotions. However, the use of beeswax does not stop at DIY skin care recipes!
Why bees are amazing
Have you ever seen the inside of a beehive? It's unbelievable. Imagine a scenario where you were simultaneously:
- Caring for a newborn who needed constant care
- Building a house with your own hands
- Fighting people who try to enter your home
- Still responsible for normal cooking and cleaning
Stress… right? However this is what one colony of bees does every day. Moreover, everything they produce is useful in some way!
Everything is always fully arranged, clean and functional. Sometimes I've had trouble caring for one baby at a time, and bees care for hundreds, all while building a home. As a former beekeeper and now watching my son take care of his beehive, I am in constant awe of how amazing bees are.
Dear, dear
Honey may be the most popular product that bees create, but it's far from the only useful one. (But try using honey on your face if you haven't already.)
The word apitherapy refers to the use of bee products such as honey, bee pollen, royal jelly, propolis and beeswax in beneficial ways. Even bee venom has been used therapeutically! Sound crazy? Watch this video from the Discovery Channel that explains it.
Now, before I ramble on for hours about how cute bees are (and I really could ramble on for hours about this!), I want to focus on one specific product.
Beeswax: Bees are great
Usually we appreciate bees for them honey, royal jelly, and other useful (and delicious) byproducts. But beeswax deserves to be high on the bee appreciation list as well. Bees make beeswax to form the structure of their hive. They secrete wax from special glands, then chew it and use it to form a perfect hexagonal honeycomb.
Apparently the bees were also on board with minimalism from the beginning. Their perfectly hexagonal honeycombs offer the most storage space with the least amount of construction material (in this case, beeswax).
When beekeepers harvest honey, they remove the lid of each cell to extract the honey. These coatings are melted and filtered to remove non-wax particles. This yields the beeswax that we use in many beauty products and DIY recipes.
Pure beeswax is one of the 7 ingredients I buy in bulk. I always keep beeswax on hand for many of my DIY products and tools. It has dozens of uses around the home.
Benefits of beeswax
Beeswax is an excellent cosmetic additive for many reasons.
- Beeswax creates a barrier in lotions and creams to help seal moisture into the skin. This is especially useful in homemade lip balm during the dry winter months.
- This barrier also helps protect the skin from environmental toxins and irritants.
- Different from petrolatum, which is used in a wide variety of beauty products, beeswax will not “suffocate” the skin. Instead, it allows it to breathe while still providing a protective barrier.
- Beeswax helps thicken homemade cosmetics and lotions because it is solid at room temperature. Plus it has a relatively high melting point of 147 degrees Fahrenheit. This is especially useful in bulk recipes coconut oilwhich has a low melting point, or other oils that are liquid at room temperature.
- Beeswax also has vitamin A, which improves skin hydration and promotes cell regeneration.
Over 15 uses of beeswax around the home
Melted beeswax is an incredibly versatile natural ingredient for DIY beauty and natural home products. It is a staple in my natural products made at home and around our home.
While the uses of beeswax are almost endless, there are some simple ways to use it at home. If you haven't already, try beeswax in these homemade recipes:
1. Homemade deodorant
I've been making my own deodorant for years because it works so much better than store bought. One of the ingredients I use is beeswax because it helps form a natural moisture barrier. This means it helps avoid sweat stains on clothes without the need for harmful and unnecessary chemicals.
2. Bare Lotion
I'm biased, but these are the best moisturizers in the world. A perfect combination of oils, shea butter, cocoa butter and beeswax forms a solid bar of soap that is used on dry skin. It helps soothe the skin, locks in moisture and even has natural anti-wrinkle properties. I use melted wax along with oils like olive oil or coconut oil.
3. DIY lip balms
You can make dozens of homemade beauty products with the same set of simple ingredients. This lip balm recipe uses the same ingredients as lotions, but with some ingredients added for fragrance or color. Once you have these basic ingredients on hand, you can make lip balm for much less than store-bought!
4. Beeswax candles
I removed them scented candles and air fresheners Years ago. Most candles use soy wax or paraffin and pollute the air. We only use beeswax candles in our house now. Plus, they're easy and fun to make yourself. They also make great homemade Christmas or birthday gifts.
Try this tutorial to make your own! Or you can buy pure beeswax candles here.
5. Homemade soaps
Beeswax is often added to soap recipes to make the finished soap stronger and last longer. It should only make up to 2% of your soap recipe. Any more than that and your soap will start to lose its suds.
Try this essential oil soap with spices.
6. Products for children
Most babies will have diaper rash at some point. I try to use only natural skin care products, but with babies' sensitive skin, I'm extra careful.
I use beeswax on diaper rash cream as a thickener. The wax provides a protective skin barrier while helping other beneficial ingredients stay on the skin. This way they can have a greater effect on clearing the rash.
7. Soothe cracked heels
A simple dressing of beeswax, coconut oil and magnesium is a great remedy for cracked heels. Here's how to do it this homemade ointment.
8. On cracked hands
I truly believe that almost everything we need to cure minor ailments can be found in nature. Beeswax is a great remedy for chapped hands from gardening or working outdoors. It also creates a protective barrier to help prevent future damage.
I like to add helpful herbs from the garden to speed up the relief even more. Plantain grows in most backyards and is a natural remedy for bites, stings and even sunburn. Get the recipe for DIY gardener's hand salve here.
9. Natural healing salve
I keep this”boo-boo lotion” on hand to treat scrapes, bites, poison ivy, bruises, and any other minor injuries my kids manage to get. It works much the same as kisses for the relief of small scratches and screams. The herbs I use are anti-inflammatory and soothing to the skin.
10. Cold and flu relief
When illness strikes, I turn to natural remedies based on beeswax. Home made natural steam rub helps when coughing and congestion strikes. It provides relief without smearing Vaseline all over your skin.
Frequent blowing of the nose during illness can wreak havoc on the delicate skin around the nose. it Soothing nose balm recipe combines herb-infused oil with beeswax and shea butter for a nourishing balm.
11. Cover with beeswax
I try to avoid single-use plastic products at home, and that includes plastic wrap. Aluminum foil is also a no-go for food storage as I don't want heavy metals leaching into my food! You can do it yourself reusable food wraps although with a bit of yellow beeswax. These have a “stickiness” that makes them a great alternative to plastic wrap.
Not everyone has the time and interest to make their own food wraps. If that's you, there are great ones edible beeswax wrapper online options too.
12. Creams and lotions
I've already mentioned my love for lotions, but there are other ways to moisturize with beeswax. I have experimented with several lotion recipes over the years and have come up with different ones. it Homemade lotion recipe it's thicker and more like a body butter. Or try one of these popular recipes:
Other ways to use beeswax
- Make your own beeswax crayons. Mine recipe with colored pencils i use a different type of wax though i think it works even better!
- Melt beeswax with olive oil to use as homemade furniture polish. You can also use it to protect wooden spoons and cutting boards.
- Style short hair at home beeswax ointment.
Where to buy beeswax
Although I love natural things, I'm not going to ask you to go dig in a beehive! I like to shop beeswax lozenges or pellets because they are easy to work with. It's what I reach for when I need a smaller amount for lip balms and salves.
Having lozenges isn't necessary for larger projects like candles because you can measure by weight rather than tablespoons. You can also buy beeswax at block shape, which is slightly cheaper than lozenges.
Some beeswax is bleached, so I prefer yellow beeswax. It should have a slight honey flavor, otherwise, it's too refined (or fake!).
Another option is to buy it locally if you are able to contact beekeepers in your area. This helps support local beekeepers (which is important!) and you can often find it relatively inexpensively.
How do you use beeswax? Share some of your favorite uses below!
