Beeswax begins its journey on the flowers you see in the spring and summer dotting the highway… and even on the flowers in your front yard. The nectar the bees collect is taken back to their hive for food, among other things. The bees process the nectar into honey. Honey is their main food source, with any excess being stored in the hive for leaner months when food is scarce. Today I want to educate you about the other use for honey: its conversion into beeswax.
For as long as there have been honey bees, humans have consumed their honey and used the beeswax for everything from medicines to coin of the realm. People have used it to make beauty products, art, and even candles. At many points in human history it has ultimately been used as a currency. The process of making beeswax is more complex than an oil refinery that makes petroleum-based products.
Beeswax is essential to the bee colony. It’s the honeybee that produces beeswax – in particular, the worker bees (always females) that use the wax to build their honeycombs. They have special glands on the underside of the abdomen that secrete the wax, which extrudes from the glands on their legs as a transparent liquid that the bees then chew and press into the cells of their honeycomb. When the beeswax dries it turns into a hard, white substance, although because of the presence of pollen it is often yellowish, or even red. Beeswax also darkens with age and use, for example, when bees are raising a brood. The color has no physical effect on the quality of the wax itself, merely an aesthetic one.
Because of the way the beeswax is made, it often smells like honey… if your beeswax has a “chemical” or “medicinal” odor, it has probably been altered by the humans processing it. Bleaching used to be very popular, but has been abandoned because customers demand 100% purity in their beeswax; and discerning customers can tell the difference.
Beekeepers have gathered beeswax since the beginning of recorded history and farther back – but even after millennia, it’s still a labor-intensive process. The wax is collected from the hive by beekeepers using smoke to make the bees more docile. It’s safer for the bees this way; the smoke is not to protect the beekeeper, nor does it harm the bees in any way. It is then melted down and fashioned into “cakes”. These cakes are very durable, and have been traded for centuries by many cultures as a long-lasting commodity. In some parts of the world beeswax is still the most readily available type of wax, used for many different purposes from healthcare to gardening. It is very pliable and weatherproof. Usable beeswax has even been found in tombs!
Throughout the ages, beeswax has played a significant role in history and folk lore. As one goes back in time, the list of its uses becomes even longer and its significance more pronounced. The importance of honey production in ancient times was often secondary to the production of beeswax. Fines were levied and taxes paid in beeswax as recently as the 17th century.
Even in modern times beeswax finds many uses and applications:
- Candle-making
- Lip balms (a recipe for this is provided at the bottom of this article, free of charge)
- Cosmetics
- Medicinal creams
- Waterproofs shoes, fishing lines
- Lubricant for doors, windows, tools
- Wax for skis, toboggans, bow strings
- Creates a freely moving surface on irons and frying pans
- Furniture polish
- soap making
- Beard and mustache wax
- Grafting wax
- Crayons
- Sealing on jams and jellies
- Reconstructive surgery
- Leather waterproofing
- Embalming procedures
- Dental procedures
- Polishes
- Wood filler
- Tack cloth
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I’ve included a beeswax lip balm recipe below, or you can check out our lip balms at www.NeeNeesSoapShop.com. Thanks for reading!
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Beeswax Lip Balm Recipe
Basically, proportions will be as follows:
40% of your recipe should be any cosmetic grade oil that is liquid at room temperature (sweet almond, apricot kernel, avocado, grapeseed, hemp seed, macadamia, olive, sunflower, etc.)
25% of your recipe should be any cosmetic grade oil that is solid at room temperature (coconut, lanolin, palm, mango butter, shea butter, etc.)
20% of your recipe should be cosmetic grade Beeswax (white or yellow, pellets or solid blocks)
15% of your recipe should be any cosmetic grade oil that is brittle at room temperature (cocoa butter, palm kernel, etc.)
* The above measurements are “weights”, so you can calculate your own recipe in ounces, grams, or pounds.
Directions: melt all carrier oils, honey, beeswax and butters over low heat. Allow the mixture to cool slightly, then add the flavored oils, essential oils, vitamin E, etc. Stir until all ingredients are blended well and pour into containers. The easiest way to do this, is to purchase those inexpensive “pointy” paper drink cups (like the kind on the side of a water cooler). Cut off the point and use it as a funnel. Then you can just toss them out when you’re finished!
You may have to “play around” with this recipe by adding a tiny bit more or less of the beeswax pellets. As with any of these recipes, if it comes out too soft, add a few more beeswax pellets; if it’s too hard, add a little more almond oil (or other oil). They’re really hard to mess up, so enjoy yourself and have fun.
Renee Vailes
http://www.articlesbase.com/skin-care-articles/beeswax-facts-a-spa-quality-beauty-treatment-746471.html
Ever wonder how you can achieve multi-colored swirls in melt & pour? In this Episode watch Anne-Marie as she shows you the trick to swirling Melt & Pour soap and makes a gorgeous loaf that looks complicated but isn’t! 