How To Make A Beeswax Coco Créme Candle

Published by Kevin Fischer on

This week we made a candle using beeswax coco créme wax, which is a slightly fancier vegetable wax blended with beeswax.

SPECIFICATIONS
BEESWAX COCO CRÉME
MELT POINT
137 °F (58 °C)
BLEND DETAILS
BEESWAX, COCONUT, SOY, AND PALM WAX
MAX FRAGRANCE LOAD
9% – 10%
SPECIFIC GRAVITY
0.85 – 0.87
PRIMARY SUPPLIER
EST. PRICE
$7.22 / LB
SUPPLIES
  • 217 g Beeswax Coco Créme candle wax
  • 16 g Day At The Spa fragrance oil (Candlescience)
  • 1 ECO 6 wick
  • 1 Wick stickers
  • 3.5″ x 3.75″ diameter container
EQUIPMENT
  • 4 lb aluminum pour pot
  • Kitchen scale
  • 2 clothespins
  • Hot plate
METHOD
  1. Using a scale, measure the weight of water in the container, making sure to subtract the empty container weight if possible.  Record as Water Weight.
  2. Calculate Total Blend Weight by multiplying Water Weight by 0.86.  This is roughly the sum of wax and fragrance to make up a single candle.
  3. Calculate Wax Weight assuming an 8.0% fragrance load by dividing the Total Blend Weight by 1.08.  Read more about calculating wax weight here.
  4. Fill aluminum pour pot with wax and place on heat.
  5. While wax is melting, prepare container by placing wick on bottom using wick stickers or glue.  Secure tension in the wick by any creative means necessary.
  6. Measure 8.0% fragrance oil by multiplying the Wax Weight by 0.08 into a glass beaker, small cup, or other temporary impermeable device you wish.
  7. When wax is between 185°F and 195°F, take off heat.
  8. If you have color, add that now.
  9. Add fragrance oil to wax blend at or around 185°F and stir for approximately 2 minutes.
  10. Allow to cool while slowly stirring until it reaches about 140°F, then pour blend into container.
  11. Cool and cure for 3-14 days in a relatively stable temperature range (68°F – 86°F) before burning or testing.
PRO NOTES
  • Beeswax likes to shrink, so consider preheating your container and pouring at cooler temperatures to minimize overall shrinkage.
  • The recipe above doesn’t include any colorant, but feel free to use dye or color blocks if you wish.  Be considerate that your color will mix with the buttery appearance and may not look like the dye.
  • According to some candle makers, the Day At The Spa fragrance oil smells better if you make the candle wearing a bathrobe and schedule an appointment for a manicure later.
ARMATAGE CANDLE COMPANY TEST NOTES

Testing

  • Burned very casually in a house.
  • Various room sizes and air currents
  • Room temperatures varied from 65°F to 72°F
  • Low humidity.  Less than 40% in most cases.
  • Burn times anywhere from 1 hour to 5 hours.
  • Wick trimmed prior to every burn.

Wax

  • Presence of beeswax makes the candle top susceptible to diameter-long cracks, but these don’t impact the performance or safety.
  • Shrinks after burning, which leads to slight separation from the container.
  • Color of butter… yum!

Fragrance

  • The fragrance smells similar to the out-of-the-bottle scent: not overpowering nor underwhelming.

Scent Throw

  • The ECO 6 wick worked exceptionally well for the candle design, throwing well and melting a significant portion of wax without tunneling or overheating.
  • Cold throw not very strong, but you can smell if you’re within a foot or two without too much effort.

Overall Rating: 6/10