Vanilla Honey candle

These beautiful candles are made from 100% natural ingredients, and the creamy vanilla combined with rich Manuka Honey will fill your home with warmth and calm.
 
Beeswax is the ideal burner for a home of health, emitting no harmful chemicals as they burn and releasing negative ions which attach to harmful positive ions, neutralising the air as they burn.
 
So easy to create, our beeswax honey candles make the perfect gift for loved ones, and can easily be made to fit into up-cycled or handmade vessels like glass jars, ceramic pots or candle pots that have been emptied and cleaned.
 
We have used our own beeswax for these candles – we have been beekeepers for over 40 years, and along with beautiful raw honey, our bees also create incredible pure beeswax. Not wanting to let anything go to waste, our beeswax is sold to local New Zealand customers for their own creations. Of course our honey is also used, and we have chosen Heilala Vanilla, another New Zealand Brand who sources their fair trade vanilla from the pacific communities of Tonga.

 
You will need:

• 1 pound of beeswax (or soy wax)
• 4 tablespoons of honey
• 8 teaspoons of vanilla essence
• Metal Container
• Large saucepan
• Pencil or wooden skewers
• Heat resistant containers (mason jars, coffee mugs, etc.)
• Wicks

 

Add the beeswax to a metal pitcher. I highly recommend having a pitcher just for candle making as it is extremely difficult to clean wax out of dishes.

Place the metal container into a large pot of water and bring it to a boil. Turn heat down to medium and occasionally stir until all the beeswax is completely melted. It is important to melt the wax slowly, so it doesn’t lose any of its natural scent. Be sure the water doesn’t splash into the beeswax container.

Once the wax is completely melted, remove it from heat. Allow the wax to cool down to 125 degrees.

 

Add in honey and vanilla. If using essential oils, add those in now too. Stir the ingredients until well combined.

Secure a wick at the bottom of the mason jar with a little glue and then fill the jar with the melted wax. Leave about an inch of room at the top of the jar.

If using cotton wicks, use a pencil or bamboo skewer, wrap the other end of the wick around it and lay it horizontally across the top center of the jar. This will keep the wick centered while the wax hardens.

Once the wax is completely hardened, you can trim the wick, and it is ready to light.  It should be about a 1/2 inch long.

Our top tips for this recipe:

• Make sure you have a drop cloth down in your creation space
• See if you can find some thrifted utensils for stirring the wax – it can get messy!
• It may take 24-48 hours for your candles to set so ensure that you wait this amount of time before gifting, so your candles don’t end up a waxy mess.