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Homemade beeswax candles are simple to make, cozy up any space, and are made with all-natural ingredients. Made with a beautiful honey vanilla fragrance oil, these honey vanilla candles are sure to warm up any room.
I love lighting candles in the evening after a long day. It just sets the mood, too relaxing and cozy. I used to buy candles from the store until I found out what was in them.
Most conventional candles are filled with synthetic fragrances, toxin-filled waxes, and even the wicks contain chemicals. Yes, they smell nice, but not without a price.
Lighting these chemical-filled candles can reduce the air quality in your home while making your own candles, on the other hand, do just the opposite!
Honey Vanilla Candle
If you love the sweet aroma of honey and the warm scent of vanilla, you are going to love these candles.
After making this honey vanilla candle recipe, I can tell you that “honey vanilla” is moving up the list as one of my favorite scent combos.
It is similar to my beeswax candle recipe in every way, except that we are using a candle fragrance oil to scent these instead of essential oils.
Best Wax to Make Candles
Both beeswax and soy wax can be used to make candles such as these DIY mason jar candles. I most often use beeswax, but I have made soy wax candles, too. The recipe will be the same no matter which wax you choose.
Beeswax, which you can learn more about the benefits of beeswax here, makes a hard, dense candle and lasts longer than soy wax candles. It has a higher smoke point than soy wax and burns brighter. Beeswax also gives off a more natural light with a warm tone.
Soy wax is a great option when going the vegan candle route.
Paraffin wax can be used to make candles as well. However, paraffin wax can be altered, and you will want to check the purity of the ingredients before purchasing.
How to Scent Candles Naturally
The best part about making your own candles is scenting them. This is the fun part, and the options are endless. You can get super creative or leave them plain.
Burning pure beeswax smells good on its own, or you can add herbs, essential oils, or abstracts to scent them more.
Strong-smelling herbs such as peppermint, rosemary, cinnamon, clove buds, or lavender are very common choices to scent candles with.
To do this, add the fresh herbs into the wax as you are melting it, and once the wax is melted, simply strain the herbs out.
Homemade Honey Vanilla Candles
This post has been updated to use fragrance oil instead of pure essential oils and honey for easier mixing. If you prefer the original recipe, you can find it in our video tutorial.
Ingredients
- 16 oz of beeswax (or soy wax)
- 0.8 oz of honey vanilla fragrance oil
Tools
- Wax melter (or double boiler)
- Heat resistant containers (mason jars, coffee mugs, etc.)
- Candle wicks
- Candle wick centering tool (optional)
Instructions
Step 1: Melt the beeswax in your wax melter or double boiler. I do prefer using a wax melter because I can simply wipe it out when I’m done. If you do use a double boiler, ensure you don’t let any of the wax go down your sink drain when cleaning!
Step 2: While the wax is melting, glue the candle wick to the bottom of your candle jar.
Step 3: Once the wax is melted, remove it from the heat to cool to around 160°F and stir in your fragrance oil.
Step 4: Allow the wax to cool to around 150°F, and then carefully pour the wax into your jar. Center the wick using a wick-centering tool, or you can wrap the end around a pencil or bamboo skewer and lay it horizontally across the top center of the jar.
Step 5: Once the wax is completely hardened, you can trim the wick, and it is ready to light. It should be about a 1/4 inch long.
NOTE: It may take 24-48 hours before your candle is completely hardened and ready to light. Make sure it fully hardens before lighting it to ensure the longest burn time.
Beeswax Candles with Essential Oils
As mentioned above, you can add essential oils to your honey vanilla candles if you want to. Personally, I think they smell amazing on their own!
Lavender, chamomile, jasmine, or any other floral oils do pair well with the honey vanilla aroma. I also love the scents of Siberian fir, sandalwood, and cedarwood in my candles.
These woodsy scents are especially great for making DIY Christmas candles.
If you decide to add essential oils to your candles, you will notice that you need a lot in order to smell the scent.
This is why many homemade candles are made with fragrances and not essential oils.
How to Make the Scent Stronger
The main reason homemade candles don’t have a strong scent is that the herbs, oils, or fragrances are added to the wax when it is too hot.
It is important to wait until the wax is cooled down to at least 160°F degrees before adding in scent.
The second reason is that not enough herbs or oils were added. It takes a lot of essential oils and herbs to scent candles naturally.
Lastly, pay attention to where you place your candles in your home. Place them in smaller rooms and away from air vents in order to get the most out of the candles.
How Long do these Candles Last?
Candles don’t really expire as food does. However, they can lose scent and color over time. Most candles can last about one year after opening and lighting.
Homemade candles are no different and should be good for about a year before losing scent.
The best way to test your candle is by lighting it and smelling it. If it smells off, then throw it out and make new ones.
Recipe Notes
Fragrance oil: When choosing a fragrance oil to scent your candles, look for a natural or organic fragrance so that you don’t add synthetic fragrances to your recipe.
Beeswax scent: Beeswax naturally emits a fragrance, which is quite beautiful, in my opinion. Feel free to reduce the amount of fragrance you add to your candle so you can enjoy the beeswax scent as well.
Choosing the right jar: Be sure the jar or container you use is safe for burning candles. You can make two 8-ounce candles or one 16-ounce candle using this recipe.
Easy Honey Vanilla Candle Recipe
Equipment
- Heat resistant container
Ingredients
- 1 pound of beeswax, or soy wax
- 0.8 oz honey vanilla fragrance oil
Instructions
- Melt the beeswax in your wax melter or double boiler.
- While the wax is melting, glue the candle wick to the bottom of your candle jar.
- Once the wax is melted, remove it from the heat to cool to around 160°F and stir in your fragrance oil.
- Allow the wax to cool to around 150°F and then carefully pour the wax into your jar. Center the wick using a wick-centering tool, or you can wrap the end around a pencil or bamboo skewer and lay it horizontally across the top center of the jar.
- Once the wax is completely hardened, you can trim the wick, and it is ready to light. It should be about a 1/4 inch long.
Notes
More of my Favorite Candles:
- Homemade Citronella Candles
- Rosemary Mint Soy Candles
- Homemade Candle Wax Melts
- Pillar Candle Recipe
Hi there…you don’t mention in the above recipe the size or how many containers you are using. His it for 2 8-ounce mason jars?
I made one 12 ounce candle, but you can make several small ones too.
hi. Wondering if these could be made in the slow cooker right in the jars? If so, would you stir the honey and vanilla to each jar after they’re melted or try to add honey and vanilla into the jars before they’re melted in the slow cooker? I’m new to this and would love your advice!
We decided to make these for my Winnie the Pooh themed baby shower. We also added a freeze dried lemon to each jar. With the beeswax still being hot, and putting in room temp liquids, it made it solidify at first, but melted as we kept stirring. LET’S GO SCIENCE!
Our only issue is once the vanilla started to get warm in the melted wax, it just stayed at the bottom. The smell was still in the wax, but the liquid separated. I didn’t notice anyone else mentioning that. Wanted to see if that issue was common.
This was my experience as well. The wax was already beginning to solidify at the suggested 125°, and when I added the warm honey/vanilla mixture it sped up that process, resulting in a clumpy product that would not mix together. I warmed it again in the double boiler but it still separated as it cooled – my candle looks a lot like wax resting atop liquid honey. It smells nice enough, but not the result I’d hoped for.
I’m really not sure what went wrong. I would assume that my ratio of liquid:wax was too high, but I actually used less vanilla as mine is double fold, and I didn’t add essential oils. I’m glad it worked for others, but I’m disappointed.
My beeswax started to harden even though the thermometer said 145 degrees. By the time it was at 125, it was mostly hard. I tried to mix in vanilla and honey but it just sat at the bottom. I reheated in the microwave, rather then on the stove again. I thought I could “catch” it before it started to harden and mix more, no luck. I poured into Oui yougurt jars and the last one had quite a bit of liquid on the bottom. What did I do wront?
These turned out so lovely thank you! I used small tins so will have to see when they burn to the bottom if the honey separated. I did have to remelt after adding honey and vanilla as I think they were too cold so I’ll warm and mix them together first on my next try. But they poured nicely and so far getting a beautiful gentle scent.
No issue with vanilla settling at the bottom? Did you use pure or artificial vanilla?
Can this wax be put in my dough bowl also…..Please answer, n Ty
What size candle does this make? Thank you
As a beeswax candle maker, I would never recommend adding honey and/or vanilla to your wax. I clean my wax multiple times to make sure I get all of the honey out of it before I use it to make candles with it. Having these items in your wax (and even essential oils) can cause separation of the wax, uneven burning, and clogging of the wicks which wastes your precious beeswax. I don’t add anything to my wax, except coconut oil or wax if I am trying to make a candle in a container, which beeswax doesn’t really work the best for, but I wouldn’t recommend any of these other additives as some can be flammable and some don’t burn at all. If you want a stronger scent, then I would recommend only using a fragrance oil that is designed to be used in candles. That is your safest bet.