Here's a list of our most frequently asked questions. Feel free to contact us if you need more information.
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FAQs about our Beeswax Candles
Yes. Every single one of our beeswax candles uses 100% pure beeswax gathered from the USA. We do not mix any other waxes or fillers with our beeswax.
Yes. All of our beeswax candles use 100% cotton wick.
No. Our square braided cotton wicking is designed specifically for the use in beeswax candles. They utilize a " bleaching " process to whiten the wicking and remove impurities through the use of a salt solution resulting in a cleaner burning wicking. No bleaches or peroxides are used.
The melting point of beeswax is higher than paraffin and soy wax, making beeswax require a larger wick to burn efficiently. We choose our candle wick size for the best flame to burn ratio which allows the candle to burn brightly, avoid tunneling, and burn down almost entirely.
We make our candles with extra long wicks as some customers prefer to display the candles before burning them and the longer wicks tend to look much nicer. Also, the long wick is meant to be a clear indication that the wick must be trimmed before use.
As soon as you plan to burn your candle, please remove the label.
Burning the candle for extended periods of time results in a large pool of melted wax. As beeswax cools, it shrinks slightly, which can sometimes cause cracking. This will not affect the quality or burn time of the candle. The larger the diameter of the candle, the more possible it is to crack on top after cooling.
In order for a candle to work properly it needs to pass melted wax through the wick. Beeswax melts at a higher temperature and requires thicker wicks, therefore it is necessary to hold the lighter next to the wick for a longer time than other types of candles.
No. We add no chemicals to our beeswax. All of our wax is 100% pure and natural. It's common for candle manufactures to use a mold release compound to help remove the candle from the mold after the wax is cooled. We do not use any type of mold release.
No, we do not add scents to any of our candles. Scents are man made and are generally full of nasty things. We do add 100% essential oils to our Aromatherapy Beeswax Candles. The rest of our beeswax candles are naturally honey scented, with nothing added to them.
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Yes and No.
No: Our solid beeswax candles do not contain any dyes or additives. The raw beeswax we use comes from the hive as a light golden yellow color, which we call "Natural" when we refer to the candle's natural yellow color.
Yes: Our honeycomb candles contain a small amount of dye to achieve their crisp vibrant colors (all except 'Natural' color, which has no added dye). The dyes are formulated with eco-friendly ingredients and are vegetable based. They offer excellent color consistency and strength for crisp, clean, bright candles. The colored dye makes up a very small percentage of the overall beeswax candle, much less than 1/10th of 1%. The dyes do not contain hazardous solvents or additives (such as naphtha or naphthalene used in other dyes). The dyes are never tested on animals. No dye ingredients are on the California Prop 65 list of cancer causing ingredients.
We've always clearly stated that burn time is not a guarantee, but rather a conservative estimate based on our testing of hundreds of beeswax candles. Results will vary somewhat based on your environment and burning preferences. Proper wick maintenance helps too.
We hear this type of feedback from our clients occasionally, that our candles didn't burn as long as they wanted them to. This is understandable, everyone wants to get the most value for their money. However no one offers the exact times they've recorded, just their feelings that they were burning too quickly. We do respect your thoughts on the matter, but know that we base our burn times on timed calculations not our personal feelings.
We've found that a person's sense of time can vary greatly, depending on many environmental, emotional, and physical factors. Time flies when you are having fun! And just the opposite when you aren't. While we can't guarantee a person's perceived sense of time will match with actual time, we do guarantee our candles will be the best candles you have ever purchased! If you are unhappy with their performance, just let us know and we'll make it right.
We make all of our beeswax candles by hand. The dimensions listed are an approximation and will vary slightly for each candle. Please consider each candle a work of art. We make outstanding candles, but we are humans, not machines.
Our candle's listed size:
- The candle sizes we list are taken from the mold’s size, not the finished candle's size. This is typical in the hand-made candle industry. We adhere to this standard for consistency. We aren't trying to trick you, honest!
Why all solid beeswax candle sizes vary:
- A beeswax candle shrinks as it cools, making it more art than science for final sizing. The cooling process varies for each candle due to slight temperature variations in the molten beeswax, ambient air, and the candle mold.
Why all honeycomb beeswax candle sizes vary:
- We hand roll our honeycomb taper and honeycomb pillar candles using sheets of honeycomb beeswax. Each sheet of honeycomb may vary by a fraction of a millimeter.
- Our honeycomb taper's diameter may vary by millimeter or two (it's only 1 sheet of honeycomb beeswax).
- Our honeycomb pillar's diameter will vary based the total number of honeycomb sheets used. For example: our 4" x 12" honeycomb pillar uses 15 sheets of honeycomb beeswax (more variation), where as our 2" x 4" honeycomb pillar only uses 1 sheet of honeycomb beeswax (less variation).
Why round pillar sizes vary:
- We finish all of our solid round pillar candles by hand. This gives it a polished look and shiny feel not possible by machines. We think this is a good thing. Generally the diameter is about 1/8" to 1/4" less than the listed size. The height is usually taller than the listed size as we pour the molds all the way to the top (our pillar candle molds are 1/2" taller than our listed size).
Why square pillar sizes vary:
- Generally our 3" wide solid square pillars are about 1/8" to 1/4" less than the listed width. Our 2" wide square pillars use 2 1/4" wide molds and are wider than 2" by about 1/8" to 1/4". The height is usually taller than the listed size as we pour the molds all the way to the top (our pillar candle molds are 1/2" taller than our listed size).
If you need super-fine measurements, let us know and we’ll put our calipers on the current batch of finished candles and give you a more precise measurement.
FAQs about our Beeswax
Yes. All of our beeswax is gathered from the USA. Our source of beeswax comes from trusted beekeepers in Washington, Minnesota, Montana, and North Dakota. The honey and wax is collected from July to September. Our wax comes from the pollination of canola, sweet clover, alfalfa, fireweed, and other types of wildflowers and plants. This generally results in a lighter scented and colored beeswax, which we think is the best combination for a perfect beeswax.
Yes. We are extremely selective about our beeswax, so it's already very clean when it arrives from our beekeepers. However, we do lightly filter our beeswax before we use it for our candles. This helps to remove smaller particles and other foreign materials that may clog the wick while burning.
Our beeswax is always golden with a light honey scent, but because it is a natural product, variation in color and scent is normal. These characteristics are dependent upon the plants from which honeybees collect pollen and nectar. Flower blossoms and crops like canola result in light yellow colors and light honey scents. Plants such as avocado, sunflowers or buckwheat result in darker yellow or brown colors and strong heavy scents; this dark and heavily scented beeswax isn't something we will ever use for our candles.
Propolis is a resinous mixture that honey bees collect from tree buds, sap flows, or other botanical sources. It is used as a sealant for unwanted open spaces in the hive. Tiny amounts of propolis remain in our filtered beeswax, along with small amounts of pollen and honey. Honey, pollen, and propolis are what create the beeswax candle's pleasant honey aroma. Propolis and pollen also "stain" the beeswax, helping create its light golden color.
This white film, called bloom, is normal and occurs to all pure beeswax. This is caused because some of the components of the beeswax migrate to the surface, and will appear a few weeks to a few months after the candle is made. Bloom can be easily removed by wiping the candle with a soft cloth, applying gentle heat with a hair dryer, or placing the candle in warm sunlight. Even though the bloom is easily removable, many people actually desire this effect as it tends to give the beeswax candle a unique and rustic look and feel.
Bloom on a candle means it's pure beeswax! This is an easy way to verify your pure beeswax candle really is 100% beeswax.
Mainly burn time and texture. A solid beeswax candle is created by pouring liquid wax into a mold. The result is a smooth, dense candle with extremely long burn times. Honeycomb beeswax candles are created by rolling honeycomb textured sheets. The honeycomb candle is less dense and doesn't burn as long as a similar solid beeswax candle.
Yes, beeswax is very resilient. We've ship year-round all over the US without any issues. We've shipped our beeswax candles to hot summer states like California, Nevada, Arizona, and Texas in the middle of summer and to cold winter states like Minnesota, Illinois, and South Dakota in the middle of winter. Rest assured your beeswax candles will be delivered perfectly intact regardless of the weather.
FAQs about our candle making
We carefully craft all of our beeswax candles by hand and then add our finishing touches. For our solid candles we gently melt our beeswax to a sufficient temperature that allows the candle to come out of the mold easily and with very few defects. For our honeycomb candles, we tightly roll sheets of honeycomb wax to make tapers and pillars.
Yes. Every single beeswax candle we sell is made by hand, by us, in our warehouse located in WA state.
Rather than pop the candles out of the molds and ship them directly as is, we take the time to perfect our beeswax candles once they are solid. When the candles are removed from their molds, our expert candle makers level the candle, then gently roll the candle on a hot surface to remove any minor blemishes. This creates a smooth, unique surface and texture for each candle.
We appreciate your enthusiasm to make candles, but unfortunately we are not able to offer candle making advice. Google will usually have some basic help for you.
No, sorry, we don't sell candle making materials. You might try your local craft store.