How to Prepare Raw Beeswax for Small-Batch Herbal Products

If you've ever worked with raw beeswax, you already know one thing about it:

That stuff is hard.

And I mean really hard.

When I buy beeswax from a local supplier, it usually comes in large chunks. That's wonderful when you're buying it by the pound, but not particularly convenient when you're making small batches of salve, lip balm, lotion bars, or other herbal products and need to weigh out an ounce or two.

Trying to break off a small, precise piece of beeswax isn't easy.

So rather than fighting with it every time I need to make something, I process a larger amount at once and pour it into small molds. Once it's cooled, I have convenient little pieces of beeswax that are easy to weigh and ready to use.

It's a simple bit of preparation that saves me a lot of frustration later.

Why I Choose Raw, Locally Sourced Beeswax

One of the main reasons I use raw beeswax is actually pretty simple:

I like supporting other local businesses whenever I can.

My beeswax comes from a local supplier, and I would much rather spend my money with someone in my own community than automatically order a commercially processed ingredient from somewhere else.

That's one of the things I enjoy about making things myself. Whenever possible, I can choose ingredients from people who are growing, raising, harvesting, or producing them locally.

Raw beeswax also has some characteristics that I really enjoy.

Depending on the source, it can have a beautiful natural golden color and that unmistakable warm, honey-like scent. Because it hasn't been heavily processed and bleached, it retains more of the natural character of the wax.

That doesn't mean commercially processed beeswax is bad.

Not at all.

Commercial beeswax pellets or pastilles are actually an excellent choice for home herbalists. They're filtered, uniform, easy to measure, and incredibly convenient for small batches. If that's what you have access to, use them!

In fact, if you want your finished product to be white rather than naturally golden, bleached beeswax pastilles are the better choice.

For me, using raw beeswax is primarily about supporting a local supplier, enjoying the natural color and scent, and doing a little more of the preparation myself.

Why I Portion the Beeswax

If I were buying one-pound molded blocks of beeswax, I'd still have the same problem.

I'd have to break the block into smaller pieces—or melt it down and portion it anyway.

Since I use enough beeswax that I'm going through it regularly, it makes much more sense to do a larger amount at one time.

Once I've got a supply of little beeswax pieces sitting on the shelf, I can simply weigh out what I need when I'm making a batch.

No hammer or grating.

No trying to shave off a tiny piece.

No wrestling with a block of beeswax when I really just need 30 grams.

It's one of those little preparations that makes everything else easier.

What You'll Need

You don't need much to do this.

• Raw beeswax

• A double boiler

• Silicone molds

• A cookie sheet or tray

• A heat-safe measuring cup or ladle

• A container or bag for storage

• A label

A Note About Equipment

Before you start, one very important thing: dedicate your equipment to beeswax.

Beeswax is not something you want to melt in your good kitchen pans and utensils with the intention of washing them afterward. Once it cools, it sticks—and it is remarkably difficult to completely remove.

I keep my beeswax equipment separate from my regular kitchen equipment. My double boiler, measuring cup, ladle, and anything else that comes into contact with the melted wax are dedicated to beeswax and other wax projects.

The same goes for the molds. Once you've used silicone molds for beeswax, I wouldn't use those same molds for food.

You don't need expensive equipment. In fact, this is a great place to repurpose an old pan or pick up inexpensive equipment specifically for your herbal-making projects.

Just don't use your favorite kitchen measuring cup and expect it to come out of this looking the same.

Beeswax wins that battle. 😉

For molds, I use silicone mini muffin cups and mini ice cube trays.

The nice thing about silicone is that once the beeswax has cooled and hardened, the pieces pop right out.

I like having a couple of different sizes because it gives me some flexibility when I'm measuring wax for different recipes.

Step 1: Start With the Beeswax

This is what my beeswax looks like when it arrives.

Large.

Hard.

And definitely not something I'm going to be weighing out a little at a time.

If you have smaller pieces, that's perfectly fine. Mine just happens to come in large chunks, so the first step is getting it melted.

Step 2: Melt the Beeswax

Place the beeswax in the top of a double boiler and heat it over medium heat.

Beeswax needs some patience. Let it melt slowly and completely rather than trying to rush the process by turning the heat way up.

Once the wax is completely melted, you're ready to pour.

Remember that melted beeswax is very hot, so use care throughout this entire process.

Step 3: Prepare Your Molds

While the wax is melting, I set my silicone molds on a cookie sheet.

This is one of those simple tricks that makes the job much easier.

The cookie sheet gives me a stable surface to work on, catches any little spills, and makes it possible to move all the molds at once if I need to.

You definitely don't want to be trying to carry individual silicone molds full of hot wax across the kitchen.

Ask me how I know.

Step 4: Pour the Beeswax

Once the wax is completely melted, I carefully pour it into the silicone molds.

Because I'm usually processing a fairly large amount at once, I don't try to pour directly from the double boiler.

Instead, I use a heat-safe measuring cup or ladle to dip the melted wax out of the pan and into the molds.

Go slowly.

Beeswax is hot, and spills can be difficult to clean once they cool and harden.

This is also where you'll really appreciate having those molds sitting on a cookie sheet.

I fill my mini muffin cups and mini ice cube trays to whatever size makes sense for my future batches.

The exact size isn't important.

The goal is simply to make pieces that are small enough to weigh easily.

Step 5: Let the Beeswax Cool Completely

Once everything is poured, I leave the molds alone until the beeswax is completely cool.

I generally let mine sit for about 24 hours.

You don't necessarily have to wait that long for a small amount of beeswax to harden, but I prefer to let everything cool thoroughly before removing it from the molds.

Once it's completely solid, it will be easy to pop the pieces out.

Step 6: Remove and Store

Once the beeswax has hardened, simply pop the pieces out of the silicone molds.

They should come out quite easily.

I put mine into a bag or storage container for long-term storage and label it with the date and the name of my supplier.

I like keeping track of where my ingredients come from. It gives me a record of my supplies and makes it much easier to know what I'm working with later.

Store the beeswax somewhere cool and dry, away from excessive heat.

And that's it!

A large, awkward chunk of raw beeswax has become a container full of convenient little pieces that are ready to use whenever I need them.

Using Your Prepared Beeswax

When I'm ready to make a product, I simply take out what I need and weigh it.

Then it goes directly into the next preparation.

Beeswax is used in all sorts of herbal preparations, including:

• Salves

• Lip balms

• Lotion bars

• Herbal balms

• Body butters and other solid preparations

The amount you use will depend on the particular recipe, of course, but having the beeswax already portioned makes measuring incredibly simple.

And that is really the whole point of this process.

I'm not making the beeswax itself into anything fancy.

I'm simply doing a little bit of preparation ahead of time so that the next time I need beeswax, it's ready to go.

Raw Beeswax or Beeswax Pastilles?

I think sometimes we get caught up in the idea that if something is homemade, we have to do everything from scratch.

I don't agree with that.

If you can buy raw beeswax locally and enjoy processing it yourself, wonderful.

If you have access to commercially prepared beeswax pellets, those are perfectly good too.

In fact, there are times when the convenience of pastilles is exactly what you want.

Raw beeswax will generally have more variation in its natural color and scent depending on the hive and how it was processed. Commercially filtered beeswax is more uniform.

And if you're making a product where you want a white or very light finished product, bleached beeswax pastilles are the way to go.

There isn't a right or wrong choice.

For me, the raw beeswax makes sense because I can support a local supplier, I enjoy working with natural ingredients, and I'm already doing enough small-batch production that portioning it ahead of time saves me time in the long run.

A Little Preparation Goes a Long Way

This is one of those jobs that isn't particularly exciting.

Nobody needs to make a special trip to the kitchen because I'm melting beeswax.

But those are often the little jobs that make everything else run more smoothly.

When I'm ready to make a batch of salve or lip balm, I don't have to stop and figure out how I'm going to get a small piece of beeswax off a giant block.

I open the container, weigh out what I need, and get on with making the product.

That's one of the things I love about small-batch making.

There are always little ways to make the process easier.

Sometimes self-reliance isn't about learning some complicated new skill.

Sometimes it's simply looking at a problem and thinking,

"There's got to be an easier way to do this."

And then finding one.