While honey can be found in almost every home, many people are only familiar with beeswax in the form of honey-yellow scented candles. But this natural product has much more to offer.
Because honey bees are always building new combs, a large amount of beeswax is always left behind as waste at the end of the beekeeping season. Here you will discover how versatile this precious substance can be at home, for self-made cosmetics and for healing purposes.
Uses of beeswax in the home
1. Homemade Beeswax Shoe Polish
Many commercial shoe care products contain petroleum-based ingredients. With this homemade shoe polish, made from lanolin, vegetable oil and beeswax, you can take care of your shoes in a natural and environmentally friendly way.
Ingredients (for 100 g of bitumen):
Elaboration:
- Melt the beeswax in a bain-marie
- Add the lanolin and olive oil to the melted wax and stir the mixture until it has a creamy consistency.
- Pour the finished cream, still warm, into a screw-on jar. Let it cool without a lid so that condensation does not form. Then close it well.
If the consistency of 10g of beeswax is too soft for you, you can add more wax. However, no more than 15-20g is recommended to make the cream easy to apply. Shoe polish has a shelf life of up to one year when stored at room temperature.
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2. Recipe to care for wood with beeswax
The wood will also appreciate a beeswax-based treatment, as it will give it shine and resistance to humidity and dirt. Instead of paying a lot of money for a specific product, you can make it yourself. You will need a small pot, a spoon, and a screw-top glass jar.
Ingredients:
- Put the coconut oil and beeswax in the pot.
- Slowly heat the ingredients to a low setting, stirring constantly.
- When everything is melted, you can pour the liquid mixture into a jar and do not cover until it has cooled.
3. Homemade and natural lip balm
Beeswax also has skin care properties and is therefore traditionally used in a variety of cosmetic products. The active ingredients are quickly absorbed and have a healing and protective effect on dry and chapped lips.
Ingredients:
Elaboration:
- Slowly heat the shea butter, coconut oil, and beeswax in a double boiler until the wax is completely melted.
- Cut a quarter of a vanilla bean lengthwise, scrape out the pulp with a knife and add it to the rest of the ingredients.
- Mix until you get a homogeneous mass and pour it into the containers.
Once cooled, it is ready to use and can be applied with your finger like any other lip balm.
Tips for buying beeswax
Like honey, beeswax is a precious natural product. Therefore, it is advisable to pay special attention to the origin and quality of the raw material when buying.
It's a good idea to try contacting beekeepers in your area to buy wax directly from them. If you can't find a beekeeper, you can find high-quality beeswax at physical herbalists and online.
Given that a colony of bees produces only about a kilo of wax per season, it cannot be ruled out that some manufacturer decides to adulterate it, mixing it with other fats. To rule this out as much as possible, choose a wax that is labeled 100% pure and natural beeswax.
