Easy Beeswax Soap Recipes

Why Add Beeswax to Homemade Soap?s

With a plethora (a lot) of natural ingredients to use in a soap recipe – why beeswax? What can it bring to the product that is special? There are several benefits of having a little beeswax in your soap – these include:

• moisturizer for skin
• natural emollient
• protective barrier
• texture

In the cosmetic industry, beeswax skin care products are very common. It serves as a moisturizer that locks in natural moisture and softens rough skin. It also forms a thin protective barrier to protect skin from harsh conditions.

The texture that beeswax adds to many beauty products is another big plus.

When added to softer oils, it allows for a product that has a firmer texture and holds up well in warm weather. These natural properties contribute to a good finished product in soap making too.

What You Need to Know Before Making Soap

The basics of soap making can be mastered through several processes. Hot process, cold process, melt and pour, with or without milk – soap making is serious business.

However, the materials and tools needed depend on the recipe and the process. In order to safely and effectively make soap with beeswax (or without) in your home, you must have a good recipe. Then, you must follow the directions.

Favorite Beeswax Soap Recipes

Here are some of my favorite beeswax soap recipes from around the web. They use different ingredients and soapmaking methods, so there is a little something for everyone.

Pay attention to the measurements and cautions with each one.

• Honey & Beeswax Soap Recipe from Mother Earth Living – This cold-process recipe combines beeswax with honey—the beeswax helps create a harder bar while the honey boosts lather.
  
• Honey Oats and Beeswax Soap from Tanya at Lovely Greens– Honey, rolled oats and beeswax come together in this natural soap recipe for a lovely handmade bar with a warm, honey-inspired look.
  
• How to Make Beeswax Soap from I am Countryside-This helpful guide explains how beeswax behaves in hot- and cold-process soap and includes a sample recipe to help you get started.
  
• Beeswax Soap Recipe from Basic Soapmaking-You actually get two recipes with this one—a simple beeswax soap and another version featuring beeswax, honey and oats.
  
• Beeswax and Honey Soap Recipe from The Spruce-This recipe combines honey and beeswax and uses a fun technique to give the finished bars a honeycomb-inspired appearance.
  
• How to Make Soap from Wellness Mama– This is a good resource for beginners who want to better understand the basics of homemade soap, including cold process, hot process and melt-and-pour methods.

How to Add Beeswax to an Existing Soap Recipe

If you already have a soap recipe that you like, can you add beeswax? No, not without some planning.

In general, adding beeswax to “melt and pour” soap bases does not turn out well. Actually, adding any ingredient to a basic soap recipe can cause an imbalance in the ingredients.

Be sure to double check your ingredient list and consult an online soap calculator when considering new recipes for beeswax soap.

Expert Tips

• plan ahead – it is much like a science project that mixes different ingredients and they change form.
• purchase a kitchen scale if you do not have one-ingredient measurements must be precise.
• wear protective gear (glasses, gloves) where needed
• if using lye keep pets and kids away

Cold process soap making is one of the most popular methods of creating your own product. That is what I used for years.

However, for a very simple recipe using honey and a soap base: try this Goat Milk & Honey No Lye Soap.

More Ideas

When beekeepers harvest excess honey from the hive – they have leftover beeswax. The uses for beeswax are too numerous to list. Be sure to try some of them.

One of the oldest applications is making beeswax candles. These projects can go complicated or so easy the kids can help.

For body care, one of the most simple projects is making beeswax lip balm. You can customize it with your favorite flavors and fragrances. Don’t forget that your feet need love too – try this luxurious DIY beeswax foot balm.

A bonus for overall beeswax skin care – what about this lightweight homemade beeswax lotion recipe. But for heavy moisturizing I love this beeswax body butter.