Beeswax Wraps
This recipe is enough to make the equivalent of six squares of light, woven cotton, 30 cm x 30 cm or 12 x 12 inches.
Watch our video on how to make wraps! https://youtu.be/CqazoGStoew
Our kits come with the materials listed below, but if you want to make up your own you will need:
- 100 grams (3.5 oz) Beeswax
- 20 grams (0.7 oz) Damar resin (Pine rosin)
- 3 teaspoons (15 ml/0.5 fluid oz) Jojoba Oil
An old pot and a tin can, or an old double-boiler pot, a clean paintbrush or sauce-spreader, parchment paper or aluminum foil, hammer, mallet or mortar and pestle to crush the resin. An old iron isn’t mandatory, but it may help. Lastly, a couple of cookie sheets.
Helpful tip: Buy your equipment at the thrift store because you won’t be able to use them for cooking again.
Method:
- Prewash and dry the cotton. Use pinking shears when cutting fabric to prevent fraying.
- Chop up beeswax into chunks and place in the tin can or top pot of your double boiler.
- Lightly crush the resin with the hammer, mallet or mortar and pestle and add to the wax.
- Melt over medium heat in a double boiler system (either the pot and tin can, or the double-boiler) and stir intermittently until all the wax and resin are melted together.
Add jojoba oil and stir well. - When the wax mixture is liquified, paint evenly onto the fabric with the brush. It may take longer or the first sheet, but later sheets will be faster as they soak up the leftover wax on the baking pan.
Lay the waxed sheets out on parchment paper to dry. - For a finer finish you wish, you can iron between two sheets of parchment paper, or heat soak in oven at 200 degrees F between 2 sheets of aluminum foil. However, this is only an optional step.
Tip for breaking the beeswax and the resin: Place in plastic bag and leave in the freezer. Take out and hit it with a hammer to break up into smaller pieces. Warmer wax doesn’t break easily.