Here is the recipe we used to make Beeswax Wraps with
the wonderful women at Workshop Wednesdays.
We had a great night sweating, laughing and blowing fuses (literally)!
This recipe makes enough to cover approx. three 9”x9” wraps
Ingredients:
3 oz Organic Beeswax Pellets
0.3oz Pine Resin
1 tbsp Jojoba Oil
(All of the above was purchased by weight at The Soap Dispensary & Kitchen Staples on Main St.)
3 pcs. Clean lightweight cotton
(S 7’x7′, M 9.5’x9.5′, L 12’x12′)
Note: This requires trial & error! Your personal preference will impact this recipe greatly.
Supplies:
– old towel or drop cloth
– cookie sheet/baking pan
– parchment paper
– cheese grater
– silicone mould or mini muffin tin w/ liners
– double boiler
– whisk
– kitchen weigh scale
– iron
Optional:
– mortar & pestle
– clean paint brush
1. Weigh out the beeswax pellets on your kitchen scale.
2. Add beeswax and jojoba into double boiler and melt on medium-high heat until it’s completely liquified.
3. While the wax is melting, weigh out pine resin.
*since the resin was in large chunks and did NOT easily melt into the mix, I crushed it into a fine powder with a mortar & pestle. You could also put it in between 2 layers of parchment paper and gently crush it with a rolling pin*
4. Prep your station! Lay down an old towel and place your cookie sheet on top. Place one layer of parchment paper on top of your pan, lay out a piece of cotton.
5. Once the wax mixture is completely melted, take off the heat and whisk in the powdered pine resin.
6. Pour into mini muffin liners or a small silicone mould and allow to cool completely.
Optional: If using the wax mixture immediately you can take a clean paint brush and dip it into the melted mixture, and brush directly onto your fabric.
7. Either brush on the hot wax mixture or grate the wax mould and distribute evenly on your cloth.
8.
Place another layer of parchment paper on top and iron the wax into the cloth on a medium-high setting.
*Make sure the steam function is turned off!!*
9. Allow the cloth to cool to the touch before peeling back the parchment paper. Hold your cloth up to a light source to make sure you don’t have any bare spots or pin holes.
10. Add more wax and iron in if needed.
11. Allow to cool completely before peeling off the parchment and let your wrap air dry either by clipping up to a clothesline or draping loosely over something on your counter.
Troubleshooting
Too sticky: reduce the amount of pine resin in your recipe.
Too stiff: needs more jojoba for pliability
Too floppy: less jojoba and/or more beeswax
Not sticky enough: you guessed it, more pine resin.
Cleaning & Care
Always give your wraps a cool/warm wash and allow to air dry before storing.
Washing in hot water will melt the wax out of the cloth.
Avoid wrapping foods with strong odours such as raw onions.
To refresh you wraps after a year or so, iron more wax onto the surface between parchment paper and voilà, you’re back in business.
End of Life
If you have chosen unbleached, organic cotton for your wraps then you can simply cut your old wrap into strips and incorporate into your compost at home.
If you’ve used upcycled cotton with dyes or prints on it (and you can’t verify if it’s organic), it’s best to use it as a fire starter on your next camping trip!
Photos by JJosue Photography.
Follow her on instagram @jjosuephotos
