Does Your Beeswax "Bloom"?

March 17, 2014 Honeyrun Farm

Have you ever noticed your beeswax candles changing after they sit in your house for several months? There is a natural process called "bloom" that happens to 100% pure beeswax candles. Bloom refers to the whitish cast that takes over the outside of the candle. It does not affect the way a candle burns, and is simply a natural process of the softer oils of the beeswax rising to the outside surface.

Here is an example of beeswax candles that have "bloomed." They were sitting in a very cold part of our honey house for several months.

Beeswax with bloom.

And pictured below you see the exact same candles, just moments later. To remove bloom, simply rub the candles with a soft, lint-free cloth. Another method I like to use is gently blowing on them with a warm blow-dryer. Both methods work well.

Here are some taper candles with bloom.

Here you can see how I used a warm blow dryer on the candles without taking the center tag off. The bloom remains on the area that was not warmed.

And here is the finished product - candles after the bloom was removed. After you remove the bloom, you may see it reappear again after several months. Cold weather tends to cause the candles to bloom more readily. But the good news is you can always restore the candles back to their original luster if you wish.

-posted by Jayne