Just as the bees make it possible for flowers to bloom, the wax they create also blooms over time. This white dusting, referred to as bloom, appears on all 100% pure beeswax, as the natural oils rise to the surface. Some people love the vintage look of a bloomed beeswax candle, while others like their candles to shine. If you want a glossy beeswax candle, just take a soft cloth and wipe away the bloom.
Beeswax is the only wax in the world that is not made in a factory. Beeswax is the most natural and expensive wax you can buy. Beeswax doesn't require chemical processing, preservatives or UV stabilizers. The only thing you need to make beeswax is bees.
Because beeswax is so expensive for candle-makers to purchase, they may use less expensive waxes to blend with their beeswax. Blending beeswax is fine as long as the candle-maker is ethical and tells their customers that they are selling a beeswax blend. Sometimes candle-makers will also blend their beeswax with another type of wax because they want to add artificial fragrances to their candles. Again, this is fine as long as the candle-maker informs their customers. You should not be paying top dollar for 100% pure beeswax if that is not what you are getting.
If you are looking for 100% pure beeswax candles due to allergies, sensitivities to perfumes, or upper respiratory issues, then buy your candles from candle companies that sell 100% pure beeswax. Be careful buying candles that are just listed as "beeswax" because those could very well be blended with other waxes and an artificial honey fragrance added.
So how does "bloom" fit into all of this?
Only 100% pure beeswax candles will bloom. If you've purchased a beeswax candle and it's never bloomed after several weeks, months, or even years, then you can assume it's not 100% beeswax. Pure beeswax will bloom in a very short amount of time at normal room temperature. Here at Big Moon Beeswax, our candles bloom within a matter of days, to a couple of weeks, depending on the room temperature in our studio.
So next time you buy a beeswax candle and it blooms like a flower, thank the bees and your candle-maker for providing you with 100% pure beeswax.
Bee Cozy
