beeswax wraps are the bee’s knee’s
Author: Emma Hill
When I started using beeswax wraps, I wanted to immediately tell everyone how amazing they were. I got my first set of earthology wraps at bare market and was instantly hooked. They are a reusable and washable alternative to plastic wraps and I started using them to wrap up half used vegetables, cheese, leftovers, anything really.
How does this witchcraft work? Beeswax wraps are pieces of material that are coated in beeswax and resin so that they can be molded to containers or to themselves using the heat of your hand as a way to store things and keep them fresh.
5 different ways to use beeswax wraps
One of the best things about beeswax wraps is how multipurpose they are. Here are just five great ways to use your wraps:
wrapping up food: It’s as easy as it sounds, you can use beeswax wraps to wrap up half used vegetables, cheese, nuts, snacks – whatever you can think of!
cover containers with food still in them: Cover up a bowl of yogurt for later, or a casserole dish with leftovers for the next day. Don’t have a wrap that’s big enough to cover your biggest dish? Use two or more together to cover large areas by molding them together.
wrap around toiletries for travelling: Don’t have a container for your soap or toothbrush? Use a beeswax wrap – they don’t just need to be for food.
wrap up flowers: Want to add something extra nice when giving flowers to someone? Wrap them up in a beeswax wrap as a second gift.
wrap bread or baked goods: Take a beeswax wrap with you to the bakery or grocery store and skip the need for a box or a bag.
Ready to start using these ingenious items? You can purchase them at bare market, or if you’re feeling adventurous you can try making some yourself!
photo by Good Soul Shop
5 steps to making beeswax wraps
For the winter holidays I decided to try making beeswax wraps for gifts and they were a pretty big hit! There are a number of different ways to make them, but I used organic cotton, beeswax pellets, and pine resin.
Beeswax beads and pine resin (and jojoba oil if you’re using it!) are sold at bare market (two of three are online too!). When choosing your fabric, remember that you can also use upcycled materials like old sheets if you have some. Now let’s break down the process into 5 simple steps.
- To get started, preheat your oven to 225F and cut your material into whatever size wraps you would like, laying them down flat on parchment paper on a baking tray. Shearing scissors work best, but normal scissors will work just fine.
- Grate some beeswax and pine resin and sprinkle about 2 -3 teaspoons of each onto your material (this will depend on how big your sheet is).
- When the oven is ready, place your baking tray inside for 5-10 minutes or until the wax and resin has melted.
- Pull out and use a paintbrush (that you’re willing to get quite waxy) to evenly spread the mixture and then leave in the oven for another 1-2 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and lift the corner and wave in the air for a few seconds once you are able to grab it without burning yourself. Place on a clothesline with pegs or drying rack and let the sheets set (should be ready once fully cooled, about 1-2 hours). Now enjoy your brand new wraps!
Not keen on making them? No worries, there are some great options you can purchase at bare market if you’re looking for some already made!
Want to avoid some of the mess, but still want to DIY it - bare market sells cubes of pine resin, jojoba oil + beeswax that are pre-melted together in the right quantities. Each cube can do 1-2 sheets of fabric and costs only $5.