What is beeswax bloom?

Have you ever left a beeswax candle in storage for awhile and noticed a white film that makes it look moldy or dusty?  

That's called "bloom", and it's completely natural and harmless.

The chemistry of beeswax is what causes a bloom to happen as the wax ages and is exposed to various storage conditions or temperatures that permit bloom to form, so let's first look at what beeswax is:

Beeswax is made by the bees themselves via special wax glands. The bees must collectively consume around 8 LBS of honey in order to produce 1LB of wax; the honey they ingest fuels the output of the wax! Between consuming so much honey to make the wax combs and then using the combs to store sweet nectar and honey, it's no wonder that beeswax smells mildly of honey even after a beekeeper has cleaned and processed it. 

In terms of chemistry, beeswax is composed of many different compounds, and the exact chemistry varies by location, conditions and the type of bee. 

• 45-55% monoesters
• 15-18% hydrocarbons
• 10-15% free fatty acids
• 8-12% diesters and complex esters
• 4-6% hydroxy monoesters
• 1-2% free fatty alcohols

So where does the bloom come from? 

Softer oils and fatty acids (lower melting point components) in the wax slowly migrate to the surface where they crystallize and form a white, powdery coating. Have you ever noticed that the bloom seems to have a slight shimmer or sheen to it when you tip the candle around in a well-lit area? I actually find it quite beautiful - it can look as if a mica mineral powder has been applied, but it's really just the wax's natural bloom!

Seeing bloom on a beeswax candle is an indicator that the wax is pure, minimally processed and unbleached - it is a natural phenomenon that only happens with beeswax and you won't see it with blends or paraffin waxes. 

What factors affect beeswax bloom?

• Cool temperatures and temperature fluctuations can cause bloom quite quickly. This means, especially in winter, a candle order may not have bloom on it when I ship it out, but it may begin to show bloom before it reaches you or very soon afterwards.
• Time! As a beeswax candle ages, it will naturally begin to show some bloom unless stored in a very warm environment. Most room temperatures will allow bloom to form over time, even in the summer. 
• Higher humidity environments encourage bloom. 

Can I remove the bloom from my beeswax candle?

Yes! There are several options for removing bloom:

1. Buffing with a soft cloth: This method is best for smooth candles or partial bloom removal to highlight texture. Gently buffing the candle with a soft cloth can clean bloom from the easy to reach areas of a candle. For a smooth candle such as a plain pillar or taper, this method can completely remove all bloom. In the case of a textured candle, buffing will shine up the easy to reach areas and leave some of the bloom to highlight textures even more, which I love! 
2. Hair dryer method: Good for removing bloom entirely. If you have a quite textured candle and you want to remove bloom entirely, you will need to use a hair dryer to gently warm the candle until all bloom is gone. This can take some time and you'll have to be careful of not melting the outer textures while you let the heat reach the inner textures.
3. Warm water method: Best for removing bloom entirely if you have time for the wick to dry out afterwards. Warm water does a great job of removing bloom from highly textured candle surfaces.  Simply run the whole candle under nice warm water; don't go any hotter than your hand can stand. Dry with a soft towel and set the candle aside to air dry.  This method isn't commonly suggested, but I find it much faster than a hair dryer and less likely to accidentally melt a section of candle. When I know the candle will have time to dry before it gets used, I opt for a warm water bloom removal over a hair dryer. 

Personally, I love how bloom can showcase the textures of a candle and I often leave it alone or only use the soft cloth buffing method so that I can highlight textures to add even more oomph to my candle's decor and aesthetic value. However, to each their own, and I hope that this post is helpful to those who would like to remove bloom from any beeswax candle!