Posted on

Beeswax Fire Starters

Camping is the perfect time to relax and unwind, until the nerve-wracking task of starting a fire comes up! Don’t worry about how long it will take you to get a fire started when you’ve got this DIY natural fire starter craft. Ease your mind and expedite the fire-starting process with these nifty fire starters made with our very own GLBC Beeswax.

These fire starters are all-natural so when they burn, they won’t harm the environment if they’re leftover in your fire pit. They’re also super light and easy to carry, meaning they won’t weigh your camping bag down. In addition, our pure beeswax will actually work to cleanse and purify the air around you as it burns and gets your fire started. All you’ll need are some items you probably already have around the house. This craft is extra sustainable because the only items you need are items you likely already have and would throw away as waste anyways.

The one thing you might have to purchase that you don’t have already is beeswax. Purchase our natural beeswax from our Michigan honeybees here. Our beeswax comes in a 1lb block which will be more than enough for these fire starters. When you’re done, you’ll still have leftover beeswax for more DIYs! Check out our other crafts that use beeswax like this tutorial for making hand-dipped corks or look out for our next blog post coming out about how to preserve autumn leaves using beeswax.

For this craft, you’ll need some dried materials that are great for kindling. Wood shavings are great, but really any dried, natural material will work. You can skip the shavings and use just pine cones. Tip: Throw in some pine needles for an evergreen smell when they burn. Other materials that work include cotton balls, sawdust, cinnamon sticks, dryer lint,  rosemary sprigs, dried orange peels, cloves, shredded newspaper, and other similar items. They just must be safe to burn outside. Have fun picking your ingredients to create the best smelling fire starter! Here’s what you’ll need:

Materials:

  • Egg carton (cardboard)
  • Wood shavings (or other natural, safely burnable material)
  • Candle wick
  • Pine Cones
  • Dried fruits
  • Dried pine branches
  • 1lb GLBC Beeswax

Directions

  1. Fill empty egg carton about halfway with wood shavings in each carton cup
  2. Cut 12 candle wicks (or however many fire starters you plan on making) each 3-4 inches in length
  3. Place one end of candle wicks in each carton cup underneath wood shavings, making sure the other end of the wick sticks well out
  4. Fill carton with rest of dried materials, allowing some dried pieces to stick out
  5. Melt beeswax over a stove and pour into each individual cup in the carton, filling them up
  6. Allow beeswax to cool completely and then cut into individual cups
  7. Stack your fire wood and kindling, leaving room to place fire starter cup at the base of the logs
  8. Light the fire starter at the wick and add more kindling as needed

And just like that, you’ve got an easy DIY fire starter. Customize these with different fragrances using essential oils or whatever you’ve got lying around the house. Remember to be extra careful and never leave a fire unattended. Happy camping!