Beeswax Votive Candles

How to burn a votive candle

A votive is a small candle with one big rule: it needs a glass holder that fits close. It's really a container candle that arrives without its container. As it burns, the whole candle melts to liquid, and the glass keeps that liquid where the flame can use it - hours of steady light instead of a puddle on a plate.

Set the holder out of drafts, light the wick, and let it work. The closer the glass hugs the candle, the higher and prettier the melt pool forms. We wrote the whole story up here: Votive Candles: What You Definitely Need to Know.

How long does a beeswax votive burn?

About 15 to 17 hours each, in a glass holder that fits. Beeswax is the densest candle wax with the highest melting point, so a votive burns slower than a soy or paraffin candle of the same size. At an inch and a half across, one votive covers several evenings. For a shorter light, a tea light gives about five hours in its own cup.

Which holder fits?

Look for straight-sided glass just a little wider than the candle, so the melted wax reaches the glass all the way around. Our glass votive holder is made in the USA and sized for exactly these votives.

Giving them as a gift? The Bee Happy and Silver Linings sets come with three votives and the glass holder they burn in, boxed with a card and ready to light. The Bee Cozy set pairs votives and tea lights with holders for a whole season of evenings.

When the last votive goes out

A little wax stays in the glass on purpose: the neck on the metal wick tab puts the flame out before it reaches the glass. Pop the holder in the freezer for a day and that last bit usually lifts right out, ready for the next votive and the one after that. Here's how we clean out our votive holders in the studio.