Candelilla Wax

A hard plant-based wax from the leaves of the Candelilla (Euphorbia Cerifera) shrub.

Small, brittle yellow flakes.

Hard and firm flaky bits.

A distinctive, mild, sort of sweet smell.

The wax itself won’t absorb into your skin on its own, but salves made with it tend to absorb faster than salves made with beeswax.

70°C/158°F

Oil

To harden/thicken;

It’s a really useful additional wax, and it pairs well with beeswax in lots of recipes.

You won’t really have a choice; refined.

It’s a strong, glossy thickener and works well in small amounts.

It’s so glossy that salves and balms made with it don’t have great staying power since they tend to be quite slippery.

Carnauba wax works pretty well.

Use it to thicken and harden concoctions; learn about how strong it is with this experiment.

Stored somewhere cool, dark, and dry, candelilla wax should have an indefinite shelf life.

You can try using it instead of beeswax at about 80%, but the consistency differences will impact the feel of the final product.

100g (3.3oz)

Buy it from an online DIY ingredient supplier.