This weekend’s Backyard Skills class put the spotlight on one of The Ecology Center’s all-time favorite homemade gifts: beeswax candles.

The wax in most store-bought candles is a petroleum-based substance called paraffin that can release harmful substances such as acetone, benzene and lead into the air as it burns. These compounds can affect your indoor air quality and aggravate health conditions such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and other respiratory illnesses. Some of the substances have proven to be carcinogenic.

Beeswax is a natural alternative, burns longer than paraffin and has been recognized by the National Candle Association as a cleaner-burning candle material.

Set aside an afternoon to follow the steps below and you’ll produce several sets of beautiful beeswax tapers—a warm, healthy and environmentally conscious gift for family and friends. Let’s get started:

Tools and Materials:

• 2-gallon cooking pot
• an 8 to 16-inch-tall metal candle-dipping pail
• 1 gallon of water to start, plus enough to keep the level steady throughout the process
• Wooden dowel or hanging rack
• Newspaper
• Pack of candle wicks
• A few pounds of beeswax

A few notes about tools and materials: The candle-dipping pail and wicks are readily available at craft stores. Beeswax can be purchased at natural-food stores and from online retailers. If you ask around at your local farmer’s market, you may get a great lead as well. The amount of beeswax you’ll need to buy will depend on the size of candle you make and how many sets you want to make. For instance, if you want to make one set of 8-ounce tapers, you’ll need at least 16 ounces of wax.

Directions:

Place chunks of beeswax into your tall metal dipping pail, set aside.

Prepare a hot water bath by filling your cooking pot half full with water. Bring to a boil, then set the pail of beeswax inside. The wax will take awhile to start to melt, so be patient.

Prop or wedge a sturdy wooden dowel between a doorway or set up a hanging rack nearby. In either case, be sure to cover the floor below with newspaper to catch drips.

Cut a piece of wick two times the length of your desired candle length, plus a few inches.

Using two fingers, pick the wick up by the center and dip both ends into the melted wax. Keep the ends from touching or they’ll definitely stick together. Repeat three times, increasing the “coat” on the wick each time. Move quickly, but allow the forming candle to drip and cool a bit between dips.

Carefully drape the pair over the dowel or hanging rack. Allow to cool.

Once a pair is cool enough for another dip, return it to the pail for another coating. The wicks will want to curl and bend; straighten them out by hand if you see this happening. Continue the dipping and cooling pattern until the candle set has reached the desired sized. If your arms get tired, rest a bit by carefully draping the candle over the dowel. You can also work on multiple pairs at once by letting sets cool on the dowel while dipping others.

While candles are hanging to cool, trim the drips that begin to form at the bottom of the candle. Let cool completely, tie ribbon around a pair and give, give, give!

Process note: Don’t forget to add more beeswax chunks to your dipping container. Maintaining the level of wax in the container will ensure you produce candles of consistent width from top to bottom.

Check out our weekly column at San Juan Capistrano Patch for this article and other green and sustainable living tips!