Many of you have requested I post more vegan DIYs. For a while I just couldn’t quite figure out how to do that in products like lip balms, healing salves and vapor rubs. Basically anything that is a salve requires beeswax and beeswax is a product that comes from an animal. Beeswax is so wonderful to work with and gives balms the perfect texture while providing nourishment to the skin that I was hesitant to try anything else. I did some research and stumbled upon Candelilla wax. I decided to give it a try in hopes each of my salve/balm recipes could be easily converted to a 100% plant based product.
Candelilla is an all-natural vegetable wax that comes from the leaves of the wild Candelilla plant found in Mexico and the south west region of the US. It works in the same manner beeswax does and is great for thickening oils while adding protection and nourishment to the skin. It is extremely similar to beeswax and can be substituted for beeswax in most recipes. I do find that it takes a couple of days to completely harden and the final product is as creamy and smooth as beeswax but the difference is barely noticeable. You can replace beeswax with candelilla wax by keeping very similar proportions. 1 TBSP. of beeswax will give a softer balm then 1 TBSP. of Candelilla but the difference is not obvious.
I do believe that if you used a 1 to 1 proportion of oil to candelilla wax, you would have a balm that would be pointless due to the nature of the wax. When using candelilla wax, you will want your proportions to be 1 TBSP. of oil to about 1 tsp. of wax which is the same proportions I use to make a hard, yet pliable balm with beeswax. I read quite a few reviews from other DIYers substituting candelilla wax and the results really vary. It could be due to different methods but most likely it’s because of different brands. I found THIS candelilla wax to be very similar to beeswax and easy to work with.
One exciting difference I found when comparing candelilla wax to beeswax is that candelilla wax seems to penetrate the skin much faster then beeswax. This is great news for those of us who get tired of waiting for a salve/balm to disappear into the skin!
If you are vegan but thought making salves and balms just wouldn’t work for you, think again! Now vapor rub, healing salve, allergy balm, mint chocolate lip balm and kitten balm are all vegan with just a quick and easy ingredient switch!
Find candelilla wax HERE.
Stay tuned for my recipe for Vegan Lip Gloss with Beet Root Powder!
xx, Jenni
So funny…I’m testing out a new natural deodorant for the blog and noticed that candelilla wax was one of the ingredients. I knew it was a plant wax but knew nothing else about it. I’m not vegan and have no problem with beeswax, but it’s great to know that an option like this exists!
Candelilla is an endangered plant. How does this make it better than beeswax even though it’s vegan?
Samantha-I didn’t know that! It’s not better-I much prefer beeswax. I just wanted to provide an alternative for vegans. Thanks for sharing!
Why is it endangered? There is so much of it in our Southwest.
Claudio-I have no idea!!
The plant was listed as endangered in Nov. 2023. Bees were placed on the endangered list in Oct. 2016.