Why make your own Beeswax Food Wraps with pine resin?
I’ve been reducing my family’s dependence on plastic for several months now. Plastic baggies and plastic wraps were the first things to go.
So what do you use if you can’t use plastic wrap or plastic baggies? Here is a great alternative that will cover your food to keep it fresh: Beeswax wraps with pine resin and jojoba oil.
A few months ago, I decided to make beeswax wraps myself, using only cotton and beeswax. I liked them well enough until I tried a new formula because I since I’ve learned a few more things about beeswax wraps.!
Since making my original recipe, I’ve read that commercial beeswax food wraps contain pine resin and jojoba oil.
I decided to re-try making my own with this new formula since the commercial kind is quite pricey.
Table of Contents
Do You Need Pine Resin to Make Beeswax Wraps?
What’s the difference between the beeswax-only wraps and the commercial formula? The food wraps with pine resin and jojoba oil is more pliable and self-adhering.
The jojoba oil softens the wax and prevents creasing. The pine resin, a sticky substance in itself, helps the wraps cling better. As a bonus, pine resin is also anti-microbial.
I’ve played with the formula and I’ve noticed that the jojoba oil plays a more important role than I originally thought. My wraps were more successful when I added equal parts of pine resin and jojoba oil.
The process is quite messy, so make sure you protect your surfaces with newspaper and your cookie sheets with parchment.
And if the pine resin doesn’t melt?
Pine resin is more likely to melt if you mix the jojoba oil first, then once that’s melted, you can add the wax. I’ve read (but not tried) that pine resin will dissolve in alcohol, so you can try dissolving in Vodka first, then once the alcohol has evaporated, you can add the wax.
Materials Needed
I was inspired by several websites like this one to make my wraps however, I tweaked the formula so that the wraps would work for me. Here’s a list of things you’ll need to make beeswax food wraps:
- pinking shears
- silicon sauce brush
- cotton squares (I make mine in various sizes, 12 x12 in, 10 x 10 in, 8 x 8 in)
- cookie sheet
- saucepan
- beeswax bars
- jojoba oil
- pine resin
- drying rack
- newspaper
- parchment paper
Where Can I Buy Pine Resin Near Me?
I haven’t been able to find a source for pine resin here in Niagara. However, if you are in Ontario, you can order it online from a place in Kingston called The Natural Neighbour. If you feel adventurous, you can always learn to collect your own pine resin from pine trees.
Using and Caring For Your Beeswax Food Wraps With Pine Resin
You can use the beeswax wraps to store foods such as fruit, vegetables, cheese, or lunch meats in sandwiches, however, avoid using them with raw meat.
If you want your beeswax wraps to last a few months, you’ll need to wash them carefully. To wash, simply rinse in cold water (beeswax melts) and use mild soap only when needed.
The wax will eventually fade and become less self-adhesive. You might need to rewax them. To re-wax them, sometimes I just place the wraps on a cookie sheet and sprinkle a bit of shaved beeswax or beeswax pellets. I pop it in the oven at 300 degrees for a few minutes.
Sometimes, I give my warps a quick refresh. I stack all my wraps on a cookie sheet lined with parchment. I preheat the oven to 300 degrees, and pop the stack in the oven, keeping a close eye. The wax melts and redistributes throughout your wraps as it melts. You can rotate your cotton squares if the top ones aren’t getting good coverage.
Simply separate them while the wax is still melted and allow them to dry separately before re-using.
Steal My Recipe of Food Wraps with Pine Resin
Here is how I made them:
DIY Beeswax Food Wraps with Resin and Jojoba Oil
Equipment
- pinking shears
- silicon sauce brush
- cotton
- cookie sheet
- saucepan
- beeswax bars
- jojoba oil
- pine resin
- drying rack
- newspaper
- parchment paper
Materials
- 4 1 oz Beeswax bars
- 12 cotton squares Organic cotton is better
- 4 tbls pine resin I used a finely powdered resin
- 4 tbls jojoba oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.Cut your cotton into squares using pinking shears. I used various sizes: 7 x 7 inches, 9 x 9 inches and 12 x 12 inches squares.If you are messy like me, you might want to scatter the floor and counters with newspapers to prevent dripping wax all over.In an old pot or saucepan, melt the the pine resin and jojoba oil and stir. Once that's melted you can add the beeswax. My pine resin came in powder form and mixed well. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper to prevent a mess. Arrange a couple of cotton squares on the cookie sheet. Using a silicone brush, brush on the beeswax mixture to cover the entire square. Place in the oven for a few minutes for the wax to distribute evenly. Once out of the oven, hang the cotton squares to dry. They dry in a few minutes and you are ready to use it!Care instructions: To care for your beeswax food wax, wash in cold water with mild soap.
I hope you enjoyed making your Food Wraps with Pine Resin. Let me know how they turned out in the comments below.
Do you enjoy waste-free, eco-friendly DIY projects? If so, you might also enjoy the following posts:
https://www.greensliceoflife.com/diy-lip-balm-and-scrub-for-winter-chapped-lips/
https://www.greensliceoflife.com/diy-eco-friendly-cleaners-free-printable-recipe-book/
This is awesome! I love diy-ing so I would definitely try..
Thank you for sharing your experience 🙂
Very cool! Thanks for sharing the revised recipe 🙂
Thank you for this recipe! I still haven’t tried beeswax, but I like having another option to make reusable wraps with!
Do I understand your instruction correctly? I mix pine rosin powder and jojoba oil, then heat it up and it melts and blends together?