The Easiest DIY Beeswax Wraps without Resin

Do you want to make diy beeswax wraps without resin? I don’t know about you, but I don’t have pine resin lying around. And I try not to buy too many new things, especially clothes or fabrics anymore. So I set out to make the simplest, fastest, cheapest, easiest diy beeswax wraps without resin that I could, for all of us wondering if pine resin is really essential. (Spoiler alert- it isn’t!)

Also, a warning- when I say cheapest, I mean I didn’t buy pretty fabrics, sew and make gorgeous gift-worthy wraps. Nope. These are sleeves of t-shirts and college sports fabric. But they are repurposed, inexpensive and functional! I say it’s a win.

Below, I have some lessons learned, the process, and tips if you want to improve from the easiest, cheapest, simplest, fastest process and add some unessential, but likely rewarding, steps.

Happy beeswax wrapping!

lessons learned

1. Go light on the beeswax. I did a perfect job on my first few, and then added too much on the next. It’s soaked through the cloth, and ended up on the other side. Let’s just say I had quite the mess to clean up. Go light, and add more if you find it isn’t spreading well. This also can be impacted by the fabric you use. The lighter and more breathable, the more wax get through to the other side.

2. If using yellow beeswax, keep in mind it does discolor. Yes, I know, that sounds like common sense. But think about that when you select your fabrics. I used white, and was really worried about it, but since I am the only one using them, I didn’t care too much. It actually turned out to be a neat little pattern, although I wouldn’t gift it.

3. Save yourself some beeswax! I realized I didn’t need to bring the beeswax all the way to the edges of the wraps. You certainly can, but if you want to go light on beeswax, you can avoid the edges. The reason I say this is that you may find yourself using a rubber band or tying or a bread tie in some instances because without resin, the wraps don’t stick quite as well to themselves.

4. This totally works. I did a low down and dirty, super simple process to get these beeswax wraps. It cost me a total of $15 for the beeswax. And I only used half of it for several sheets. Although the beeswax isn’t super sticky to itself, it will do the job. You’ll be able to wrap fruits, vegetables, cheeses, and cover any dishes that you need, and only in a few instances will you need another tool such as a rubber band or twine. I wrapped the remainder of the beeswax in my newly made beeswax wrap. How fun!

So, without rambling further, let me introduce you to the easiest, simplest, fastest, cheapest way to make beeswax wraps.

you will need:

Beeswax

Cut cloth (I literally used cut up t-shirts and leftover fabric)

Oven

Pans

Oven pan racks

process for diy beeswax wraps without resin

My goal was to use up some leftover fabric from making a t-shirt quilt. But I wanted beeswax wraps specifically because I lost mine somewhere along the way. I needed a few new ones, and thought the fabric scraps would be perfect for that purpose.

So these are not cute. They are plain fabric. But, they do the trick. And it’s super easy.

1. Select your fabric
2. Wash and dry the fabric
3. In the meantime, shred your beeswax block. Or, if you’re lucky, you may have beeswax pellets, so you can skip this step.
4. Turn your oven on to 200 or 215.
5. Once dried, cut the fabric to the size you want. (if you are being precise with cutting, you may consider ironing here. If you are like me, however, and just want to make a few quickly, you can skip this step. Also, you may consider sewing the edges so there are not loose strings. But, of course, trying to make the most efficient beeswax wraps as possible, I neglected this step as well. Since we aren’t washing these in a washing machine, I assume that the edges should not fray as much.
6. Spread the fabric on a rack over a pan. I used racks in the pans so the beeswax didn’t adhere to the bottom of the hot pan and elevated the cloth a bit.
7. Sprinkle your shredded beeswax around the fabric. As mentioned earlier, I recommend going light at first. You can always add more. So go light, and get a feel for how much beeswax should go on each cloth.
8. Place the cloth in the oven for 4 to 8 minutes. And just keep checking to see when the beeswax is thoroughly melted.
9. Once it is melted, remove the pans from the oven. Let them sit for a minute before taking the wraps off. Don’t let them cool entirely on there.
10. Remove the wraps and let them cool for a couple of minutes. Some people recommend hanging them but, I just moved them to another pan with an elevated rack. Easy stuff, people!

There you have it. The easiest beeswax wraps ever. Now go wrap something!

additional steps

If you are looking for a quick, easy diy beeswax wraps without resin, then this is perfect. This process is for fast, quick, rugged beeswax wraps. But you can consider a few additional steps and ingredients to make them prettier, gift-able, and better functioning.

1. Yes, add the resin. It is supposed to help it stick against itself. These stick a little, but not as well as ones with resin. The resin will be a lot stickier, resembling cling wrap more closely.
2. Add jojoba oil for pliability (they get a little stiff). I heard that coconut oil or olive oil can go rancid, so jojoba is best.
3. Get pretty fabrics. I prioritize reducing and reusing, so I don’t like to buy new fabrics. But I have been gifted some. I didn’t use them for this, though! When you do select fabrics specifically for this, keep in mind that the color may run, or even change with the addition of the wax. (Definitely wash your fabrics first). And if you want to sustainably purchase fabrics check out places that sell fabric scraps or rescued fabric, like The Sewist Society.
4. Sew the edges for reduced fraying and neatness
5. iron the fabric before cutting.

I hope you enjoy whipping out some plastic cling wrap replacing beeswax wraps!