DIY Wax Crayons!

Children's toys have changed a lot over the years but one thing that is a staple is drawing and colouring in with crayons. But did you know that crayons, although safe, are typically made from paraffin wax - not ideal. With the long summer holidays just around the corner, prepare yourselves with 100% natural colouring crayons that are perfectly safe and non-toxic.

Are Wax Crayons safe?

If you have very young children who tend to put everything in their mouths, these crayons are fine as the ingredients used are food grade and safe. Just don't use beeswax if anyone is allergic to bees or bee products, and keep in mind that the oxides are not for ingesting so use one of the other suggested colour alternatives.

Types of Waxes To Use

You can use either beeswax, vegan plant waxes such as carnauba, soy or candelilla or a blend of waxes for your crayons. Have a look here for what options we have.

Cleaning up tips: wax can be a pain to clean so heat up the bowl or pot you used to melt it in, then wipe off the liquid wax with a paper towel. You can then clean with dish soap.

Colour Pigments

For colour pigment ideas refer to our DIY Natural Colourants guide or simply use the following:

• Blue:

German chamomile essential oil or powdered blue cornflowers.

• Yellow:

Turmeric powder or yellow oxide.

• Green:

Try kaolin green clay or African green clay.

• Brown:

Cacao powder or coffee.

• Orange:

Try mixing turmeric with red clay and titanium dioxide to make an orange.

• Pink:

Hibiscus powder or pink clay.

• Red:

Red clay or red oxide.

• Purple:

Mix the red or pink colours with titanium dioxide plus a blue pigment such as finely powdered blue cornflowers.

• Black:

Activated charcoal. You can also use black iron oxide if your kids are older and won't try to eat the crayons.

• White:

Titanium dioxide.

Try blending your colours with titanium dioxide powder to make them more opaque or pastel. If you are going for a very clean shade, you may prefer to use white beeswax over the yellow beeswax as the colours may come out brighter.

Making Wax Crayons

Crayon ingredients are very simple - just wax, delicious cocoa butter and pigment. Once you have chosen a type of wax to use, it's time to start melting. You can also add essential oils to give the crayons interesting scents, or try using different shaped molds from the traditional oblong crayons - the kids will love it!

Essential oils can contribute an aromatherapy element that can be calming for young children. Try lavender, orange, geranium, chamomile or other child-friendly oils for specific aromatherapy actions. Our Guide to Child Friendly Essential Oils is a good resource to start with.