Beeswax candles have always been viewed as superior in spiritual and religious practices. Beeswax candles were traditionally used because of their natural sweet scent (which is undoubtedly one of the nicest parts of burning beeswax candles) and the belief that they emitted positive energy, which was thought to purify the air and create a more sacred environment.The warm flame produced by a beeswax candle symbolises the light of God/ spirit and is superior in colour and "glow" than any other candle.
But with all of the different types of beeswax candles available, which one is best? There are 2 main types of beeswax candles available on the market- Rolled and poured.
Rolled beeswax candles are made from rolling sheets of beeswax around a central wick. These candles are rustic looking and the beeswax sheets usually have the honeycomb pattern on the outside. They are also often available as kits to make your own candles.
Poured candles are candles that have been made by placing a central wick in a mould and pouring melted beeswax into the mould. Dipped candles are produced by dipping a wick into melted beeswax in intervals until the desired size is produced.
You may be wondering if one of these types of candles is better than the other & the answer is- it depends ( I know, not a great answer but hear me out). There are, as always, pros and cons of each type of candle. Personally I like both but usually buy the dipped & poured candles for the reasons I will outline below, but you make up your own mind as to which style of beeswax candle is better for your situation, because at the end of the day, you are the one who is going to be using the candle, not me.
So, which is better? There are a few different categories you can use use to determine which candle to use. These categories are: Aesthetics, Bang For Your Buck, Uniformity, Usage & Variety.
Aesthetics
This one really depends on your personal taste. If you like the look of church candles, glowing warmly in candelabras, then the poured/dipped beeswax candles are the way to go. They are smooth and have a beautiful taper, unlike the rolled beeswax candles that
are rough with a flat top.
If you are after a rustic aesthetic & you like the honeycomb pattern on rolled beeswax candles, then they may be the better choice. They usually have a flat top and look rougher and are not as symmetrical as the poured/dipped beeswax candles.
Bang for your buck
When it comes to candles, beeswax candles are notoriously expensive, and so they should be. When you consider that they are natural product rather than a petroleum derived product & that the bees themselves have been hard at work making the wax for you, it makes sense that they would be more pricey.
They are also cleaner burning and longer lasting than their paraffin counterparts. Due to this, may people think that all beeswax candles of the same size would burn at the same rate. This is not usually the case.
When broken down in a cost analysis, based on the average cost per hour of burn time, the cost of the dipped and poured candles is usually cheaper than the cost of a rolled candle. Take for instance this dinner candle from our Beeswax collection ($6.99/candle) which has a burn time of up to 10 hours vs a rolled beeswax candle of the same dimensions which says that it has a 6 hr burn time. The rolled candle costs $20 for 4 candles ($5/candle) (I won't give the link for this one, as I am not trying to stop people buying their products, just showing one of the things I consider when purchasing expensive beeswax candles). For the dipped candle at $6.99 per candle, burning for 10 hours, our dinner candle has a burn cost of $0.7 /hour ($6.99/10hrs). The rolled dinner candle has a burn cost per hour of $0.83 ($5/6hrs). It may not be a great difference but as the candles get larger and more costly, the burn times can differ greatly for the same size candle (probably due to the density of the candle - rolled candles naturally have more air due to the gaps in the layers, therefore less wax).
Uniformity
Although individualism is revered (or should be) amongst people, we don't always want candles to be different. Poured/dipped candles are more uniform in size and are made to fit standard sizes candle holders. Rolled candles are not always uniform in diameter and therefore cannot always be used in your favourite candle holders. Whilst there are things that you can do to make them fit, sometime you just want something that will be easy to use, and dipped/poured candles fit the bill.
Usage
When deciding on the type of beeswax candle that is better for your use, you may want to look at what your intentions are for the candle. Is it meant to look pretty in your country style kitchen? If so, the rolled candle could be ideal. Are you going to use it in a ceremony and carve things into it? If you are carving into it, the smooth surface of the dipped/poured candle would be better. Do you need a tealight candle? I personally have only ever seen poured beeswax tealight candles (not saying that rolled ones don't exist though). As with all spiritual/magical practices, intention is the most important factor in your decision making process.
Variety of shapes/ sizes
Poured candles come in a wide variety of sizes and these days, shapes.
From tealights to tapers and pillars, you can find a beeswax candle to suit your needs. Want a beeswax candle in the shape of a hive or a round ball? These are also available. Beeswax sheets cannot do this.
At the end of the day, you are the only person who knows what you will be doing with your candle. Don't let the honeycomb pattern fool you into thinking that rolled candles are somehow more natural/superior than the poured candle. If the beeswax is pure, in either form, both candles are as good as each other. Weigh up the pros and cons of each and make the decision based upon your intentions.
Let us know in the comments section which type of beeswax candle you prefer.
If you are interested in Beeswax candles, check out our other posts on Beeswax Candles including:
The Pros & Cons Of Beeswax Candles
Beeswax Candles 101: Does Colour Indicate Purity? How To Spot A Fake Beeswax Candle
Why Does The Catholic Church Use Beeswax Candles
If you are looking for Beeswax Chanukah, Pillar, Prayer, Taper, or Tealight Candles, check out our collection from RawLight Candles here.