Homemade citrus candles in orange and mandarin peel

 

Do you need a last-minute cute decoration for your party or Christmas dinner?

Look in your fruit basket and pick any citrus fruit you have at home to make a natural scented candle using their rinds as a holder.

You can grab a lime, lemon, orange, or grapefruit for this easy and super quick candle DIY project, and enjoy the wonderful smell feeling up the room.

Using natural and organic elements to make your own citrus candle is good for your health, and you are helping the environment too.

 

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Citrus candle DIY supply list

 

Citrus candle DIY step by step instructions

All right!

Gather all the materials you need, and let’s make some wonderful natural candles on a dime.

I used 2 mandarins for this project, but I make some citrus candles from different fruits around Christmas time every year.

Because the orange and grapefruit have a thicker peel, it is easier to avoid breaking them when removing the fruits from the rinds.

 

Do you need a little visual help? Check out my quick video and see how easy this DIY project is.

1. Cut the fruit

Cut the orange or mandarin in half.

I like to cut it slightly above the half because it gives a nice looking candle holder shape.

 

2. Peel away the rind from the fruit

Carefully separate the fruit from the peel.

• I like to use a small thin teaspoon and work around the edges.
• Once the edge is separated, I push the spoon a little deeper into the fruit and work my way next to the peel.

 

In the end, don’t push the spoon too hard against the peel, especially if you chose mandarin.

You can easily break the peel. You don’t want that since you’ll pour hot wax in it later.

 

3. Melt the wax

I used a wax pouring pot in a saucepan because I wanted to dedicate one pot for the candles. Knowing after candle making, I won’t be able to use that pan for cooking anymore.

Anyway, you can either do this with a bowl in a saucepan of shallow water or choose a pan that you don’t mind dedicating to only candle making.

• Measure the beeswax into the pouring pot. 
• Heat the water in a saucepan.
• Place the pouring pot with the wax in the water and stir the wax until it is completely melted.

 

4. Add essential oils

 

I love to use essential oils in my candles. I want to keep it as natural as possible, and fragrance oils are not really organic, are they?

Citrus scents smell fruity and clean with a bit of sour note. I added 10 drops of wild orange and 10 drops of grapefruit essential oil to this candle recipe.

When making your candles, you’ll want to add your oil after you’ve melted the wax. I heard and followed the tip, which says not to melt the wax over 185F once it contains oils.

Why? Because if the heat is too high, you’ll burn off the fragrance, and it won’t be scented anymore. 

 

5. Place the wicks in the citrus rinds

Dip the bottom of the wick into the melted wax and place it in the citrus rind vertically.

Hold it there for a couple of seconds until the melted wax cools off and will hold the wick in place.

Use the wick holder or a pencil to keep the wicks in place.

 

6. Pour soy wax in the citrus peels

 

• Pour the melted wax into the citrus peel
• Make sure the wax doesn’t go over the edges.
• Place the citrus candles in a place where nobody will touch them for a while.

Sometimes candles cracks while they are cooling. To avoid this problem, wrap the peels in a cloth.

This will help to slow down the cooling process and balancing out the temperature difference.

Sprinkle grounded cinnamon and cloves on the top for extra Christmas scent.

 

7. Let it cool

Allow the wax to cool down at least for half an hour.

Wax gets lighter and opaque in the cooling process, which gives you a good sense of when they are solidified and ready to be used.

 

Citrus candle DIY experience

Making candles from oranges, mandarins, and grapefruit peels have been a Christmas tradition in my house.

It is truly a quick and easy DIY, and the cost is close to nothing.

You can bring the fresh citrus smell in the house by adding essential oils in the wax and sprinkle a little cinnamon and clove on the top of the candles. It will set the perfect mood for your Christmas dinner.

Depends on the size of the rinds, these candles can last up to 8 hours.

Over the days, the rinds will dry out, but the candles still work. To keep them fresh a little longer, you can place the citrus candles in a zip-lock bag and save them in the fridge between uses.

Use these beautiful candles as your center table decoration or on a coffee table or for a patio gathering.

 

I hope you got inspired and will make a couple of citrus candles this holiday season.

 

Check out my other natural wax DIY projects:

1. How to make beeswax ornaments
2. Scented soy wax candles with dried flowers
3. Citronella candle DIY
4. Natural beeswax furniture polish
5. Reusable beeswax food wraps DIY.

 

Don’t forget to PIN it and come back for the step by step instructions anytime.