The best citronella candle DIY for mosquito

 

Yeeey, Spring is here, and Summer is around the corner. It’s time to get outside and enjoy your backyard with your family.

While kids are running around and you enjoy some backyard games, all is good. Then you start grilling and sit down for a nice dinner. That’s when you realize the mosquitos are everywhere, and their mission is to get you. 

If you are like me and insist on staying in shorts and a tank top, you probably miserable too with the mosquito situation.

My first choice to repel mosquitoes is the spray. BUT who likes to put all of those chemicals on their skin every Summer afternoon?

The second mosquito repellent choice is a store-bought citronella candle. I like them, but since I try to use natural and eco-friendly products, I’m not sure they are a perfect choice for helping our environment.

So I decided to DIY some citronella candles and share the step by step tutorial with you.

 

Please note that this article contains affiliate links.  Please see my full disclosure at the bottom of the page.

 

What is Citronella?

Citronella is a tall grass-like plant grown in Asia with a crisp, fresh aroma. Citronella essential oil is a known powerful insect repellent and typical bug and mosquito repellent during outdoor activities.

When you buy a citronella candle in stores, their main ingredient is citronella oil.

The oil works by masking the human fragrances that attract mosquitos. That is why so many of us chose citronella for candle making.

 

Citronella candles with essential oils

Citronella candles are perfect for keeping the mosquitoes away. By using them, you can avoid chemicals (mosquito spray) on your skin.

Also, having candlelight at your outdoor dinner is just beautiful and relaxing.

Other essential oils you can mix in your candle is lemon, eucalyptus, and for ultimate relaxing the lavender.

 

Where to purchase Essential oils?

While I like Doterra oils for aromatherapy and internal use, I decided to purchase a little cheaper oil for candles. Healing Solutions essential oils are still organic and good quality, and they work great for candle making and other DIY projects.

For candles, you don’t want to buy citronella oil used for tiki torches.

It’s kind of hard to go to the stores for a good reason (who we don’t mention in 2020), but good quality essential oils can be found in your health food stores too.

 

Why are homemade citronella candles better?

 

Here is the thing… you don’t know what you get for your buck in the department stores.

Mass-produced citronella candles might not have the right percentage of essential oil. Some of them don’t even have natural citronella oil.

I still use the Repel 3 wicks citronella candle. They always do the job and keep the mosquitos away, and when they are gone, I repurpose them and using soy wax and beeswax to make a new candle.

On the other hand, homemade citronella candles contain the perfect mixture of wax and essential oils.

 

Citronella candle making instructions

 

Let’s get to it! Candle making is easy and only takes 15 minutes of your time. With a few organic supplies, you can enjoy these citronella candles every night in your yard.

 

Get the citronella candle ingredients.

I repurposed a Repel candle holder. Its size is 20 oz or 556 g.

Get creative with the candle holder. You can repurpose what you already have at home and decorate them with white markers and paints. I like to upcycle mason jars, shot glasses, tins, empty baby food jars, etc.

 

My citronella candle recipe and supplies

1. 5 cups of soy wax for a 20 oz candle holder. I used soy wax because I had a lot of leftovers. But you can use beeswax too.
2. 3 candle wicks. For a big candle 20 oz or bigger, I like to burn 3 wicks, so the candle melts evenly.
3. double boiler 
4. Your choice of a candle holder. Repurpose what you have at home.
5. 30 drops of citronella essential oil.

 

There are candle making kits too. I purchased a 10 lbs soy wax candle making kit because I wanted to make scented candles and other DIY projects also. 10 pounds of wax is a lot. So you might want to purchase a little smaller.

Anyhow the kit includes everything you need to make these cute citronella candles. With the leftover wax you can make scented candles with dried flowers too.

 

Follow the steps below to make your citronella candle

 1. Measure soy wax.

What worked for me: I usually double the amount of wax. So if your candle holder is 20 oz (2.5 cups), you will need 5 cups of soy wax.

YOu can see in the picture I had a little leftover from the Repel candle. This time I repurposed it and melted it with my soy wax. However, if you want to go all organic use only soy or beeswax.

2. Melt the wax in a double boiler.

It will take a couple of minutes until the soy wax is completely melted.

3. Prepare the wicks

I used 3 wicks and attached them with melted wax. To make my life easier, sometimes I use hot glue to attach the wicks to the bottom of the candle holders.

4. Add citronella essential oil

Once the wax is melted, let it cool a little bit and add the citronella oil.

5. Pour melted wax into the holders

When the wax starts to cool off, they tend to crack. To avoid cracking, you can warm up your holders before pouring the wax in. Or you can wrap the holders in a cloth to avoid quick temperature loss.

6. Let it cool overnight

Place the candles to a safe place where nobody can tip them over and give them at least 6 hours. Cut the wick, leave at least half an inch length.

 

If you like visual tutorials, I made a quick video about the double boiler candle making process.

How to use citronella candle outdoors?

 

Does citronella candle repel mosquitos? It’s not the ultimate solution to fight off bugs and mosquitos but certainly helps a lot.

Citronella candle effectiveness is at its best if you keep them close. A good recommendation is staying within a 3-foot radius of the candle to benefit from its bug repellent qualities.

I like to make 2-3 at the time. That way, when you use them in larger outdoor areas, you can place a few candles 18 inches apart to maximize effectiveness.

 

Are citronella candles safe for dogs?

Originally I wanted to plant some citronella plants around my garden. BUT! I read that the citronella plant is toxic to pets.

I have two spoiled dogs who like to hunt and smell everything, so I decided no poisonous plants in my outdoor areas.

I position the citronella candles in areas where my dogs can’t get. Like table tops and hard to reach corners.

Please use caution when using citronella products around your pets, and make sure they don’t have access to any citronella plants and candles in your outdoor areas.

 

Can you use a citronella candle indoors?

 

Use candles inside with caution. We live in a tropical climate, and I can leave the windows open all the time. So I provide continuous air circulation in my indoor areas.

Scented candles, citronella candles can lead to poor air quality if used indoors.

Using organic soy wax, beeswax, and good quality essential oils are a healthier option than the paraffin scented candles you can purchase in department stores.

I personally don’t use citronella candles indoors because of my two dogs. 

 

How to make citronella candle recap

1. Try to use all organic ingredients. I talk about the difference in my other candle making article. 
2. Use good quality essential oils. You can mix citronella, lemon, and eucalyptus oils to have an uplifting outdoor dinner.
3. The whole DIY project takes only 15 minutes. Let the candle cool off overnight.
4. When you are in large outdoor areas, place the citronella candles 18 inches apart to maximize effectiveness.
5. Stay around 3 feet radius.
6. Keep pets away from the citronella candles.

 

Lastly, have fun creating your organic, eco-friendly citronella candles. We use them daily, and it makes me feel good knowing that I don’t burn paraffin and releasing toxic fumes into the environment.

 

Do you want to check out my other organic wax DIYs?

• Scented candles with soy wax and dried flowers
• Beeswax candles DIY
• Soy wax food wrap tutorial
• Reusable beeswax wraps DIY
• Organic beeswax furniture polish DIY

 

Let me know in the comments your favorite tips for candle making.

Don’t forget to PIN it so you can come back for the instructions anytime. Happy DIY-ing, my friends.