Summer means spending time outside with friends and family – but having to deal with mosquitoes and other bugs can make you want to stay indoors. If you absolutely cannot stand the smell of insect repellant, try using citronella candles to light your next outdoor gathering.
We put on our DIY gloves and made our own patriotic red-white-and-blue citronella candles in honor of the 4th of July. In less than an hour, we were able to make three candles for under $25! Want to learn how you can make effective citronella candles in time for your Independence Day celebration? We will teach you after the jump.
Necessary Supplies:
Soy Wax
- 1 small pot (for melting wax)
- Clean glass bottles (we found ours from Dollar Tree for $0.50 each!)
- Candle wicks
- Crayons
- Citronella essential oil
Optional supplies:
- 1 larger pot (to create a double boiler with the smaller pot)
- Hot Glue
Time Needed:
1-2 hours
Here we go!
Step 1
Place the candlewick in your glass bottles. You can hot glue the candlewick to the bottom of the glass to keep it straight.
Step 2
Pour the wax into the smaller pot and set it on a low setting on the stove to melt. Continue to stir until the wax has melted completely. Stay on the lookout – if your heat setting is too high you will burn the wax!
Double Boiler option:
If you are prone to getting distracted, creating a double boiler might be a better option for you. Pour water into your larger pot. You want enough water so that when you put the smaller pot in, it will cover the sides of the smaller pot. Set the water the boil as you pour wax into your smaller pot.
Step 3
Once the larger pot starts to boil, carefully place the smaller pot into the larger pot. Continue to stir until the wax has melted completely.
Step 4
Slowly stir a few drops of citronella essential oil into the melted wax. Don’t add too much as the oil tends to separate from the wax.
Step 5
To color your candles, break the crayons into pieces and melt them into your wax. Since we are going for a patriotic theme for Independence Day, we chose to melt blue and red crayons. The more pieces of crayon you add the deeper and more intense the color.
Step 6
Carefully pour the candle wax into your glass bottle. In order to keep the candlewick straight within the candle, we wrapped the excess candlewick around a crayon, but you can substitute anything that’s long enough to fit over the rim of the glass bottle.
Step 7
Allow the candles to cool over several hours. Cut the excess candlewick and enjoy hours of mosquito-free fun outdoors!
Know of any other great patriotic DIY crafts? Let us know in the comments below. If you are looking for more 4th of July inspiration.
