Being outdoors is so amazing! I love relaxing outside with my family during nice weather. However, I absolutely HATE being bugged by mosquitos (pun intended). So, to help my family enjoy the time we get to be outdoors I decided to make some bug be gone candles also known as DIY citronella candles!
So, are you having problems with the bugs as your try to unwind outside? Then you are in the right place! This project is SO easy to do and took me under 30 minutes to make the candles! So, in no time at all you too can be comfortable while relaxing outside.
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What You Need!
- Candle Making Wax ~ I used soy wax
- Prewaxed Candle Wicks
- Glass Jar ~ I used a glass jar but you can also use tin cans
- Hot Glue Gun
- Glue Sticks
- Citronella Essential Oil ~ I used Young Living
- Free Printable Citronella Candle Project Checklist ~ Head on down to the bottom of the page, fill out the form, and instantly receive an email with your download!
What To Do!
To begin the DIY citronella candles you need to gather your supplies. Make sure to download the Citronella Candle Project Checklist that already has all of the supplies you need listed! Next, take one of the prewaxed candle wicks and put a little hot glue on the bottom.
Then place the wick in the center of the glass jar. You could also use tape to hold the wick in place.
Next, decide how much candle making wax you need to melt. This can be a little tricky. I thought I would be clever and add the dry wax into my jar and then double that amount to get the amount of wax I needed to melt. However, this didn’t work out quite like I expected. A cup of dry wax filled my little glass jar. So, naturally I melted two cups of wax but it turns out that I actually needed 4 cups! So if in doubt, melt more than you think you need. To melt the wax you just need to use a double boiler or a pie dish on top of pan of water (which is what I did).
Melt the wax until it’s completely a liquid. Next, mix in your citronella essential oil into the wax. I used 4 drops of the citronella oil for each cup of wax that I melted. So, each of my candles have 16 drops of the citronella oil. After you add the oil to the wax, carefully pour the hot wax into your containers (be careful!). Then set your candles in a dry place where they can cool. It’s helpful if you use a wooden dowel or chopstick to hold the wicks more or less in the middle of the candle.
Then let your candles cool for 48 hours. Next, cut your wicks down so you can use your candles!
Then all that is left to do is use your new bug be gone candle!
These candles are so easy to make but help the bug situation so much! Now, me and my family can enjoy being outside without being ate up (thank goodness)!
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