Another day, another craft to inspire you to get creative. This week’s craft is candle making with how to make your own DIY citronella candles.

Candle making has been around for many many years and has developed over time to allow you to make at home. Candles can be used as decor pieces, to fragrance a room, and even to deter insects and bugs. This is where this week’s DIY citronella candles come in. You can use them as garden decor, as well as warding off those pesky critters that want to have a nibble on your skin.

I have previously had a go at making my own bug repellent bar as a means of keeping the bugs at bay, and now I have moved onto creating a candle to do the same.
Do you ever use those small citronella candles abroad? I know I love to buy these in when on holiday, lighting them whilst I get ready for the night on the balcony. Well, I wanted to bring a bit of that feeling back home since we are not really travelling anywhere warm and sunny this year.

Citronella Essential Oil:

Citronella is probably one of the essential oils that you have heard of to repel insects, acting as a natural repellent. This is one of the main reasons I am adding this into the candle so that we can enjoy nice summer evenings outside without getting bitten. Some may differ in the opinion of its effectiveness for use of an insect repellent, however, citronella does have other qualities to it too.
It can be said that citronella also has antiseptic properties, and when diffused or burnt in a candle can uplift your mood and clear your mind. So not, only can you ward off those pesky critters, you can also boost your mood and purify the air with it.

DIY Citronella Candles

So, to make the candles, you are going to need a container to place them into. I have opted to do a bit of recycling, and use up a few old jam jars that we had. I absolutely love Rose’s Marmalade both for the marmalade, and the pretty jars they come in. So, instead of sending them into glass recycling, I thought they would make lovely containers for these DIY citronella candles. Don’t worry if you don’t have a jar like this, you could use any glass jar that you have. You just need to make sure that the glass is quite thick and can withstand the heat of the candle.

Before making these, please do your own research as well and maintain your safety throughout. I am not an expert or professional in candle making, and therefore this project must be completed at your own risk. I do not take responsibility for any harm or injury that may occur. Always follow the instructions of the products and items that you are using. Be safe but have fun also!

Be sure to check the video at the end of this post too, if you prefer to follow along to video.

What you need:

To make the DIY citronella candles, you will need the following items. Measurements may differ dependent on the size and shape of your containers, but I will show you how to work this out to suit whatever you are using.

**Some items of this list are affiliate links, which means I will earn a small amount of commission should you make a purchase through this link. This is at no extra cost to you but really helps me out in keeping Aimsy’s Antics going. Any links will be marked with an asterisk (*) **

• Soy wax* – my jars required 560g worth
• Citronella essential oil – My candles required 56g worth – I bought this from a candle making supplies shop. This is not an affiliate link, but a great website to buy candle making fragrances and equipment.
• Pre-waxed wicks
• Glue dots to secure wicks*
• Wick stabiliser
• Wax melting pot
• Thermometer

You can purchase candle making kits*, with a lot of these items needed included.

Step 1 – Calculate measurements:

Before making DIY citronella candles, you are going to need to complete a little math to get the correct measurements of the items needs.
To work out how much wax you will need for the jam jar, first fill the jar with water. Then, pour this water into a measuring jug and measure how much in millilitres. Once you have the measurement, work out what 20% of this is and subtract it from the total millilitres. This should then give you the amount of wax needed in grams.

To work out how much fragrance oil is needed, you need to take the total weight of the wax and work out what 10% of this would be. This will then give you the total amount in grams of the fragrance oil.

So, my two jars totalled 700ml. I subtracted 20% of this, which left me with 560g of wax needed. 10% of this total is 56g, which is how much fragrance oil is required.

Total in ml – 20% = total of wax needed
10% of the total amount = amount of fragrance needed in grams.

Step 2 – melt wax:

When you have got your measurements of the amount of wax and fragrance you need, it is time to start making the candles. Using the melting pot, place this into a pan with a small amount of water in. This will act as a bain-marie to help melt the wax down. Meltdown the wax.
Your container/packaging of soy wax should inform you of what the melting point, what temperature to add in fragrance, and what the pouring point is.

Leave this to fully meltdown, but make sure it is not left unattended. You should never leave something like wax unattended whilst it is melting, as it is flammable. You can work on other parts of the project within the near vicinity of the wax, checking on it every few minutes.

Step 3 – Prepare Jam jars/ Container:

Whilst the wax is melting, it is time to prepare the jam jars. Make sure that these have been fully washed and cleaned before using as a candle. You also want to make sure that the jar is completely dry, as adding water and wax is a dangerous mix. You definitely don’t want any nasty explosions from the wax and water mixing.

Then take your pre-waxed wick and place a sticky dot on the bottom of this. Line this up with the bottom of the jar, placing it in the middle. You want to make sure the wick is as central as possible to achieve an even burn. If you don’t have sticky dots, you can also use a bit of hot glue from a glue gun, or dip the end of the wick into the melting wax. These should both act as some form of adhesive to keep the wick secure in place.

Then use a stabiliser to keep the wick in place in the middle of the jar. Again, if you don’t have one of these, don’t worry. You can use everyday items like pens and pegs to keep the wick straight. Chopsticks or skewers are also perfect for support the wick upright too.

Step 4 – Add in Citronella:

Once the wax has fully melted and is at a decent temperature, you want to remove it from the heat. Use your thermometer to test how hot the wax is. When the wax cools to around 75°C, it is time to add in the citronella essential oil. I have found that this is the best temperature to add in any fragrance. Again your wax packet or essential oil (if bought from a candle making shop) should provide you with guides to melting and adding in the fragrance. You want to be able to achieve a good hot and cold throw with the fragrance. This means being able to smell the fragrance when the candle is being burnt and when it is not.

Add in the measured out amount. I like to measure any of the essential oils or fragrance into a plastic cup rather than straight from the bottle. This way, if you pour too much you can place it back into the bottle of oil.
Stir in the essential oil for a few minutes to make sure that it has fully incorporated with the melted wax. I used a paper straw to do this, but you could use a spoon or even wooden craft sticks.

Step 5 – Pour candles

Once the fragrance is fully combined, it is time to allow the wax to cool further before pouring. Again, your wax packaging will identify what temperature range you should pour the wax out. I have found that pouring at 60°C has been beneficial to getting good candles, however, some say pour at a higher temp, and others say at a lower temp.

Allow these to cool and set.

Step 6 – Decorate the jars (optional):

Now, this step is optional, and if you have the lovely jars I mentioned earlier in the post, then you probably won’t need to add anything else. As it happens, I also made a candle in an old sauce jar, which had a plain glass. Use hot-glue from a glue gun to stick on any gems or sequins to jazz up the glass jar. I like how this looks and gives an added effect to the candle. Don’t worry, the hot glue won’t interact with the wax remaining set. The glue begins to cool and harden instantly with placed onto the glass surface. You could also decoupage some pretty paper or design onto the glass as well.
Just be careful when using or leaving outside. British weather may take a chance at ruining your candle. Keep the jar lid, and place this onto the candle when not in use.

Step 7 – Trim the wick:

Before lighting the candle, or giving away as gifts, you need to trim the wick. Ideally, this should only be a cm long, or I have read 1/8 inch long. I don’t really work in inches as I find it confusing and it wasn’t something that I learnt in school, so I am hoping this translates fairly well. Just remember you need to keep the wick shortish, and trim between each lighting of the DIY citronella candle. This should help keep the candle to burn more evenly.

Then your DIY citronella candle is ready to burn and ward off those insects!

What do you use as an insect repellent when out and about? Have you made candles like this before? Let me know in the comments below!

DIY Citronella Candles – Tips:

When you first burn your newly made candle, it is important to allow it to burn for a while. Allow the wax to melt across the whole width of the candle container before extinguishing. Apparently, candles have a burn memory and will continue to melt the wax how it was on the first burn. This is can cause tunnelling and will reduce the burning time for the candle, and much of the candle will be wasted.
There are different size wicks to be used, so it may also be beneficial to research which wick is appropriate for the diameter of your jar. Candle supply shops will be a great start at offering this advice. Having the right thickness in wick will also reduce the chance of tunnelling because it will be powerful enough to melt the top layer of the wax for an even burn.

If you find that the candle is tunnelling, I have heard that putting tin foil around the edges of the candle, helps melt the wax across the candle.
Always carry out a burn test if planning on giving away to others, and apply some safety labels. You don’t want your loved one’s candles causing any damage!

Also, if you find that you have sinkholes in the top of your candle, or the top has set uneven, you can re-melt this wax. Use a crafter’s heat gun to gently melt the top layer. This should help fill in any of those sinkholes, and make the top surface smooth. Do not use a hairdryer! I learnt the hard way with this one, it will splatter the wax everywhere because it is too powerful a blast.

If you get the bug for making candles, why not check out DIY Christmas Candles and Teacup Candles?

DIY Citronella Candles Video:

Here is the video version for this post for you to checkout. Don’t forget to like and subscribe to my channel if you have enjoyed it!

DIY Citronella Candles Pin it:

If you have enjoyed this post, why not share the love by pinning it for later?

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Until next week, happy crafting!