Citronella candles make yourself in 4 steps

The temperatures are rising and the mosquitoes are not long in coming. To prevent nasty, itchy spots all over your body, you should arm yourself. Here's how you can make citronella candles yourself!

What could be better than spending the warm summer nights on the terrace or in the garden? If only there weren't annoying mosquitoes that can really spoil the evening.

Painful and itchy wheals are often the result of a summer evening in the garden.

But enough is enough - we've had enough of the little bloodsuckers! It's time to finally drive them away! And that with homemade citronella candles.

Anti-mosquito candles are super quick and easy to make, have a pleasant scent and the candlelight enriches the ambience.

These candles are not only a great mosquito repellent, but a great gift for any garden party you're invited to. By the way, while you're on the subject of candles, Scented candles can be made from old wax scraps put together quite simply.

Today I want to show you how to make citronella candles yourself, how to use them properly and what to look out for!

How do citronella candles work?

The intense smell of citronella oil of lemon and lime is one of the best home remedies against gnats. The scent of citronella irritates mosquitoes and acts as a masking agent that covers the human smell.

When we light the candle, the fragrance spreads around the environment. The more candles you place, the better. If you have the possibility, you should also put a few candles on the floor to create a good citronella atmosphere.

By the way, if you make your own citronella candles, it will not only keep mosquitoes away. Wasps also do not like the scent of the candles and are deterred.

Citronella is a tropical grass native to Asia and closely related to lemongrass. The oil is extracted from the citronella plant by steam distillation. It's important that you use real citronella oil and not resort to artificial fragrances. We humans can hardly tell the difference, but mosquitoes notice it quickly.

From real essential oil mosquitoes are driven away without dying. You can buy the candles in any supermarket or easily make them yourself. In no time you have a natural and animal-friendly insect repellent for warm summer evenings in the garden.

All you need is a wick, a jar, some wax and a few drops of essential oil. In a few minutes you have the DIY anti-mosquito candles ready and ready to use.

Great advantages: the homemade candle is free of palm oil, artificial fragrances or kerosene.

If you want you can Citronella oil also mix with coconut oil and apply directly to the skin. The mosquitoes hate both the scent of citronella and Coconut oil*!

I recommend you this high quality oil:

Tip: stab healer

If mosquitoes have already got you or if they are particularly fond of you, then you should have an electronic bite healer with you.

Use it to fight itching, burning and swelling after insect bites of all kinds - from mosquitoes to wasps.

With the help of heat, it destroys the insect venom. The body can then easily break down the remaining venom - swelling does not occur in the first place. And you are also protected from the annoying itching.

Particularly exciting is the heat_it stab healer*. You simply plug the gadget into your cell phone for a few seconds, it is charged via the app and heats up. Then place the sting healer directly on the sting to treat itching and pain.

You can read my experience report here: the heat_it mosquito bite healer in the test!

What ingredients do I need to make citronella candles themselves?

For your DIY candles you really do not need much. From simple means and without much effort you can make the candles. Decorated with a beautiful bow or a label, the anti-mosquito candle looks good at any party - from a garden party to a birthday party.

Wax granules

This is the most important ingredient for this tutorial. Either you use old wax scraps to melt down or you buy candle wax granules.

Of course, you can also color the candle in your favorite color. For this purpose simply use something Food coloring*. But make sure that you don't take too much.

Quite classic anti-mosquito candles from the supermarket always have a light yellow to almost orange color.

My candles also turn yellowish because I use yellow Beeswax* use.

A candle wick for scented candles

There are round, square, waxed and waxed wicks. And they come in different lengths and thicknesses.

A wick for making citronella candles yourself, you can order in large quantities on Amazon. Or you can buy them in the craft store around the corner.

Use thin wicks if your jar has a diameter of about 5 cm. All jars that are larger need a thicker wick to be able to melt the wax later.

Since you need to match the wick to the vessel, it's best to first consider which vessel you want to pour your candle into and only then look around for a candle wick.

Find more great home remedies for mosquito bites here!

Molds or jars for filling

For your citronella candles, of course, you'll need a container to pour the wax into later.

For this you can buy pretty jars, use an old jam jar or pour the wax into molds. The only important thing is that the jar is heat-resistant. The wider the jar, the better it spreads the scent of the anti-mosquito candle.

Don't forget to measure beforehand if the wick is long enough for the glass.

In large jars from about 20 cm in diameter, use two to three thin wicks or a single, thick wick.

Scent for your citronella candles

Citronella essential oil keeps mosquitoes away. You can use the same oil that you use for natural cosmetics or the fragrance lamp.

Optionally, you can add to the citronella oil also Lavender oil* or add sage oil.

Lemongrass, palmarosa, rose geranium and lemon eucalyptus also repel insects. As a true miracle cure against mosquitoes, by the way, applies lavender oil!

Since each one of these scents is very intense, you should not combine more than two different ones.

What do I need to know if I want to make anti-mosquito candles?

Use only jars for the candles that you no longer need for food. It is not easy to completely remove wax from jars or pots.

Lay when casting wax Newsprint or kitchen towels underneath. Wax stubbornly sticks to countertops and floors, and especially to the stovetop.

Prepare the water bath

The pot and the vessel for the water bath should not be too full. Do not pour too much water into the saucepan - it spills over and also quickly into the melting vessel with wax.

Melt the wax best in an old large glass with a large opening. I like to use a cucumber jar - but make sure beforehand that it no longer has its own odor :).

By the way, the water does not need to boil - wax melts already at 40 ° Celsius.

Put the wick into the empty glass first, otherwise you might forget it. This has actually happened to me!

Find the right amount of wax

Not sure how much wax you need? You can quickly find out by adding your wax scraps to your chosen container before melting.

This amount takes a little more space than the melted wax. So add about 2 tablespoons more.

Worst case scenario, you'll have to melt more wax and top it up - this can also look really nice because it gives you two coats.

When I want to make a candle, I set aside a second, small jar to be on the safe side. If I have too much wax, I pour it into this mold.

Make citronella candles yourself: step by step instructions

Citronella candles against mosquitoes are very easy to make yourself. I'll show you now how it works. Here I have summarized a very detailed instructions for you. If you regularly make candles, then you will find a short version of the instructions at the end of the post.

These instructions are enough for three medium candles as in the photo.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 kg candle wax (wax remnants or granules)
• 5 drops yellow candle color
• 3 candle wicks
• 10 drops of citronella oil

Also: pot for water bath, large glass for melting, a wooden stick for stirring, glass jar for the candle, labels.

Step 1: Melt the wax

To begin, crush the wax remnants you want to use for your citronella candles. Remove burnt wick residues and impurities.

Put the wax in the large jar. Fill a small saucepan with water and heat it. The wax melts already from 40° Celsius. Stir the wax constantly until all the pieces are melted. I use a wooden stick for this.

Step 2: Prepare molds

While the wax is slowly melting, you can prepare the molds. These must necessarily be heat-resistant.

Take the wick and place it in the center of the mold. If it has a metal base, you can glue it to the bottom with some wax.

Attach the other end to a wooden skewer or with a clothespin so that the wick hangs from the jar vertically to the ground and cannot slip.

Step 3: Add essential oil

Now comes the most important ingredient for making citronella candles yourself: the essential oil.

Let the wax cool a little. Otherwise, the flavors will be lost. But be careful not to wait too long and the wax will solidify again in the large glass.

Add a few drops to the melted wax and mix properly.

As soon as the scent rises to your nose, it should be enough of the aroma oil. If the candle smells too little later, you can always add some more.

If you wish, you can now stir in the color. Attention: Please fold in drop by drop. Some colors are extremely intense! If you wish, you can make candles in different shades. Divide the wax into at least two parts and let the first layer cool completely before pouring in the second.

Step 4: Pour candles

Once you have finished creating the scent of the citronella candles, pour the melted wax into your mold. Be careful so that nothing lands on the floor.

Now let the wax harden completely. This takes half an hour to two hours, depending on the size of the candle.

Ready is the your DIY candle!

Learn how to make your own bug spray here!

Can you use citronella oil candles indoors?

If you've ever bought mosquito candles, you've probably noticed the notice that they can only be lit outdoors. In this way, manufacturers protect themselves from possible consequences, since their candles contain many different ingredients.

If you make citronella candles yourself, you can light them indoors. Provided you use a high quality essential oil for the mosquito candles.

What is the shelf life of an anti-mosquito candle?

Candles have no expiration date, however, it can happen that the scent evaporates after time. Therefore, I usually produce only as many candles as I need for the next outdoor party.

Alternatively, you can use jars with screw tops and seal the candle. Since it usually doesn't pay to make just one candle, I usually make a few for friends.

I close the rest with a lid - now they are ready for use at any time.

What else can I do against gnats?

The fact is: Unfortunately, citronella does not help against all mosquito species equally well. Some find the smell less disturbing and still attack your guests and you.

In addition, the effect of citronella oil varies from person to person. Some people smell irresistibly good even with citronella candles. If you are one of this group of people, then you should additionally wear long-sleeved sweaters and pants and a Apply DIY Mosquito Spray.

And here, as promised, the short version for those who regularly pour candles.

Our conclusion

Making citronella candles yourself is really anything but difficult. You can customize your candles and they are an effective home remedy against mosquitoes.

Have fun making it and good luck!

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