DIY Citronella Candes, a Summer Staple

Since we moved into the new house, I have become acutely aware of something that I wasn't used to in apartment living... and that's bugs. All different kinds of bugs you see but mostly the ever pesky mosquito. I literally went to Home Depot and spent a paycheck on bug spray, Off products and citronella candles. I realized very quickly that it was not in my change purse's best interest if I spent my entire Summer purchasing citronella candles sooooooo I bought everything a girl would need to make enough candles to last the Summer plus!

One of my favorite places to get supplies? You might have guessed it was Amazon. I swear that if you are a person who compares prices, 9 times out of 10 Amazon will have the best deal. In any event. I was able to grab all of the supplies that I didn't already have, off of Amazon. What did I need for supplies for this job?

• Fragrance Pure Essential Oil, I used Citronella for bug repelling (Eden's Garden, Amazon.com $5.65)
• Candle Wicks, I grabbed size large pre=treated natural wicks (CandleScience 50 Piece Natural Wicks, $8.99)
• Your candle's container, I used small glass mason jars (Ball Canning Jars 8oz 12-Pack, $16.85)
• Your Wax choice. You can buy in blocks but I prefer chips (Natural Soy Wax 10lb bag, $10.69)
• Long Lighter
• Pencils for stabilizing wicks and stirring

I'll tell you right now that I am sure there are much better ways to make candles. I plan to do some lovely scented candles in tea cups with all the correct equipment but for the sake of whipping up a bunch of citronella candles for the backyard, I did a quick and dirty method with what I had at home. I know that one step you might see different in other tutorials is the way to melt the wax. There are special vessels for that but I used an old roasting pan on my stove top full of water to bring the temperature of the wax up. I found this to be  pretty quick and easy way to whip up 8 candles. In any event, this is not the wrong or right way... just the Prim and Propah, quick on a Sunday way.

When adding fragrance to your melting wax, you want to make sure you use the correct measurements. Right on the front of my bag of wax they had the breakdown, maximum 2 oz of fragrance per pound of wax. I had to do a little brain math for these 8oz jars but was able manage. It's important you don't use too much fragrance because there is the slight possibility that it will be combustible in a non predictable way. In any event, I added my measurements of citronella oil as my way was melting on the stove top. Keep in mind you will have to add more wax as it melts as well as stir it at the end to make sure your fragrance oil is evenly distributed.

Pencils are great at this juncture as well. Once you have turned the heat down, your wax will slowly begin to cool. I used two pencils and a rubber band to keep my wicks standing straigh. Unfortunately, at this juncture I forgot to take a picture but I am sure you can imagine what it would take to stabilize your wicks for even burning. I let my candles cool for a couple hours for good measure before taking them for a spin. Most burned evenly but when you use the quick and dirty method there is the chance of  dud (I had a crooked wick candle, whoops!). This was a fun afternoon project and a functional one as well!

Have you ever made your own candles before?