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Citronella Candle

Skill level: Beginner

You will need:

  • Soy wax flakes
  • Citronella pure essential oil
  • Mini/small terracotta pot
  • Pre-cut candle wick – taller than your pot
  • Glue dots
  • Penny (if the pot has a drainage hole)
  • Acrylic paints
  • Sealer
  • Scissors
  • Paintbrush
  • Ice lolly stick x 3 (per candle)
  • Small bulldog clip x 2 (per candle)
  • Small stainless-steel jug
  • Saucepan (filled 1/3 with water)
  • Oven glove
  • Access to a hob

To make:

  1. Take your clean terracotta pots and add a coat of sealer to the inside - as terracotta is porous, it must be sealed before use. Leave to dry. Then, add a second and third coat, leaving to dry in between each coat.
  2. Using your acrylic paints, paint your design onto the outside of the pot.
  3. When the paint is dry, if you’re using pots with a drainage hole in the bottom, fix a glue dot to one side of a penny and stick it firmly over the hole. Using another glue dot, attach it to the bottom of the wick and press it firmly into the centre of the bottom of the pot. Clamp the wick between two lolly sticks, using small bulldog clips to keep in place. Balance on the top of the pot, ensuring the wick is centrally placed and standing vertical.
  4. Place your saucepan of water on to the hob and bring to the boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a simmering level.  Add soy wax flakes to the stainless-steel jug and carefully place the jug into the simmering water. Stir gently with a lolly stick until the wax has melted – you may wish to add more wax to the jug as the flakes melt down.
  5. Add drops of citronella essence oil to wax (use an amount to your taste – for this small 10cm high pot, 15 drops were added) and stir.
  6. Using an oven glove, carefully remove the jug from the water and gently pour the wax and essence mix into the terracotta pot – avoid pouring directly on to the wick.
  7. Leave the candle to set – this may take an hour or two. The wax will turn from the clear mixture back to a solid white colour as it solidifies and dries. Remove the lolly sticks and trim the wick to approximately one inch above the wax.

Tips

  • Let the candle burn all the way to the edges on first use – this should mean it will last longer.
  • If you have old candles around the house, you could melt down the wax from them to use instead of the soy wax flakes.
  • You could use other suitable (non-flammable etc.) pots and containers instead of the terracotta pots, such as small glass jars.
  • Do not place in the fridge to cool.
  • If you do not like the smell of citronella, you could add other scents to the mix along with it to tone it done. Scents that work well include eucalyptus, lime or peppermint.