DIY Mason Jar Citronella Candles are the perfect natural way to help keep the bugs away outside!
I have mentioned in a previous post that I no longer burn candles in the house, and actually haven’t outside either in years. I found good quality essential oils to be a much safer alternative and they are actually good for you and help support your immune system. This is the first spring that we have had our backyard done in our new home, and as the weather where I live has already started to get warm during the day, that also means it is bringing more bugs out when we are trying to eat dinner outside and enjoy the patio in the evening. I knew I didn’t want to buy citronella candles from the store, they are often full of toxic junk, so I had the idea to make my own soy candles using Young Living Citronella oil. This is a very simple DIY and you can have them done in time for your Mother’s Day BBQ this weekend!
Affiliate links (Amazon) are included for some of the items below for your convenience. If you click on a link and make a purchase, I’ll receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my disclosure here.
what you need…..
16 ounce Mason Jars (I love these adorable blue ones)
A good quality Citronella oil (I only use Young Living)
Stick for stirring in oil- I just used a wooden chop stick I had on hand
Masking tape
Candle wick trimmer (optional)
I was able to make 4 (16oz) Mason jar candles from this 2 pound bag of wax and my double boiler pot was already half full of wax that I had to re-melt left over from a homeschool activity. I would guess to make 4 candles you would need 3 pounds of wax or just make less candles.
I used 8 inch candle wicks to make sure they were plenty long enough and they came with a sticky to make it really easy to attach the wick to the bottom of the jar. After sticking on the wicks I wrapped the top of the wick around a pencil to hold it in place. 
Next boil a sauce pan on medium heat. Fill up the double boiler to the top with wax, it will sink way down as it melts. 
Then put the double boiler in the sauce pan to melt the wax. 
As the wax started to melt I added more wax until the melted amount was about 1 1/2 to 2 inches from the top. When melted remove the double boiler from the heat and add in about 100 drops of Citronella essential oil and stir. This amount of wax and oil made 2 mason jar candles.
Carefully pour into 2 of the prepared Mason jars. Repeat the process of melting more wax and adding more oil until you made the desired amount of candles. The rest of my wax made 2 more candles. I also added masking tape to the top to secure the wick better to the pencil. Then let them dry. I gave them 24 hours to be safe.
When they are dry cut the wick to about 1/2 inch. 
These have burned great just like a regular candle and have helped keep the bugs more manageable! 
Due to the quarantine we are having a backyard get together with my mom and sister’s family this Sunday late afternoon/evening for Mother’s Day. I’m so glad we will be able to use all the candles I made to help with the bugs! 
These are so cute!! I didn’t realize how simple it was to make these. That’d make a cute hostess gift for outdoor BBQs, dressing them up with a little twine or ribbon around the neck.
Thank you so much! I agree, it would make a great hostess gift!
They look great in the mason jars too; I had no idea how easy it was to make citronella candles. The bugs just love me and I am always looking for ways to keep them at bay.
I agree, the Mason jars make them look so cute! Yes, very easy to make and they definitely have helped with the bugs!