These DIY Citronella Candles are the perfect way to impress guests and keep those pesky mosquitos away! Plus, you’ve never seen such an easy DIY.

DIY BALLOON DIPPED CITRONELLA CANDLES - sugar and cloth

All winter long we’ve dreamt about spending warm summer nights outside, in the backyard, or dinner al fresco. How about you?!

To make sure it stays mosquito free and hangout-friendly all summer long, I, Erin worked up some simple homemade citronella candles using essential oils and soy wax. These homemade candles not only keep the pesky bugs away, but look pretty too!

The candle vessels are wrapped with vinyl balloons (of all things!) creating a colorful “dipped look” without actually having to bust out the paints. No mess here!

So if you’re looking for an effective way to keep the mosquitoes away this summer, give these Balloon Dipped DIY Citronella Candles a shot. These wax candles are packed with citronella essential oil and provide the prettiest ambient glow as the sun begins to set.

Table of Contents

Materials and Tools Needed

Glass tumblers — You can also use stemless wine glasses or mason jars.
Citronella Java essential oil — You’ll need 50 drops per 1 cup of unmelted wax chips or 3 drops per cup of melted wax.
Soy wax
Wax wicks
Metal wick plates — Optional to hold the wicks in place. You can also hot glue the wicks to the bottom of the glass instead.
Standard sized vinyl balloons — Though you can use latex balloons, vinyl balloons are weather-proof, more durable and color fade resistant.
Saucepan — Use one dedicated solely for candle making. I found one at the thrift store.
Stir stick — A wooden kabob stick works great!
Scissors
Pencils — To hold up your wicks.

photo of how to make a homemade DIY Citronella Candle by top Houston lifestyle blogger Ashley Rose of Sugar & Cloth

Natural Mosquito Repellent | What is Citronella Oil?

Citronella is our go-to for mosquito repellent.

The essential oil is derived from Cymbopogon plants (mainly from citronella and lemongrass). It can also be effective as DEET. So you will find citronella in most plant-based bug sprays.

The fragrance oil has a smells grassy citrus floral scent which is perfect because citronella candles also serve as scented candles!

What Other Scents to Use in Citronella Candles

Citronella candles are a must-have for any home. And although it has a lovely citrus smell, it can be quite strong. So we recommend adding in some other fragrances such as:

Pine
Mandarin orange
Eucalyptus
Rosemary
Peppermint
Oregano

DIY Candle | How to Make Balloon Dipped DIY Citronella Candles

1 — Measure twice the volume of the amount of wax you’d like in each glass vessel and melt on the lowest setting in a saucepan solely dedicated to candle making.

Use a stir stick to stir the wax occasionally.

2 — While the wax is melting, place a wick in each glass tumbler. To do so, first thread the wick through the metal wick plate. Then, wrap the excess wick around a pencil, and rest the pencil on the opening of the tumbler.

You may also prepare the candles in advance. If you don’t want to use a metal wick place, hot glue your wax to the bottom of the glass instead to hold the wick in place.

3 — Once the wax is melted, remove from heat and dip each metal wick plate in the wax. Then, adhere to the bottom of the glass.

Use your stir stick to set in place with your wick.

Adding Essential Oils to Homemade Candles

Now we’re ready to add the essential oil once the wax is slightly cooled. We used roughly 150 drops (50 drops per 1 cup unmelted wax chips) to make sure they’d pack enough punch to keep the mosquitoes away.

4 — Add the essential oil drops right into the saucepan of wax and give it a stir.

5 — Pour the wax and divide the the wax between the glass tumblers.

6 — Center the wicks.

7 — Allow the wax to cool for about 2 hours.

8 — While the wax is cooling, prepare the balloons by trimming off the neck of the balloon and the bottom point with a scissors.

9 — When the wax has cooled, trim the wicks to 1/4″ with a scissors.

10 — Stretch and slide the balloon onto the bottom 1/3 of the glass. It’ll take a little adjusting to get it into place. It doesn’t have to be perfect since you are getting a dipped look!

More Backyard DIY’s

And you’re all set! Please be sure to follow burn instructions from your wick packaging. Do not leave candles burning for over four hours. We love spending time outdoors and these DIY citronella candles are functional and pretty. For more easy backyard DIY’s, check out a few of our favorites from the archives —

Backyard games idea: Flamingo DIY Ring Toss
How to make an easy modern wind chime
Patio lighting idea: How to make a battery operated outdoor light
DIY vertical garden: An easy succulent wall hanger
Easy indoor and outdoor movie night ideas
DIY waterproof outdoor paper lanterns