During a warm summer evening, there’s no place I’d rather be than on my own back porch watching the sunset. Summer is the season of outdoor celebration and relaxation, but it’s also prime time for mosquitoes. Really, there's nothing more annoying than feeling those little guys making their mark.
While there are products sold in stores to keep the bugs away, they're mostly full of chemicals. For me, I'd rather use a natural repellent, so I decided to try my hand at making DIY lemon eucalyptus candles.
Lemon eucalyptus oil is known to help ward off mosquitoes because the smoke can confuse the bugs and prevent them from smelling you. Of course, the scent doesn't just keep the bugs away, they also add fragrance and an ambience to your outdoor fun.
Now, when I'm entertaining or just relaxing on the patio, these candles keep those pesky mosquitoes at bay.
Check out the step-by-step tutorial below to see how easy it is to make your own DIY mosquito repellent candles to keep the bugs away from your outdoor gatherings.
What You Need:
1. Distribute Rice Into Bowls.
Add red food coloring to one bowl and the blue to another. (Just make sure you leave enough plain white rice on the side, as you'll need some later.)
2. Stir To Evenly Distribute The Color.
Add more food coloring as needed.
3. Add 10 drops Of Lemon Eucalyptus Oil To Each Bowl. Stir.
Bugs and mosquitoes do not care for this scent, so it's the perfect essential oil to use.
But if you want to try another fragrance, these bugs also are repelled by the smell of lemongrass and citronella.
After you're finished, spread the rice out on parchment paper to dry.
4. Assemble The Candles.
Start by scooping blue rice into the glass candle holder.
Next, add the white rice to the glasses, and then add the red, making sure the layers are even.
5. Place The Candle.
When finished, make more candles as desired.
In total, I made four patriotic candles. (I used two round white tea lights along with two mini green succulent-plant-shaped candles.)
The Finished Product:
These patriotic 'bug away' candles are so pretty and perfect for a summer party. While the candle is burning, it heats up the rice, releasing more of the mosquito-repelling scent.
These smell wonderful and actually keep those pesky bugs away. A good-size candle will burn for many hours, so remember to extinguish it when you're headed back indoors.
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