DIY Insect Repellent Candles. June 29, 2026.

Summer is officially here, and so are the bugs. Whether spiders are coming into the house to cool off or mosquitoes are looking for a nibble, most of us don’t enjoy these leggy pests. Mosquitoes, in particular, are a downer at an outdoor event in the evenings. Citronella and/or lavender candles are one of the ways people use to ward off these annoying pests. However, instead of going out to buy them, how about making some with items you may already have? Well, today’s fun project, diy bug repellent candles, is an awesome way to repurpose old candles as well as kitty food cans (or tuna cans).

Maybe you have candles lying around that have seen better days, but you don’t want to throw them out. If they are unscented, this would be a great time to pull them out to remelt and make diy citronella candles. Lavender is another great essential oil for pest repellent use, so if you don’t have citronella, use lavender. Furthermore, if you have a kitty, then you may have lots of cans to recycle, as we do. Well, these cans are the perfect size for this project. Tuna fish cans will also work. This is a fun, easy DIY with purpose, so keep reading!

Ingredients

Clean kitty food cans or tuna cans
Short candle wicks (available at craft stores)
Candle wax, beeswax, or repurpose old unscented candles (you will need about 4-5 oz per can)
Citronella essential oil or lavender essential oil (you will need 8-10% of the total wax weight; multiply your wax weight in oz. by .08 or .10 to determine the essential oil amount)
decorative label paper *optional

Instructions

Start by prepping the cans and affixing a wick to the bottom of each. You can use a hot glue gun to do this, or the wicks you purchase may come with sticky adhesive tabs- either will work.
After this, weigh the wax you plan to use on a kitchen scale. This will help to determine how much essential oil you add. I use 4-5 oz of wax per can.
Calculate the essential oil you need. When making candles for my business, my wholesalers recommended using 8-10% fragrance/essential oil (multiply wax weight by .08 – .10). Since I like a good, strong candle, I use 10% essential oil, especially for outdoor use. So, for example, if I have 10 oz of candle wax, I will use 1 oz of essential oil (10 x .10= 1 oz). If I have 5 oz of candle wax, I use 0.5 oz of essential oil (5 x .10 = 0.5 oz).
Now, melt the wax in a saucepan over medium heat. If you are repurposing old candles, carefully strain out old wicks.
Once the wax is melted, remove it from the heat and add essential oil.
Carefully, pour hot wax into cans. The sides of the can will be very hot since it is metal, so don't touch! If needed, lay pens, pencils, or small sticks across the top of the can to hold the wick upright in the center while the wax cools.
When candles have fully cooled, trim the wicks down and decorate the sides with decorative paper. I printed a pretty pattern on label paper and cut it to fit the can.
Your insect repellent candles are now ready for use!

DIY Insect Repellent Candles