How to make your own mosquito repellent, anti tobacco and breathe easy candles?

Although these principles can be applied to any kind of candle (pillar, votive,...), they work better and are generally used with Container candles.

The reason for that is simple: the largest melt pools are usually found in Container candles and scent diffusion - which is paramount here - is largely a question of melt pool size.

What you need

• 450 grams (1 pound) of a Container candle formula,
• 1 or several containers,
• for the mosquito repellent candle: about 30 grams (1 ounce) of citronella (lemongrass) fragrance or essential oil,
• for the anti tobacco candle: about 30 grams (1 ounce) of vanilla fragrance or essential oil,
• for the breathe easy candle: 2 teaspoons of de Vicks™ VapoRub.

How to make the candles?

The general modus operandi is exactly the same for the 3 types of candles. The best way to make a Container candles is extensively explained in the article Container candles: How to make them? so I won't repeat the basic steps here.
The only difference is the active ingredient used.

For a mosquito repellent candle, add about 30 grams (1 ounce) of citronella (lemongrass) fragrance or essential oil. Citronella is the scent of choice for this type of candle, extremely efficient to keep away the uninvited flying summer guests.

To make an anti tobacco candle, use a scent capable of masking tobacco smells. Vanilla is hard to beat and can cover pretty much any foul smell. As in the previous example, you will add 30 grams (1 ounce) of vanilla fragrance or essential oil to the wax.

Last but not least, to make a breathe easy candle, add 2 teaspoons of Vicks™ VapoRub (from a jar) to your container formula. Vaporub's main component is petroleum jelly, a substance chemically very close to paraffin wax. They will mix together perfectly and you candle (and yourself) will benefit from the active ingredients of the product.

Use containers that are nice to look at and, if possible, that come with a lid. This will not only allow you to keep the active substance inside the candle for a longer period of time but also to take it with you to the office, for instance, or to easily move it around inside the house, on the porch or in the garden. For this project, I used small metal candy boxes and tiny paint buckets.