Homemade Citronella Candle - Eco Living

Mosquito season is pretty much upon us now. As temperatures rise here in France all manner of bugs are rearing their interesting if not slightly freaky heads and countless number of legs (I mean seriously...how many legs does one need??) I don't mind bugs at a distance, but if there is one that really gets on our nerves it's the mosquito. That annoying noise in your ear the moment you decide to try and fall asleep...the way they seem to disappear into thin air the moment you try and squash them...that annoying red streak they leave on the wall when you do!

As part of my Eco Living series this year I've decided to try and find more natural ways to protect the family from these pesky bugs and my first attempt is with citronella candles. I had some beeswax left over from my homemade lip balms which I melted down and added some citronella essential oil too. I put loads of essential oil in because I wasn't sure how much I needed in order for it to be effective so it certainly smells strong enough. I want to make some more but I've realised I'm going to need a whole lot more beeswax as you need a fair bit to make a decent sized candle.

I also found this organic mosquito spray in our local Biocoop to try. I hate the smell of our usual mosquito spray and usually avoid putting it on if I can. The kids in summer often get really bitten at night so I was looking for something more natural that we could try on them. It's pretty heavy on the essential oils (lavender, citronella and eucalyptus to name a few) so it smells quite strong, but in a good way. I'll let you know how we get on with it. I'm keen to try making my own mosquito spray so if you have any good recipes do pass them on, and any other tips that you have for preventing mosquito bites.