Citrus Candle Creation

This instructable (my very first one!) is a refined childhood memory of DIY candle making. Every summer, my sisters and I used to create these fun orange (or Grapefruit or whatever other fruit with a pith that you could try) candles. We would sit for hours carving out the skins to create cool lantern patterns.

These candles work on the fact that the 'pith' of the orange can hold a flame if there is oil to sustain the fire. By hollowing out the orange and adding oil you can create your very own DIY candle at home!

This design is super flexible as you could do it with a grapefruit, a clementine or even a massive watermelon candle (any fruit with a pith)! The options are endless. As well as customizing the scent by adding whatever fragrance you wish to the oil, it could be any smell you can dream of. Lastly, cutting the shapes into the kid can be in any pattern or design. You could even carve your name.

As I've gotten older, and started to cook for myself, I've learned that cooking oil hardens it once it cools! As a child I would simply pour any oil in, making a mess and making it difficult to move the candle around. However, I had the idea to upgrade this childhood favourite by heating the oil first, adding vanilla essential oil drops for fragrance and only then pouring it into the orange 'bowl' to harden. It turned out a huge success!

This project is great for all ages (although children should have adult supervision when working with the flame and hot oil). It is both fun, you learn about the science of flames and end off with a super cute homemade scented candle.

Hope you all enjoy :)

You will need the following to create your own orange candle:

• An orange (or any other 'bowl like' fruit peel of your choice)
• Any type of oil
• A sharp knife
• Essential Oil drops (flavour of your choice)
• A lighter/ matches

How to Begin:

Carefully cut your orange (Assuming without loss of generality that you chose an orange) in half so that the brown dot of the orange is on the side.

Then very carefully start to cut around the edges of the orange to begin hollowing out the fruit.

BUT be very careful to keep the "wick" of the flame intact. This is naturally occurring in an orange which is the white pith that runs directly down the centre of the orange. Be careful to remove the fruit without ruining this "wick".

When you are done, wash out the rest of the orange and dry with a paper towel until the inside is hollowed out, as much fruit as possible is removed and the orange is dry inside.

To Heat the Oil:

In a pan on the stove, heat half a cup of any oil of your choice. Once the oil is hot, let it cool for a few minutes and then carefully pour it into the hollowed-out dry orange. I recommend putting the orange in a bowl in case any oil spills out while pouring.

USE PARENTAL ASSISTANCE if you need when working with hot oil. Slowly spoon the oil into the orange, it may sizzle but this is normal.

Once poured, use a fork to keep the pith 'wick' upright to ensure it can be lit once the oil hardens.

Next, add in 3-4 drops of your favourite essential oil. I chose to add vanilla but you can choose any oil you would like. Swirl the oil around so that it is evenly distributed in the candle.

Freeze the orange and oil:

Next step, is to put the bowl with the orange and the hot oil in the freezer so that the oil can harden.

This process should take about one hour. Remove when the oil is no longer so liquidy and is slightly more firm.

Cutting Patterns into the other half to act as a lid:

While you are waiting for the oil to cool, take the other half of the orange and hollow it out in the same way, remove all the fruit (eat it or juice it or feed it to your dog ) and pat dry with a paper towel.

Then take the knife and carefully start to carve a pattern into the other half of the orange which will act as the lid for the candle. Think of it as Halloween pumpkin carving but with an orange. Carve shapes, numbers letters or even just a hole into the lid. Be creative!

Time to light the candle:

The candle is finally ready! After an hour the oil should have mostly solidified in the freezer, take your candle out and ensure the wick can still be lit (or pick it out if need be).

Carefully, with help from an adult, light the wick using a lighter or matches. This may take a few tries as the wick is slightly cold.

Once lit, add your lid onto your candle and enjoy! The fragrances of citrus and vanilla should fill your home.

Cosy for summer and winter nights and a great fun DIY to do with friends and family.