Can You Use Lemon Juice To Scent Candles

Updated on July 15, 2021

Everyone enjoys a scented candle. A sweet and fresh smell to fill your home can help you relax, and ease stress after a hard day. So how about scenting your own?

Can You Use Lemon Juice To Scent Candles

Can you use lemon juice to scent candles? It depends on how you plan to scent the candle. Lemon juice as an ingredient in homemade wax can be good, but adding lemon juice to hot wax is a no go!

Adding liquids to hot wax can be very dangerous. Especially cold liquids like lemon juice, which you are hardly likely to have warmed up at any point. 

When it comes to making your own scented candles however, the process can seem slightly intimidating. After all, candle making is a centuries long tradition. 

This doesn't mean it can't be fulfilling however. Many people find DIY candles a very fulfilling hobby to pass the time, especially with scents like lemon. 

Lemon juice can replace lemon oil in an ingredient list, although you should burn the candle as soon as possible if you are using juice.

Unlike the other ingredients like basic wax, a cotton wick, or even colored dyes, lemon juice has an expiry date. 

Of course this date is quite long, but exposed to the open air this expiration date falls quite dramatically. So enjoy your candle as soon as you can. 

Danger of Adding Lemon Juice to Candle Wax

It's not just adding lemon juice to hot candle wax that you should avoid, but any cold liquid. After all, melted wax becomes an oil. 

This means that every candle jar is a small oil fire, and throwing water onto it can actually make things significantly worse!

Pouring cold water on hot objects such as a stove or grill can make things worse and lead to unintended fires or injuries. A candle is no different.

The water will cause the wax to melt faster. This accelerates the burning process and reduces the time that each candle lasts.

As the water hits hot wax, it will vaporize quite quickly since melted wax retains a lot of the heat that is surrounding it. 

Not to mention that both liquids can easily spill over the candle container, making a mess of whatever surface the jar is placed on. 

If you do need to put out a candle that is out of control, smother it quickly. Baking soda is best for this, as it will remove the oxygen from the flame and prevent continuous burning. 

Danger of Adding Lemon Juice to Candle Wax

Benefits of Making Your Own Scented Candles

Making your own scented candles isn't just a hobby, but it can be an effective means to save money. Especially if you are used to using luxury candle brands.

At a fraction of the price of store bought candles, you can make your own scented candles. You can even customize your candle’s scent according to your moods.

Candles made with essential oils are safer for the environment compared to traditional candles made with paraffin, and you will inhale less harmful chemicals as well. 

Experimenting with different ingredients yields unique and interesting results every time! So don't be afraid to try new things when it comes to homemade candles. 

Scenting an Unscented Candle

Unscented candles are ideal for new candle users as they don’t have any scent of their own. Once you make your first candle, you will be able to customize your scents and choose from many varieties.

Buying unscented candles from the store can take a lot of effort out of the DIY hobby, but in the modern world time is a very precious resource. 

Adding your own scents later on can be a fun way to dip your toes into the water of the candle making tradition, and is easier than you might expect. 

Although you shouldn't be adding liquids or even oils to hot melted wax, you can make small divots into the wax near the wick.

These small holes can then be filled with oils, which will melt with the candle wax and produce a more than welcoming fragrance for your home. 

Lemon oil works for this, but we would still suggest avoiding lemon juice. Although slightly safer than adding it on later, liquid and oil mixes can still cause issues. 

If you wanted to make your own unscented candles and scent them with this other method, then the process is actually very easy. 

You won’t need any other supplies when making an unscented candle besides a few molds and waxes. Molds vary in size and complexity; some are small enough to fit on a spoon.

Other Natural Fragrance Oils

Natural fragrance oils are made from plants and other natural sources. Natural fragrance oils are used in many industries such as perfumery, aromatherapy, and natural perfume.

Other Natural Fragrance Oils

Of course, they are also used in scented candles. You can find many organic scents for fragrance oils, so the choose of scent is truly yours.

Lemon is just one of many citrusy odors. Alternatively, scents of freshly cut woods, flowers, and even artificial cooked foods are available on the market now. 

Moreover, We made an article just for you on How To Make Lemon Scented Candles that will surely help you!

Smell is one of the human senses which can flow through the whole body. I am the Founder of NeoCandle.com where we talk all about scented candles. Known as Candace the Candle Girl, I know pretty much all there is to know about scented candles. I make and sell them on Etsy and Ebay - so be sure to ask if you have any burning questions :) (pun intended ;) )

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