As the holidays quickly approach, I know many of us love creating a home that smells like the holidays. There are a ton of recipes out there for simmer pots and candles. Did you know that pine cones can also be scented to smell like Christmas? Learn how to make your very own cinnamon scented pine cones.
Cinnamon Scented Pine Cones Are Easy to Make!
Every holiday season, I walk into grocery stores and smell these lovely cinnamon pine cones. Occasionally I would buy them, and after a few days the scent will begin to give me a headache (because the fragrances used were man-made), or the scent begins to disappear completely. That’s when I started making cinnamon scented pine cones at home!
What to do First – Preparing Your Pine Cones
When picking out your pine cones, make sure to find the prettiest pine cones. I like to look for ones that fit in the palm of my hand and are very open. I live in Colorado and the pine cone selection is top notch.
Remove all the debris from the pine cones and bake them! Set the oven at 200 degrees Fahrenheit and bake for 90 minutes. This kills any bugs or potential mold hiding in the pine cones. If you would like more details instructions on this, head on over to A Modern Homestead with Victoria, she goes into detail about the baking process.
If you do not have pine cones to forage, you can order pre-baked pinecones online for pretty cheap.
Simple Non-Toxic Ingredients
This DIY project uses essential oils to scent the pine cones. I have used cinnamon as a stand alone essential oil, but another great recipe would be clove essential oil and orange essential oil. I also use fractionated coconut oil as the carrier for the cinnamon. Fractionated coconut oil is great because it has no odor and works well to help the essential oils seep into the pine cones.
What You’ll Need:
- 10 medium sized pine cones – cleaned and baked
- 20 drops of cinnamon essential oil
- 2 Gallon size ziploc bag
- 1/3 cup fractionated coconut oil
Putting it All Together
Step One:
Place 5 pine cones into each gallon Ziploc bag. The pine cones should be small enough to fit. If not, feel free to be flexible with the process, add a bag!
Step Two:
In a glass measuring cup, pour 1/3 cup of fractionated coconut oil. (Essential oils degrade plastic so it’s best to use a glass measuring cup)
Then mix in 20 drops of cinnamon essential oil into the glass measuring cup. Pour equal amounts of the mixture into each of the bags. Seal the bags and shake until the pine cones are completely coated with the essential oil mixture. Let the pine cones sit overnight.
Step Three:
Remove the scented pine cones from the bags and lay out on a dishrag to dry completely. This will take a few hours.
Related: Bleaching Pine Cones for Decoration
Step Four:
Stage the scented pine cones and use them for decorations throughout the holiday season! These are great in clear vases, as centerpieces, and on homemade wreaths.
The best part is that these pine cones can be re-scented so they can be used for years to come! Pack them up with some of your Christmas linens, and when you open your Christmas boxes the following year, everything will smell like cinnamon!
Other Pine Cone Scent Options
Remember, there are a ton of other essential oil combinations that can be used. Another great holiday combination is clove and orange.
Pine cones make a beautiful centerpiece even if you choose not to scent them! Cinnamon smells so much like the Holidays though, I can’t go one holiday season without adding them to my home.
Enjoy the holidays with a these toxic-free cinnamon scented pine cones and make your house smell great!
Rose Thomas says
I’ll definitely have to give these a try!
Great post by the way!
Cheri Mello says
GREAT IDEA Of The BAKING!!! I HAVENT EVER DONE this And I Guess I NEVER Thought Of THEM SPROUTING 😱😱😱OR HAVING BUGS!!! I ALSO get the SUPER Little ONES And Then I Can Just Change SCents ALL the time in different Ones. BUT THANKS SOOO MUCH!!! ABOUT BAKING👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼♥️AWESOME!!! G-d♥️Bless😊
Elizabeth says
Right?! When I first found out, I was blown away! I had to share the information.
Rosita Holmberg says
Thanks for the info.
Elizabeth says
You’re welcome! Thanks for stopping by!
Dolores says
I like your ideas , I for sure will be doing this for Christmas , Thanks for the information .
Elizabeth says
Thank you for visiting!
Michelle says
I used these an made Christmas tree ornament for my tree (Hot glue and twine ) with the added bonus of aroma scenting my home and artificial tree . However after a year they lose their smell . This tip was great for re-scenting my pine cones ! Thank you so much.
Cristina says
how many pine cones can you do with 1 bottle of essential oil? I’d like to give as gifts and need to do about 40.
Elizabeth says
Hi! One bottle of 15ml essential oil has about 250 drops, so one bottle should be enough for 40 pine cones. 🙂
Maggie says
Love this Idea Thanks for sharing I will be trying this. Have a safe and happy holidays
God bless
Susan says
Will refinded coconut oil work as well as fractionated coconut oil?
Elizabeth says
If it’s in liquid form, then yes. You can also use rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle and spray the pine cones (it won’t last as long), or you can use almond oil. Basically any carrier oil, or carrier product (alcohol) that is used with essential oils should work for this.
Judy Cobb says
Thank you for sharing, I will definitely try this, I have been trying to figure out how to make my own scented pine cones and now I know exactly what to do. Thanks again and God Bless.
GG says
If you purchase pine cones from Michaels in a pack, do you still need to bake them???
I see these on their shelves, I think WOW this whole store must be infested.
Just wondering
Elizabeth says
Store bought pinecones are already baked 🙂
Cyns Stewart says
I bake them in my outdoor grill. Works perfectly. I only turn on the one burner, low then for 90 minutes.
Melissa says
Will this process work with pinecones that have been spray painted? Thanks for sharing!
Elizabeth says
If the pinecones are completely spray painted it may not work because the paint will block the natural pores of the pinecones.