How to Scent Candles with Spices for Fall
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Learn How to Scent Candles with Spices so that your home will smell like your favorite fall baked goods. These easy and frugal fall scented candles smell amazing and make a great gift!
Adding spices to candles to create unique scents is a great way to make your own candles without having to buy or use fragrance oil. Candles can be customized to your liking when you make them at home.
Spiced Candles for Fall
Now that we are well into fall, I love enjoying anything and everything fall-related to extend the season as long as possible. Fall is one of our favorite seasons and it always seems to go by too quickly, so I try and enjoy it as much as I can with fall-related foods and scents.
This year I wanted to take a few of the Beeswax Candles that I love to make and create some fun fall scents. I love candle-making, so without ordering special scents for the candles, I wanted to see if I could scent them with things I already had at home. The result is lovely fall spiced candles that are perfect for filling your house with those yummy fall smells, without using artificial fragrances or purchasing anything extra. We love these!
–Are you ready for winter? You might want to make some of these fun Frosty Beeswax Candles instead!
How to Scent Candles with Spices
What You Need:
- Jars
- Candle Wick (at least medium or #2). Amazon has a big selection.
- 1 cup Beeswax. I’ve used this kind of beeswax before.
- 1 cup Coconut Oil. I get mine from Azure.
- Spices
This recipe will make enough wax to fill a pint jar. You will need about 1 tablespoon of spices per pint made, depending on the scents you want to make and if you want it to be a lighter or stronger scent. Spice ideas can be found further down in this post.
Start by placing the wicks in the jars. I like to use random or chipped mason jars for my candle jar. You can use the metal wick holders or just tape the wicks to the bottom of the jars. If you use tape just make sure it’s secure. Hot glue will work as well but might re-melt when the hot wax is poured in.
Take the tops of the wicks (cut them long) and wrap them around an old pencil and place them in the centers of the jars.
Melt the beeswax, coconut oil, and spices together in some kind of double boiler. You don’t need the wax and oil to boil, just melt. (I use Beeswax and Coconut Oil blended for a softer candle that burns better than straight beeswax.)
If you don’t want to make beeswax candles, you can also make candles using soy wax flakes. These are also a good natural wax alternative and soy wax candles are cheaper than making beeswax candles if you are concerned about your budget.
This is my makeshift double boiler for my homemade candles! I use a jar and place it in a few inches of water in the saucepan. Then when the water heats up, the contents of the jar will heat up and melt. I use this jar just for candlemaking so I don’t end up with wax on multiple dishes. It can sometimes be difficult to clean off.
It should only take a few minutes to fully melt the wax and combine it with the coconut oil. You may need to stir the wax with some kind of stick or long spoon; chopsticks work well!
Start by pouring a small amount of wax into the very bottom of the jar and letting it set up (this will help hold the wick at the bottom), then pour the rest of the wax in the jar until it’s full enough. If you have issues with the spices all falling to the bottom, pour in small layers and let is harden slightly before pouring in another small layer.
Let the autumn scented candles sit undisturbed until the wax re-hardens. Then you are ready to burn your candles!
Fall Spices for Candles
You can use any fall spices that you would enjoy in your candles. Do you want a DIY pumpkin spice candle? Add in some Pumpkin Pie Spice seasoning. Want your house to smell like warm, apple pie? Use some Apple Pie Spice blend.
Don’t have those spice blends on hand? Make your own! The spices in this Pumpkin Pie in a Jar recipe make a simple Pumpkin Pie Spice blend. For Apple Pie filling, use the spices in this recipe Apple Pie Filling. As long as you keep the ratios the same, you can adjust the overall quantity easily for your spice mixture
Those two are my favorite fall scents, but some other spices you might want to try in your fall scented candles are:
- Ginger
- Cinnamon
- Cloves
- Vanilla Bean
- Nutmeg
- Cardamom
If you don’t have these spices on hand at home, look for them at the dollar store. You can pick up very inexpensive spices there that are perfect for using to make candles!
Other Spices and Herbs for Candles
If you aren’t making your spiced candle for the fall, you might be interested in trying some other dried spices or herbs like:
- Dried Lavender
- Dried Rosemary
- Dried Orange Peel
I love having these Fall Scented Candles around the house and enjoying the warm glow and lovely scents they add to the air. They only take a few minutes to make and you can make several at once so you have them on hand to enjoy or to give as gifts.
FAQs About Candles with Spices
Can you put dried herbs in wax melts?
Yes, you can!
Can you put spices in wax melts?
Yes, you can!
Can you use perfume to scent candles?
You shouldn’t use perfume in your candles. Without knowing if the scent is safe or tested in candle wax, it could cause some poor reactions including causing your candle to not set up properly.
Is it safe to put cinnamon in candles?
It’s safe to put ground cinnamon in candles but not stick cinnamon. The sticks will hinder the natural burning of your candle while the ground cinnamon will just add some scent.
More Candle Projects
- Olive Oil Candles Tutorial
- How to Make Homemade Soy Candles
- Homemade Teacup Candles
- Creative Crafts for Old Crayons
- How to Make Beeswax Candles
- Frosty Beeswax Candles
What are your favorite fall scents or scented candles for fall?
This post on How to Scent Candles with Spices was originally published on Little House Living in September 2014. It has been updated as of September 2022.
These are very nice! I like the same scents that you mentioned..they make the house smell “like fall”! I also jumped over to your frosty candles..I really love those! I am thinking candles,a few ornaments,etc. in a basket lined with Christmas fabric..an inexpensive,yet pretty gift!
These sound like a perfect gift idea! My sister and I are getting together later this fall to have a Christmas gift day. Spending the day making up Christmas gifts for the family(and friends too!) I did this on my own last year, but I have found so many awesome diy gift ideas this year that my sis and I will spend some time together (with my teenage daughter)to just create! So excited! Candles was one of those items that I wanted to do last year, but didn’t do enough research on it. I really thought it would be difficult! Thanks!
We are placing an order for Bees Wax and wicks. A question I have is, when you call for a cup of bees was, is that 8 oz? Do you use the bars or the pellets? Or is it just important to have equal parts of both oil and wax?
Thank you!!
A cup of beeswax is the dry measurement of pellets (which is what I usually buy because they are much easier to melt) so it would be a little less than 8 ounces. It will be fine if you add more but just make sure to have a thick wick or the candle will burn too quickly and just down the center leaving the wax around the edges.
I LOVE this! I had never really made my own candles, because it looked hard, but I think even I could handle this.
Thanks for the awesome and easy instructions! I definitely want to give this a try.
The cup of bees wax is that before or after melted? Same fir coconut oil?
Sooo excited about the fall beeswax candle recipe but I need clarification please. 1 cup of beeswax is vastly different if it’s solid, pastilles or grated. Even grated can range vastly. Can you clarify please, perhaps with oz measured on a scale?? Thanks so much!
Oops, I now see your reply above. Sorry and thanks for clarification!
anyone have a preferred brand of wicks they recommend? thinking of using the pint size jars. Thanks!
Is there anything you can use to make candles that smell like a Christmas tree? I buy candles each year at Christmas time that are some kind of evergreen smell and I love them but they are very expensive. Was hoping someone could tell me what to use to duplicate that smell with these candles. (or should I have looked at the Frosty candles instructions? Thanks in advance.
I have used essential oils before and they seem to work well. They often have a lot of different fragrances to choose from, and I know I have seen spruce and Christmas tree scents. They are often sold in natural food stores and the places that carry incense.
I also like to scent my candles with a tree fragrance to burn around Christmas and have bought Christmas Tree scent and Douglas Fir scent.
Hi there! I just ordered several candle fragrances from Candlescience.com and one is Christmas wreath. They’re only a couple dollars each. I haven’t actually made my candles yet but will in the next couple days. Can’t wait!
I love this idea and was wondering, could I use balsam fir oil as a scent…so Christmas tree smelling I’d love to fill the house with this scent seeing as how we use a faux tree. Just wasn’t sure I could add more oil or if it would have any adverse properties. Thank you for all of your great ideas!
I haven’t tried that scent but I would think it would work the same. 🙂
Wow! This sounds so easy! I can’t wait to make these! Thanks for sharing.
This is a great tutorial! Awhile back, I was looking into making candles but it all seemed complicated, but I can do this. I LOVE fall scents and LOVE this idea!
Thanks!
Sharon
What a lovely idea! I will be making some of these soon, and will save your link to share later too! Thank you for sharing at Mama Moments!
This is my favorite time of the year for having candles around the house. Thanks for the great tutorial. Pinning. xo Laura
Wow I’ve never thought about making my own candles. I think I will have to try these. They would make good homemade gifts too! Thank you for sharing on Merry Monday!
Love these DIY candles – I can’t wait to make my own! Pinned! Thanks for sharing!
Is there a substitute for bees wax that I can safely use?
You can use soy wax in candles instead but then you will want to add little to no coconut oil since soy wax is softer than beeswax.
You certainly made it look easy…can almost smell them now!! Thanks for sharing with the Thursday Blog Hop!
I’ve been wanting to make candles. Thanks for the great tutorial. & linking up at the party!
Oh wow, thank you for sharing this. I definitely need to try making my own candles. I’m always picking up a candle here, a candle there. Especially this time of year, I love anything that’s maple, caramel, pumpkin, hazelnut scented. These sound wonderful. Thanks so much for sharing at Inspire Me Wednesday. Featuring you in next week’s issue.
Thank you for sharing this wonderful project at the Thursday Favorite Things blog hop. Watch for your feature on Monday xo
I’ve never thought to add spices to candles! That opens a whole WORLD of Christmas and fall yumminess this year lol. Thanks so much for sharing, you were the most viewed this week and will be featured in tonight’s What’d You Do This Weekend! Pinned 🙂
I can not wait to try this!!! I wanted to let you know I will be featuring this post tomorrow on Tuesday with a Twist on my blog. Please stop by for a peek. 🙂 Have a great day.
I love this and can not wait to try it. I wanted to let you know I will be featuring this post tomorrow on Tuesday with a Twist on my blog. Please stop by for a peek. 🙂 Have a great day.
These look so good I can practically smell them! 🙂 I love the scent of fall candles, and I never thought they’d be so easy to make! Thank you so much for sharing!
I always get nervous burning store-bought candles because you don’t really know what chemicals you could be breathing in. I will have to try this out… it looks super easy! Who knew?!
I tried making these today and they look super pretty and I love them, but it seems like most of the scent (I did pumpkin pie spice, with a little extra cinnamon) just sunk to the bottom of the candle… so mine just smell like honey 🙂 Maybe once they get down really low I’ll smell the spices. Haha! Did you have this problem?
Hmm, I didn’t but I guess I tend to pour my candles in small layers. I pour the bottom and let it harden just a bit before pouring more and so on…I will edit the post to add that in.
That’s a great idea to do it in layers. I think I’ll re-melt it and try it again that way. Thanks!
My little girls and I made the candles yesterday. We had so much fun and they were so simple. To be honest I thought we would have a drippy mess but to my surprise it was a mess free project. I love the idea of using a quart jar to melt the wax. We found the bees wax to be expensive so we used soy wax shavings instead. We found jars at the dollar store and used some pumpkin pie spice that had recently expired as our scent. We decided to follow another post you have about using glue sticks to apply Epsom salt to the outside. We tied a sheer burgundy ribbon around the bottom. My kids couldn’t have been happier. They want to do this again. They made one as a birthday gift for their grandmother “nana” and can’t wait to give it to her tonight. My husband said they looked wonderful. Thank you Merissa, for all of your creative ideas.
I’m so glad you had fun together making this project! 🙂
I am new to candle making so any help is fantastic!
I was wondering are you using powdered spices? Do they clump up with the wax??
Thus far I have only used oils (the ones you put in an oil burner) and they turn out ok but the scent isn’t very strong…. Thanks for the tutorial!
When you say to add spices such as cinnamon, do you mean the same cinnamon you would put on food, or do you mean a cinnamon fragrance?
Spices like you would use on food.
How much (tablespoon?) of spice should we add? Heading to dollar store now!
It depends on the spice you use and the amount of scent that you want to add but at least a tablespoon or two is a good starter.
Great post! Our family is doing a “DIY Christmas” this year – all gifts must be handmade. I’ve never tried making candles and I’ve been looking for the perfect tutorial. I think this will be one of my go to gift projects! I can’t wait to try different scent combinations.
What a great idea to use spice in the candle making! I made some candles yesterday and would have loved to experiment with spices from the cupboard. Next time for sure. Thanks for sharing!
I love this idea and would really love to try this, but… I cannot find the “recipes” on this page for how to make the different fall scents. Thanks for any help!
Can I sub almond oil for coconut oil or does that affect the burn?
I have not used almond oil before so I’m not sure how that would effect it.
Thanks so much for joining in the fun at Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop!!!
hi there. I really enjoyed this tutorial. However, I am not sure if anyone else had the same problem, but the candle tutorial also pops up when you try to click on the homemade sandwich bags. I am really curious to also see the sandwich bag tutorial so I thought I would let you know about this issue. Thanks for sharing all your great ideas!!
Here is a link to the Homemade Sandwich Bags. I will check into the issue!
Im looking for balsam sents and i cant find it any where im retired and looking for a hobby to do and haveing a hard time getting sents.
Juniper berries, not too many, though, and maybe a pulverised twig of cedar or cedar wood. Remember, leaves and wood have water in them too. Also, too much per quart jar can make a dangerously hot flame.
Making my first candles today – thanks for all the information and I love your site.
Are you saying dry spices or liquid spices/extracts?
Liquid spices. I wouldn’t use liquid extracts as they would contain alcohol.
Will definitely try these. Thank you
Love your site. I love making things yourself. Ty
I’m going to make these fall scented candles using the Oui Yoplait yogurt jars. My daughter is having a baby in January and her younger sister wants to have a baby shower and in early November and I think these would be cute as little take home gifts for those that attend.
Great idea to repurpose those jars!