DIY cinnamon candle - two ways

I have this thing about candles. There, I've said it! If you follow me on Instagram, you might think I have a thing about lanterns. It's true, but mostly it's the candles that get me every time. Flickering candles, a nice cuppa, and my favorite magazine – that's what I call bliss! Today, I'm sharing my favorite DIY cinnamon candle with you. As with most of my DIYs, these natural cinnamon candles are quick and easy to make – unless you're filming and photographing the whole process, then not so much 😉

Ditch the toxic paraffin wax candles and learn how to make these natural cinnamon-scented candles instead. This easy DIY cinnamon candle made with either soy or beeswax is perfect for holiday gifting at this time of year. Follow the simple recipe and step-by-step tutorial for the best results.

This was inspired by my post 'How to make calming scented soy candles'. See that post for more tips on making candles with soy flakes. You can also download some free labels from that post.

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Table of contents

• Save it for later
• Before we start, a note about candle scents
• DIY Cinnamon candle – two ways
• Ingredients
• Equipment
• Shop the post
• How to remove a label from a glass jar
• How to remove glue residue from glass
• When to add essential oil to candles
• How do you stick a candle wick into a jar?
• When to add essential oil to soy wax
• How much essential oil do you put in candles?
• Pouring your Cinnamon Candle
• Variation
• DIY Cinnamon candles – with beeswax
• How soon can you burn a candle after making it?
• How to keep candles smelling good
• How long do scented candles take to smell?
• WATCH IT ON YOUTUBE
• 📖 Recipe
• Essential Oils Safety
• Other posts you may enjoy
• Sign up for our Newsletter

Before we start, a note about candle scents

Not all candle scents are created equal. The DIY cinnamon candles I'm making today are made with natural ingredients. I'm using cinnamon essential oil, natural cinnamon powder, cinnamon sticks, and star anise to scent my candles.

Don't confuse cinnamon essential oil with cinnamon aroma/fragrance oil. Aroma or fragrance oils will have a much stronger smell although, most contain toxins that can harm your health.

The reason I started making candles in the first place was that I got a headache every time I had a candle burning. So almost every day! Most commercial candles are made from paraffin wax and scented with strong aroma oils – double toxin alert! Needless to say, I don't get headaches from candles anymore 🙂

DIY Cinnamon candle – two ways

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Ingredients

• Soy Flakes
• Pure beeswax
• Ground Cinnamon
• Cinnamon essential oil (See note below)
• Cinnamon sticks
• Star Anise

See the recipe card for quantities.

Equipment

• Empty glass jars (with lids) or
• Weck glasses (with lids) or
• Candle tins (with lids)
• Double boiler or
• Small saucepan and
• Heatproof jug
• Candle wicks
• Wax buttons

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First, measure out your soy flakes. If you fill the glass jar with soy flakes twice, that will give you the correct amount of wax for one candle.

Add the soy wax flakes to your double boiler if you have one. I don't, but I get the same effect by hooking a heatproof glass jug over a small saucepan of water. You only need a small amount of water because when you place the glass jug into the saucepan, the water will disperse up the sides. The glass jug mustn't touch the bottom of the saucepan. If it does, the wax may burn.

TIP: Make sure that no water gets into the wax because this will ruin your candle.

Stir the wax flakes over medium heat until they have completely melted. I buy my soy flakes here.

Whilst the soy flakes are melting, you can prepare some glass jars.

How to remove a label from a glass jar

Score the label with a knife.

Immerse the glass jars in warm soapy water and let soak for a few minutes.

The labels should rub off easily.

How to remove glue residue from glass

If after removing the label, there is still some glue residue left on the glass or lid, here's a simple trick to help you remove it. (I bet you knew that was coming, didn't you?)

Pour a drop of Olive Oil onto the glue reside and top with a small amount of baking soda.

Rub the oil/baking soda mix into the glue reside.

Next, you'll need to use an extremely specialized tool (e.g. your fingernail) to scrape away the glue. If you've bitten your nails down to the quick, you really will need to use a specialized tool for this bit (e.g. a scraper!).

Wash the glass with hot soapy water to remove the oil/baking soda mix.

Voila! The glue is gone!

When to add essential oil to candles

Remove the glass jug from the saucepan and place it on a cooling rack for a few minutes.

If you have a kitchen thermometer handy, use that to measure the temperature of the melted soy wax. Once the wax cools to around 150 Fahrenheit/65 Celcius, you can add the cinnamon essential oil.

I don't have a thermometer. I've been meaning to get one for ages but it's one of those things that you make a mental note to get when you're in the middle of a project but then immediately forget about once the project is finished! Well, at least that's me, maybe you're more organized!

How do you stick a candle wick into a jar?

Press a wax button onto the metal part of the wick and push the whole thing down onto the middle of the glass jar to secure.

TIP: Instead of wax buttons, you could hold a lit candle over the jar and let some wax drop onto the center of the glass. Then push the metal part of the wick into the wax before it becomes too hard. Another way to secure a candle wick is to pour a small amount of the melted soy wax into the bottom of the jar. Once the wax has cooled off and before it gets hard, push a wick into the center of the glass jar.

When to add essential oil to soy wax

So how do you know when soy wax is at the right temperature to add the essential oils to your DIY cinnamon candle?

Well, I'm giving you my trick for adding essential oil to candle wax without using a thermometer.

Wait!

No, really, that's it - just, wait! It's an amazing trick, I know! Ah, but there's more to it than that. You have to wait until the glass jug has cooled enough so you can hold it in your hands without saying "ouch!".

That's when you know when to add the essential oils to the wax!

If you add the essential oil when the wax is still hot, the oil will evaporate and the fragrance will be gone - we don't want that.

If you are going to all this trouble to make cinnamon-scented candles, they had better be good! We want them to smell so good that when you burn one, your neighbors will start drooling, thinking that you're cooking up a storm of Christmas cookies! Well, OK, that's going a bit far. If that happens, then you've definitely gone overboard in the essential oil department – just saying!

How much essential oil do you put in candles?

That depends on the fragrance and the size of the candle. For a strongly scented oil like cinnamon, I add around thirty drops to my jar.

Once the wax has cooled but is still in liquid form, add the cinnamon essential oil. Stir well.

Pouring your Cinnamon Candle

Gently pour some of the melted cinnamon-scented soy wax (that's a mouthful!) into the bottom of the glass and allow it to cool slightly.

Before the wax hardens, place four or five cinnamon sticks around the sides of the glass. They should easily stand up against the glass.

Gently pour the rest of the wax into the glass. If you like, you can drop some chopped cinnamon bark into the candle now and again as you pour in the wax.

To ensure that the wick stays nice and straight, I place a wooden peg across the top of the glass and stand the wick inside it. You can also use two wooden skewers or knives or whatever you have to keep the wick straight whilst the wax cools.

Once the glass is full of lovely cinnamon-scented wax, it's time to add some décor. You can see when the wax is hardening because it becomes opaque instead of clear. When the wax starts to appear opaque, drop in some star anise and maybe a bit more of the cinnamon bark if there's room – go for it!

Variation

DIY Cinnamon candles – with beeswax

To make cinnamon candles with beeswax, you will use the same process as above with one exception:

Once the beeswax has melted, stir in a teaspoon of cinnamon powder.

The cinnamon will change the color of the beeswax a little. You'll end up with a cinnamon candle that looks more like a latte – yum!

To get the ombre effect, I added a small amount of pure beeswax to the top of the candle.

How soon can you burn a candle after making it?

Curing time for Cinnamon candles

You may be tempted to start burning your gorgeous cinnamon candle as soon as it hardens – DON'T!

DIY candles need to cure for a least twenty-four hours. Forty-eight would be better. (Two days).

DO NOT try to speed up the process by putting the candles in the fridge or freezer. The candles will turn out cracked = ruined!

TIP: I get the best results by letting my candles cure slowly on a cooling rack on my kitchen counter.

How to keep candles smelling good

The best way to keep your candles smelling good is to keep the lids on when you are not burning them.

How long do scented candles take to smell?

There needs to be a pool of melted wax in the candle for the aroma to be released.

After the candle has been burning for around an hour, you can put it out if you prefer. The cinnamon scent should stay in the room for a while. Of course, if all the doors and windows are open, the fragrance will be gone in a poof! As cinnamon candles are usually burned in autumn and winter, there's probably no chance of that. In my case, I'm more likely to be burning my candles whilst 'cwtched' up (the Welsh word for snuggled) under a blanky on the sofa, watching a Hallmark Christmas movie. Ooh, I'm already looking forward to that now and it's only the beginning of October – is that too soon do you think?

If you make these candles, I recommend you skip the photography and filming part and go straight to the melting pot. Unless you're a blogger, in which case, please don't forget to give me a shout-out for passing on the tutorial 😉

WATCH IT ON YOUTUBE

If you would rather watch a video tutorial, you can find this project on YouTube here:

How to make a DIY Cinnamon candle - YouTube video tutorial.

A QUICK REMINDER: When attempting any DIY project, please take care to undertake the necessary safety precautions. You should always follow the manufacturer’s safety recommendations when using any product or tool. When following my instructions for a DIY project, you are doing so at your own risk.

Essential Oils Safety

Essential oils can be very powerful but it's important to know how to use them safely. I recommend taking a look at 'Essential Oils Safety' at Organic Aromas before you start.

Happy, smelly candle-making!

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