Fire Starter Pine Cones DIY With Scented Essential Oils

The top question most people ask about fire starters pine cones is if they work. The answer is yes. Aside from making a really interesting decoration during the holiday season, fire starter pine cones really can help you get a fire going. They catch fire easily and burn hot enough to sustain a fire and keep it going as you add your firewood to the flame. Because of the purpose and the combustible nature of fire starter pine cones, you should exercise caution wherever you use and store these items.

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Not Just for Fire Starting

Fire starter pine cones are a practical piece of decor to have on hand, but they serve as more than just a centrepiece, a Christmas ornament, or a fire building tool. You can formulate your pine cones to contribute your favourite aroma or turn the flames into different colours. According to BirdsandBlooms.com, you can create different solutions with chemicals such as boric acid and strontium chloride to produce green or red flames. You can also use essential oils to make your pine cones burn with whatever scent you like.

Clean Your Pine Cones!

Whenever you craft with pine cones or bring pine cones out of the wild for display, you should always clean them out. They often have bugs inside that you will want removed before you use them for yourself. Pine cones can also contain sap, which is not easy to clean and can cause problems if you use them in an outdoor fireplace or hearth.

There are a few ways to eliminate pests from pine cones in addition to simply shaking the cones and searching for them. One way is to submerge them in a solution of water and vinegar then let them soak for about 20-30 minutes. The other way is to bake them. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees and bake them on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet. Watch for the pine cones to expand and open up. check after 30 minutes and remove with tongs when finished. Make sure your pine cones are dry before crafting them; otherwise they can cause popping in the fire. 

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Fire Starter Pine Cones DIY With Scented Essential Oils

Did you know that the wax will make the pine cones burn longer? If you have wood that may not be so quick to start or is not quite dry enough to catch quickly, pine cone fire starters will work well.

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Fire Starter Pine Cones Supplies

• 8-10 pine cones
• 6 cups of grated beeswax (You’ll need to grate a block of beeswax using a cheese grater to get the right amount for your recipe) OR purchase beeswax pellets/pastilles.
• Essential oil (pick your favourite scent)
• Candle colouring or natural dye (3 colours and don’t use food colouring it will just sink to the bottom of the wax and it won’t mix in.)
• Double boiler or saucepan (You can use old coffee cans for the top boiler)
• 3 disposable tin bowls or coffee cans
• String
• Tongs

How To Make The Fire Starter Pine Cones

• 1. Take about 1 foot of string and wrap it around the pine cone. Tie it at the top with a loop.

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• 2. Melt the beeswax in a double boiler or saucepan you don’t mind getting waxy or use a coffee can for the top boiler.
• 3. Once the wax is melted (between 150 and 175 degrees), portion out into disposable tin bowls (1 bowl per colour chosen or keep the coffee can and use 1 for each colour for the top boiler) and add colouring and essential oil. You will need about 6 drops of essential oils per tin bowl.

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• 4. Hold the loop at top of pine cones and dip them into hot wax or use tongs to coat the pine cone thoroughly. Be careful with hot wax.
• 5. Let them dry between coats on a parchment lined tray.
• 6. I did two coats and that worked well for me.
• 7. When you are ready to use, light and toss into the fire.

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HOW TO USE FIRE STARTER PINE CONES

Place the pine cones among your kindling when starting a fire and light the wick. Afterwards, simply watch your fire come to life!

Helpful Tips

1. I would recommend to use these fire starter pine cones outside too, these are the perfect bonfire addition.
2. Be sure to have your chimney cleaned every single spring to prevent chimney fire.
3. It’s a good idea to make your own research to make sure pine cone fire starters are a good option for your stove or fireplace.
4. Using beeswax is better for fire starters as it burns much more cleanly than other types of wax.
5. Please use caution when you are near fire. Always be aware of your surroundings. Use these fire starter pine cones at your own risk.
6. You can certainly turn these into the perfect decoration centrepiece for your home or for wedding favours.

I hope you enjoyed my Fire Starter Pine Cones DIY With Scented Essential Oils as much as I did! If you make it, please share your photos with us on Facebook or Twitter! Also, check out all of our other crafts!

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Fire Starter Pine Cones DIY

Yield: 8-10

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Additional Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Difficulty: medium

Estimated Cost: $25

Fire starter pine cones are a practical piece of decor to have on hand, but they serve as more than just a centrepiece or a fire building tool.

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Materials

• 8-10 pine cones
• 6 cups of grated beeswax (You’ll need to grate a block of beeswax using a cheese grater to get the right amount for your recipe) OR purchase beeswax pellets/pastilles.
• Essential oil (pick your favourite scent)
• Candle colouring or natural dye (3 colours and don’t use food colouring it will just sink to the bottom of the wax and it won’t mix in.)
• Double boiler or saucepan (You can use old coffee cans for the top boiler)
• 3 disposable tin bowls or coffee cans
• String
• Tongs

Instructions

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1. Take about 1 foot of string and wrap it around the pine cone. Tie it at the top with a loop.

Pin

2. Melt the beeswax in a double boiler or saucepan you don’t mind getting waxy or use a coffee can for the top boiler.

3. Once the wax is melted (between 150 and 175 degrees), portion out into disposable tin bowls (1 bowl per colour chosen or keep the coffee can and use 1 for each colour for the top boiler) and add colouring and essential oil. You will need about 6 drops of essential oils per tin bowl.

4. Hold the loop at top of pine cones and dip them into hot wax or use tongs to coat the pine cone thoroughly. Be careful with hot wax.

5. Let them dry between coats on a parchment lined tray.

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6. I did two coats and that worked well for me.

7. When you are ready to use, light and toss into the fire.

Notes

HOW TO USE PINE CONE FIRE STARTERS

Place the pine cones among your kindling when starting a fire and light the wick. Afterwards, simply watch your fire come to life!

HELPFUL TIPS

1. I would recommend to use these outside too, these are the perfect bonfire addition.
2. Be sure to have your chimney cleaned every single spring to prevent chimney fire.
3. It’s a good idea to make your own research to make sure pine cone fire starters are a good option for your stove or fireplace.
4. Using beeswax is better for fire starters as it burns much more cleanly than other types of wax.
5. Please use caution when you are near fire. Always be aware of your surroundings. Use these fire starter pine cones at your own risk.
6. You can certainly turn these into the perfect decoration centrepiece for your home or for wedding favours.