Hair glitter seems to be everywhere right now. I mean did it ever go away? I remember slathering myself in glitter gel as a teenager in the 90’s. Little did I know how easy it is to make this stuff!
I was recently on a mission to outfit my daughter and her BFF for our trip to Disneyland. I didn’t want to shell out the $$ for a Bibbidi Bobbedi Boutique make-over. I had seen this chunky hair glitter gel at a couple craft fairs and in various retail stores and I knew it would be perfect for Disneyland.
The gels I have seen out and about are selling for upwards of $10.00 or more for smaller containers! I knew I could make it for way cheaper and customized to my daughter’s obsession with Disney Princesses.
I let my daughter and another friend test out the glitter gel at a local school picnic and we couldn’t get 5 feet without someone asking us where we got the hair glitter. I should have set up a booth!
This is honestly the easiest DIY ever!
Supplies:
- Cute containers – I used these ones from Hobby Lobby, Target and Ikea. You can also buy the mini-Mason jars in a 24 pack on Amazon – perfect for party favors!
- Clear Hair Gel – I got this tub at Target. You get a ton of gel for only $3! I still have a bunch left over.
- Glitter – lots and lots of glitter. I had a lot of glitter on hand in my craft stash, but I purchased a couple more colors at Hobby Lobby and Michaels.
- A bowl and spoon for mixing.
- Ziplock bag to “pipe” the gel into your cute container.
Step 1:
Round up your containers of choice. I used plastic Artist Jars from the Hobby Lobby for my first batch as we were traveling to California and I didn’t want to take glass on the airplane. They worked great and have kept the gel nice and moist (eeewwww… I said moist. Yuck.).
I decided to whip up another batch for a friend’s birthday. I went with these adorable mini-Mason Jars. I also have several of these little glass jars from Ikea which would work great as well.
Step 2:
Grab a bowl and a spoon. I’m going to be really precise with my measurements here…put a “glob” of gel into the bowl. Precise enough for you? The first time I made the glitter gel I mixed it directly in the container. Do whatever works for your container. If the container has a narrow opening, like the mini-Mason jar, I recommend you mix the glitter gel in a bowl first.
Step 3:
This is the fun part. Pour a “bunch” (also a precise measurement) of glitter into the gel. You can always add a little more gel if you think there is too much glitter. I found that the chunkier glitter shows up in the hair the best. I also add some smaller glitter (NOT the super fine kind) to add more color. Here are the combinations I used:
For Belle I used this chunky gold glitter from Hobby Lobby and this finer gold glitter from Michaels. This glitter looks awesome too!
For Rapunzel I went with a mix of purple glitter and square confetti glitter in the color “Lakefront” to mimic the floating lanterns. I also like this pink glitter.
Sleeping Beauty needs pink glitter of course! I used this chunky glitter and this finer version.
For Elsa and Cinderella I used a mix of chunky light blue glitter in Tourmaline and a fine silver blue glitter.
I also came across this “festival glitter” that looks awesome. It is chunky, has cool shapes and comes in a lot of colors! I’m also a sucker for names like: Silver Holographic, Unicorn, Mermaid, Gold Rockstar,Fairy Dust, Rose Gold, Icon, Superstar and Mermaid Lagoon. I think I’m going to grab some for my next batch of glitter gel! Because this glitter comes in a smaller container, I recommend only mixing a bit with gel when you are planning to use it rather than making it in a bulk batch.
Step 4:
Spoon the glitter gel into a sealable sandwich bag and cut off one corner.
Step 5:
“Pipe” (a.k.a. squeeze) the glitter gel into your container.
Application:
Simply apply to the hair with your fingers or with a hair dye applicator brush.
The Final Result!
These make awesome party favors or gifts too! Just tie a cute ribbon around the top.
Aren’t these mini-Mason jars the cutest thing you have ever seen?!
Wash out!
The Goose has super curly hair that gets easily matted (a problem I have only recently resolved – more on that later). Even with her crazy hair, this gel washed out easily. I use a detachable shower head and simply rinsed from the top of her head while shaking my hands through her curls. This is why I do not recommend extra fine glitter. The chunky glitter is so much easier to see in the hair and way easier to wash out!
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