How to Make Fake Snow – Non-Toxic Artificial Snow Recipes

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How to Make Fake Snow
It’s easy to make fake snow using simple household ingredients. Add enough of the liquid ingredient to get the desired consistency.

It’s easy to make fake snow or artificial snow that is non-toxic, feels wet and cold, and is moldable into snowmen and other shapes. Here are six easy fake snow recipes that use common household ingredients. The white fluffy material is either baking soda, corn starch, or sodium polyacrylate. The liquid part is water, conditioner, shaving cream, lotion, or water. Choose the ingredients that work best for your needs. Avoid lotion, conditioner, or shaving cream if you think young explorers or pets might taste the snow.

Make Fake Snow Using Baking Soda and Shaving Cream

Baking soda and shaving cream fake snow feels cool to the touch. You can mold the snow into shapes. Use peppermint-scented or pine-scented shaving cream for extra appeal. This fake snow is not edible.

  1. Pour a box of baking soda into a bowl.
  2. Mix in shaving cream bit by bit until you have the desired consistency.
  3. Add glitter, if desired.

Baking Soda and Conditioner Artificial Snow

Fake snow made using baking soda and conditioner packs well for making snowmen, snowballs, and igloos. You can touch it, but don’t eat it. Choose a white conditioner for the most realistic-looking snow.

  • Baking soda
  • Conditioner
  1. Pour about a half a cup of conditioner into a bowl.
  2. Using a fork, mix in 2-½ to 3 cups of baking soda.
  3. Fluff the snow using the fork.

This is a cost-effective fake snow recipe. Just multiply the recipe for large batches of snow!

Fake Snow With Baking Soda, Corn Starch, and Water

This snow is light and powdery. It’s best for decorating and playing, not for molding into shapes.

  • Baking soda
  • Corn starch
  • Water
  1. Mix equal parts baking soda and corn starch. This recipe works with only baking soda or only corn starch, although the artificial snow texture changes.
  2. Mix in water, a little at a time, until you achieve the desired texture.

This is another cost-effective recipe. Make as much fake snow as you need. While not exactly tasty, this fake snow recipe is edible.

Corn Starch and Lotion Fake Snow

This fake snow recipe smells nice and won’t strip oils from your hands, but it’s not edible. The resulting snow is powdery and crumbly.

  • Corn starch
  • Lotion
  1. Mix equal parts corn starch and skin lotion.
  2. Use more corn starch for dry snow that looks realistic.

Corn Starch and Shaving Cream Fake Snow

Corn starch and shaving cream fake snow has a smooth, moldable texture. It is not edible. Choose a festive shaving cream scent, if you like.

  • Corn starch
  • Shaving cream foam
  1. Mix equal parts corn starch and shaving cream.
  2. Add more shaving cream if the artificial snow is crumbly.

How to Make Fake Snow With Sodium Polyacrylate

Sodium polyacrylate is a non-toxic polymer that absorbs water. Products containing it include diapers, toys that grow in water, water-retaining gel for plants, and commercial products labelled “fake snow.” Either collect sodium polyacrylate from the products that contain it or else purchase it from a garden center. This fake snow is mostly water, so it’s wet. It’s cool to the touch, but chill it in the refrigerator or freeze it if you want frosty snow. It’s re-usable. If it dries out, just add more water. It’s safe to throw away when you’re done with the project.

  • Sodium polyacrylate
  • Water
  1. Add water to sodium polyacrylate until you have the desired consistency.
  2. Fluff snow.

Add more water for wetter snow or more sodium polyacrylate for drier snow. This snow best resembles real snow, as it is transparent. It does not pack well into snowballs, however. The pure polymer does not irritate skin, but sometimes the product has a bit of acrylic acid left over from manufacturing, which can cause a rash. Because it’s so wet and squishy, the artificial snow may make surfaces slippery.

About Sodium Polyacrylate

Sodium polyacrylate is a polymer with the chemical formula [−CH2−CH(CO2Na)−]n. It absorbs between 100 and 1000 times its mass in water. The US Department of Agriculture gets credit for inventing the substance in the early 1960s as a soil amendment. In addition to many practical uses, sodium polyacrylate is the material used to make the Fortune Teller Miracle Fish.

Other Types of Artificial Snow

Other options for artificial snow include potato flakes, chopped white feathers, crushed cereal, shredded plastic, cotton, and soap flakes. These types of fake snow most often find use in cinema. They simulate falling snow or snow drifts.

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