How to Color Beads

Here's a quick tutorial on how to color your aroma beads. I prefer to color them after they are scented, when I know what shape I am going to make with them.

Prefer to watch? Scroll to the bottom to see a video!

Materials:

• Scented beads

• Mica or pigment powder

• Something to hold the beads (plastic cup, container, mason jar)

• Plastic spoon or a small mica spoon like these

See basic supplies here for more information on suppliers for these items.

Step 1: Measure Beads

Decide how many beads you want to color. You can color a large batch at once or pour the plain beads into your cutter that you're going to make.

Once you've decided how much you're going to add color to, put them into the container, cup, or mason jar that you have.

Step 2: Add Mica or Pigment Powder

Less is more. Let me say that again for the people in the back. Less is more! Nothing will ruin your freshie faster than adding too much mica powder.

It will affect the scent, the cook time, make it difficult for the beads to stick together, and get powder everywhere.

Hopefully that convinced you. If not, you'll learn the hard way.

I shake a little into my cup as pictured. I gently tap the side to get some to come out. If you don't trust yourself to do this, put a little mica onto the tip of a spoon or the little spatulas mentioned in the supplies. Until you get a feel for the right amount, err on the side of too little. I'll post pictures below showing too little, just right, and too much.

Step 3: Shake

Put the lid on the jar or container, or stick your hand over the cup. Anything to help cover the top.

Shake until the mica is evenly distributed throughout all of the beads. It may seem like you don't have enough in the beginning, but the more you shake the better it will look.

If you didn't add enough, add a little more in and shake again. Keep adding until you get a dark color but the beads don't look dusty.

See images below:

Gold/brown- Too much mica. The sides of your container shouldn't be coated and if you touch the beads it shouldn't rub off onto your fingers

Yellow- Good amount. The color is spread evenly but the beads don't look chalky or dusty. If you touch them, there isn't residue left.

Purple- Too few. Many of the beads still have a clear look and the purple isn't very dark.

If you accidentally add too much mica, you can always add more beads to help even it out. Just keep adding until it looks like the right amount.

That's it! If you have color left over after your project, you can store it in a glass container or in a plastic container marked with a 5. You can also store them in a polypropylene bag.

I like to keep some of every color on hand for my main line of scents. This saves me lots of time and makes it quick to process orders because the colors are already mixed up.

---