How to Make Fake Snow and DIY Mini Snowmen

Indoor Snow for Simple Crafts

There are all sorts of fake snow recipes and the one you’ll need depends entirely on what you want to do with it. The one I’m showing you here is for very simple crafting of little snowmen or snowanimals (new word) for display indoors. They make really sweet place markers for a dinner table as you will see below.

The recipe used only requires two ingredients: baking soda and hair conditioner. With the right proportions, they bind together to form a snow-like material. And no, it’s not cold to touch, but, oddly enough, it does resemble snow both by looks and feel.

This is what I would call a temporary craft. While the snowmen will last indefinitely, this is only if they are left alone. The ‘snow’ is fairly crumbly so they can’t be played with or knocked about.

If you plan to do this with children, be sure to make some ahead of time so you can understand what it’s like first. A child who enjoys fine motor skills and has a steady hand will enjoy it. One who is accustomed to Play-Doh, which is quite stretchy and forgiving, will probably not enjoy it.

Other recipes I’ve seen use shaving cream instead of hair conditioner. I find the shaving cream does make a firmer snow ball (one you can throw), but it tends to have a stinky scent (to me). Other people say they just use baking soda and water. I’ve never found it binds as well as hair conditioner.

Also, if you use the recipe here, when you are done with your snowmen, just remove the embellishments, and use the ‘snow’ to clean sinks or your bathtub. It works very nicely. No waste!

If you just want something that looks like snow for an indoor, winter fairy garden, but do not wish to make snowmen, coarse table salt looks really pretty, especially with fairy lights shining through the salt crystals. Just add some fairy garden accessories and you’re done.

Now let’s make some snow.

Watch the Video

How to Make Fake Snow

Recipe

• 1 part Hair conditioner* (white, not coloured or it might tint your snow)
  The exact amount needed varies depending on how watery the hair conditioner is. Add it gradually, as instructed below.
• 6 parts Baking soda (bicarbonate soda)

Examples

Make 4 snowmen (3″ tall) and a critter 

• ¼ cup Hair conditioner
• 1 ½ cups Baking soda

Make 8 snowmen (3″ tall) and a critter

• ½ cup Hair conditioner
• 3 cups Baking soda

Make 12 snowmen (3″ tall) and a critter

• ¾ cup Hair conditioner
• 4 ½ cups Baking soda

Steps

1  Measure the ingredients

For the snowman scene you see pictured in this article, I used ¼ cup Hair conditioner and 1 ½ cups Baking soda.

2  Combine the baking soda and hair conditioner in a mixing dish or bowl.

Some brands of hair conditioner are quite watery and you’ll need less of it. Some are quite thick and you’ll need more.

Add the hair conditioner gradually. Mix it with the baking soda and check for it to become clumpy. You want to be able to form the snow into balls.

When you can form a snow ball that doesn’t crumble, it’s ready.

Congratulations, you are now a snow maker.

Make Mini Snowmen with Fake Snow

Here’s some tips for making snowmen like these ones.

I used small beads like the ones you see here for the faces. If you like the classic look, you could also make a carrot nose with polymer clay. This post shares how to make little charms and more.

The arms are twigs from a lilac bush. Anything will do.

The snowmen are in a glass pie dish which is sitting on a silver serving tray.

I added ‘snow’ on the ground using more baking soda, as well as glitter pinecones, and mini twinkle lights which are battery powered. I love the micro lights on thin copper wires.

Table Decor

Another fun idea is to put the snowman in a champagne glass. You can get the little blackboard signs here on Amazon or at a dollar store. This is a fun idea for place cards at a holiday table.

I hope you enjoyed this project. As mentioned, it really is super simple. The snowman won’t last forever, but it’s a fun project to do with kids.

~Melissa the Empress of Dirt ♛