Mind Jars: Success!!

I did a bit of further research on the glitter being suspended in water topic and the only thing I came across that I had not tried the other day was using cheap hair gel with the glitter glue.  So I went to the nearest Family Dollar and bought "Cra-Z-Art" Glitter Glue Sticks and Family Dollar brand "Mega Mega Hold" styling gel.  My total investment today was $3.

Here's what I came up with:

I feel entirely satisfied with the results!  The glitter doesn't get clumped at the top, nor does it sink to the  bottom within 15 seconds.  It did take some trial and error though.  These were my supplies:

That is a 20 oz. bottle of hair gel and I used more than half of it today for just these 3 jars.  The two taller Mind Jar bottles are 20 oz. each and the smaller one is 12 oz. so there is quite a lot of gel in each one.

For the entire project you will need:

• Empty jars or bottles (I chose plastic, in case one gets dropped... or thrown)
• Cheap Hair Gel
• Glitter Glue - 1 tube per bottle
• Loose Glitter (the smaller, fine glitter worked best for me)
• Food Dye
• Pyrex Measuring Cup for mixing (or any mixing bowl)
• Spoon
• Hot Glue Gun (if you plan to secure the lid to the bottle, which I'd recommend if you plan to have children handling the jars)

I started with a 2 cup Pyrex measuring cup and filled to the 1 c. line with very hot tap water.  I added one full tube of the glitter glue and stirred until dissolved.  I then added 1/2 c. of the hair gel and stirred that until it was dissolved.  Then I added additional glitter -- I used fine glitter rather than course... approximately 1/2 tbs.  I stirred that in and then sifted off additional bubbles and found that some of the glitter had gotten clumpy on the top so I smashed the clumps with my fingers and just kept stirring.  Eventually I realized that at least some of the glitter had defeated me and I just scooped the remaining clumps off the top with the spoon and dumped what I had left into the bottle.  

At that point there were a few inches of space at the top of the bottle and, in my opinion, the glitter was still not staying suspended long enough after a good shake, so I filled the remaining portion of the bottle with half warm water and half hair gel; in total, I estimate I used between 8-10 oz of hair gel in each jar!  

I gave it a few good shakes and watched as the glitter slowly swirled around and eventually settled to the bottom.  Success!!  I also added 1 drop of food dye to each bottle once I was pleased with the consistency.

I noticed that as the water in the bottles cooled, the glitter remained suspended for longer durations.  It takes less than 10 minutes for the glitter to settle so I think it's going to be a helpful tool in lieu of "time out" for my nephew.  He'll be able to shake the bottle and relax for a few minutes... while both he and the glitter settle down.

Here are a few more pictures:

If *I* can make these, anyone can ;)