How to Make Glow in the Dark Aroma Beads

Glow in the dark aroma beads are super fun and easy to make. To make aroma beads glow in the dark, all you need is luminescent pigment. It’s just like making a regular batch of aroma beads with mica powder. The only change is that you’ll swap out the mica powder for some glow in the dark pigment powder.

The best part of this project is that our luminescent pigments don’t just glow, they also contain pigment similar to mica powder. Whereas most other glow in the dark powders are white in color, ours are brightly colored with additional pigments. That means you can still make colorful aroma beads that also glow!

How to Make Aroma Beads that Glow in the Dark

If you’re familiar with making aroma beads, this project will be a breeze for you. In fact, if you are experienced with aroma beads, this project is as easy as swapping out mica powder for glow in the dark powder. The beads will cure and bake the same as any other aroma bead project.

You may find that you need slightly more glow powder compared to the amount of mica you would normally use. Feel free to start with a small amount and work your way up if you decide more pigment is needed. You will want to avoid using too much glow powder. Just like mica, the beads can only handle a certain amount of powder pigment before it no longer sticks.

Note that while your beads are in the jar, the glowing effect won’t be very strong. In fact, you might not notice much of a glow at all while the beads are in the jar. Don’t worry – they will definitely glow once they are dry and removed from the jar.

Luminescent powder needs to be charged with light in order for it to glow in the dark. The reason they won’t glow much in the jar is that the beads need direct light exposure in order to be charged. The glass will obscure too much of the light to let the beads get fully charged by light.

Steps for Making Glow in the Dark Aroma Beads

If you haven’t made aroma beads before, follow these super easy steps to create your own batch of glow in the dark aroma beads! This tutorial explains how to make a 12 oz batch of aroma beads. If you want to make a larger amount, simply adjust the ingredients accordingly.

Supplies you need for this tutorial include:

Supplies and ingredients for this project can be purchased at our store NorthWoodCandleSupply.com

Use your scale and measuring beaker to weigh 0.5 oz of fragrance oil (see photos 1 & 2 below). It may help to use a pipette to transfer the oil into the measuring beaker.
Add the fragrance you measured to the glass jar (photo 3).
Wearing a face mask, add 6-12 micro scoops of glow in the dark powder to the jar with the fragrance (photo 5).
Swirl the jar to combine the powder and the fragrance (photo 6).
Place the jar on the scale and tare it to zero (photo 7).
Add 12 oz of aroma beads to the jar (photos 8 & 9).
Tightly screw on the lid. Shake the jar to disperse all of the color evenly onto the beads (photo 10).
Shake the jar every few hours until the beads appear dry and no longer stick to the sides. For best results, shake the jar for 30 seconds to 1 minute each time you shake it.

how to make glow in the dark aroma beads

Adding More Fragrance to Your Aroma Beads

After the beads are dry, check that you like the scent. If you want to add more fragrance, you may add 0.5 oz of additional fragrance oil to the jar. Replace the lid and continue shaking every few hours until the fragrance you just added has absorbed.

For 12 oz of beads, we don’t recommend adding more than 0.5 oz of fragrance at a time. Remember aroma beads can hold up to 20-30 percent fragrance by weight, but you must add the fragrance slowly and let it fully absorb each time. Adding too much fragrance at once will result in the beads being unable to absorb the fragrance.

When are my glow in the dark aroma beads ready?

The beads are ready to use as soon as they appear dry and no longer stick to the sides of the jar. If any beads are still sticking to the jar, they’re not ready yet. You can tell for sure when the beads are ready because they will be dry to the touch.

Ready to start making projects with your new luminescent aroma beads? Check out our fun tutorial for making glow in the dark car freshies! This tutorial shows you how to bake your aroma beads into fun shapes.