How to Make Fake Snow

Steps

1. 1. Spray Shaving Foam Into a Container

   The first recipe is one ingredient. Shake a can of shaving foam, hold it over a plastic tub and spray until the tub is heaped over the rim.

   Tip: Foam for sensitive skin tends to be whiter and denser than the standard blue-can stuff, and it holds its shape better once frozen.

   

2. 2. Snap On the Lid and Freeze the Foam

   Press the lid down until it clicks shut all the way around, then stand the tub flat in the freezer. The lid stops the foam drying out and stops the freezer smelling of shaving cream.

   Tip: Freeze it in a few small tubs rather than one big one. You can bring out a fresh cold batch when the first one starts going soft.

   

3. 3. Break the Frozen Foam Into Snow

   Peel the lid off and dig a hand straight into it. The frozen foam breaks into cold crumbly chunks with a texture somewhere between frozen whipped cream and real snow.

   Tip: A snowball mold will not work with this one. Frozen foam is still foam, and it slumps out of the mold before the two halves come apart.

   

4. 4. Mix Equal Parts Baking Soda and Cornstarch

   The second recipe swaps cold for shelf life. Tip equal parts baking soda and cornstarch into a clean dry tub.

   Tip: These are the same two ingredients as baking soda clay. Heat the mix on the stove instead of leaving it cold and you get a modelling dough that dries hard.

   

5. 5. Stir In Water a Few Drops at a Time

   Add water a few drops at a time and stir it through with a spoon after every addition. You need far less than feels right.

   Tip: Use a spray bottle instead of pouring. A few pumps of mist across the surface spreads the water evenly and makes overshooting much harder.

   

6. 6. Squeeze the Powder Snow Into a Shape

   Grab a handful and press it hard between both palms. This batch holds a shape well enough to roll snowballs or fill a mold, and the pressed shape keeps for a minute or two before the edges start shedding.

   Tip: Press the mold shut firmly and open it slowly. Rushing the two halves apart is what snaps the shape in half.

   

7. 7. Spray Shaving Foam Over a Tub of Baking Soda

   Here is the recipe worth making. Pour a thick layer of baking soda into a tub, enough to fill it a few inches deep, then spray shaving foam back and forth across the top.

   Tip: Work in a tub with high sides. Baking soda is light and it puffs up over the edge of a shallow tray the moment you start mixing.

   

8. 8. Work It Into Fluffy White Snow by Hand

   Push your fingers down through the mix and fold it over until the last of the dry powder disappears. It turns bright white and crystalline rather than crumbly, and it comes out cold in your hand even though it never went near the freezer.

   Tip: Nothing here goes to waste. Baking soda and shaving foam is a good scouring paste, so the leftovers clean a sink or a bathtub once the playing is done.

   

9. 9. Compare the Three Batches of Fake Snow

   Line the tubs up and put a hand in each one. Frozen foam feels the closest to real snow and is the only cold option, but it is gone within the hour.

   Tip: Molded figures are the weak spot for all three. The winning mix sticks to plastic better than it sticks to itself, so it tears when you open the mold.