DIYing Just Got Cooler: Here's How to Make Your Own Lava Lamp!

Are you looking to take your DIYing to the next level? Well, we've got the perfect project to add some unique flair to your home; and it's a lot cooler than you think. Let's make your own lava lamp! With a few simple ingredients and some creativity, you can create an eye-catching and mesmerizing piece of décor. Plus, it's a fun way to pass the time; and you don't need to be an expert to make it. So let's get started!

How It Works

Traditional lava lamps also known as liquid motion lamps, are a trademarked model of motion lamps that contain two types of liquids which do not mix, such as oil and water. These two substances have similar densities but are insoluble- which again mean that they don't mix. When the lava lamp is turned on, the light bulb generates heat, causing the bottom of the mixture to get hot and the paraffin wax that it contains to expand, making it less dense and causing it to float up and fall down. In this DIY lava lamp project we are going to create and mimic these scientific properties using a few basic materials.  

Here’s What You’ll Need:

A clear bottle or vase

Vegetable oil

Water

Food coloring (Or gel food coloring)

Alka-Seltzer tablets (Or other fizzing tablets)

Sequins and Glitter (Optional)

Flashlight (Optional)

Step 1: Gather Your Materials

To make your own lava lamp, you will need the following materials: vegetable oil, water, food coloring, Alka Seltzer tablets (or other fizzing tablets), and a clear plastic bottle. Make sure that the bottle is clean and dry before beginning.

Step 2: Fill the Bottle

Fill the plastic bottle approximately halfway with vegetable oil. If you are making multiple lava lamps at once, fill each bottle with the same amount of oil.

Step 3: Color Your Oil

Add several drops of food coloring into the bottle of vegetable oil; and give it a gentle swirl to disperse the color throughout the oil. Feel free to get creative and mix different colors if desired. The number of drops needed will depend on how vibrant you want your lava lamp’s color to be. Start off with a few drops and add more as desired.

Step 4: Add Water

Carefully pour approximately one cup of room temperature water into the bottle so that it sits directly above the layer of colored oil. Be sure not to disturb any of the colored oil while pouring in the water. If you do this correctly, you should now have two distinct layers inside your bottle: one layer made up of colored oil floating atop a layer made up of clear water.

Step 5: Add Fizzing Tablets

Now comes the fun part! Drop an Alka Seltzer tablet (or similar fizzing tablet) into your homemade lava lamp and watch as bubbles begin to form in both layers! Depending on what type of fizzing tablet you use, it may take anywhere from 30 seconds up to several minutes for all of the bubbles to fully form inside both layers. Feel free to add additional tablets if needed until all bubbles have been released into both layers.

Step 6: Wait For Results

Once all bubbles have been released, set aside your homemade lava lamp and wait for it do its magic! As each bubble rises through both layers, they will carry droplets of colored oil along with them until they reach their “burst point” near surface level. When they do, they will release their cargo making beautiful patterns within each layer as they rise and fall back down again before finally popping at the surface level. To bring the colors out, you can illuminate the bottle with a flashlight.

Step 7: Enjoy The Show!       

Now comes time for everyone's favorite part—enjoying your new creation! Your homemade lava lamp should stay active for at least an hour unless additional tablets are added during that time. You can reset everything by adding more tablets or even changing out colors as desired before repeating steps four through seven again- and just enjoy the lava lamp that you have just created!

If you're looking for an easy, budget-friendly way to add a little pizzazz to your home décor, you've got to try making your own lava lamp! Making your own homemade lava lamp can be easy and fun for anyone regardless their age or skill level! You can customize it however you want, and make it as wild or subtle as you'd like.

Whether you're looking for a fun way to pass time with friends or jazz up your living space, DIYing just got cooler. However, if you do not have time to make a lava lamp; then click the button below to see which lava lamps that we have reviewed for you that are already to go so that you can purchase one today!