Make Your Own Crayon Nail Polish and Wow Mom Today

Looking to give Mom something truly one-of-a-kind? You can easily make custom crayon nail polish in an hour or two — that means no special skills needed.

Why Crayon Nail Polish?

One rainy afternoon I put the project to the test, slightly skeptically but also intrigued. And two hours later, I was in possession of a bottle of shimmery polish in lavender that looked as if it came from a boutique. 

Here’s the trick: Crayons melt into bright pigments that easily blend with a clear nail polish base. The result? Colors so bright, they’d give a unicorn a run for its money.

Materials You’ll Need

Before you get started, assemble these supplies: (Pro tip: They are mostly stashed in your junk drawer or craft closet.)

Item	What It Does
Crayons	The star of the show—broken into tiny pieces
Clear nail polish base	Acts as the “glue” for your color
Empty polish bottles	Clean and ready to fill (15ml size works best)
Mini funnel	Prevents messy spills
Mixing balls	Tiny metal beads that blend the polish
Oven-safe dish	For melting crayons

Step 1: Prep Those Crayons

Peel. Break. Done. Seriously, that’s it. I made it with old crayons our kids rejected — the broken ones melt faster. Choose to sort by hue if you prefer a single shade, or add a few together to create your own custom blend. (My favorite combo? Pink + gold = rose gold magic.)

Why small pieces? Big chunks, no matter how much you’ve grated or crushed them, take forever to melt and leave clumps. Think confetti-sized bits.

Step 2: Melt the Crayons 

Oven method wins. Microwave melting is a crapshoot — blobs of unevenness are the rule. Preheat your oven to 300°F (150°C), place some bits of crayon on a baking tray lined with foil paper and bake for 10-12min. You’ll know it’s done when the wax is shiny and flowing like honey.

Pro tip: Give it a halfway stir with a toothpick to help prevent hot spots.

Step 3: Mix with Nail Polish Base

Now for the fun part. Step 5 Pour melted wax into a transparent polish base in a bowl. Ratios matter:

• Lightly tinted colour: ¼ tsp wax per 15ml bottle
• Bright colour ½ tsp wax per a 15ml bottle

Mix as though you were brewing some kind of potion (the mixture will visibly bulk up as it cools). Here I added just a smudge of cosmetic glitter for that extra sparkle.

Step 4: Bottle It Up

Use a small funnel to pour the mixture into an empty bottles. Drop 2-3 mixing balls into each bottle, and then close the lid. ‘Give it a really good shake for 60 seconds. Yes, like you’re mad at it. The balls will clink around and become homogenous.

Step 5: Test, Gift, Repeat

Swipe it onto your nails — you’ve got couture polish. The first coat can be streaky but the second coat looks salon-quality. Put it in cute box and accompany it with a note: “Made with love (and crayons).”

Key Stats to Nail Your Project

• Bottle Size: 15ml (typical for DIY)
• Melt time: 10-12 minutes at 300 degrees Fahrenheit
• Minutes to shake: 60 (no taking the easy way out!)
• Makes: 3 bottles; 20 minutes + fermenting time
• Proportion of pigment: ¼–½ teaspoon per bottle

Pro Tips for Next-Level Polish

1. Mixing 101: Combine blue + yellow crayons for your own green. Practice moderation with the use of white crayon.
2. Ethical Sparkle: Reach for mica powder by cruelty-free companies.
3. Layer It: Start with a base of melted gold crayon, then dip a brush into silver glitter.
4. Kid-Friendly Hack: Allow tots to choose colors— they’ll enjoy watching the magic happen.

Final Thoughts

This project is not just nail polish — it’s putting a little bit of childhood nostalgia into something Mom will cherish. Go make her day. (And make yourself a second bottle while you’re at it.)