How to Crystallize a Skull with Borax (Quick Answer)
To crystallize a skull, stir Borax into a pot of boiling water until no more will dissolve and the water is fully saturated. Let it cool slightly, then fully submerge a plastic skull so it is not touching the sides or other objects, facing the direction you want to display it. Leave it completely still for at least 12 hours, ideally overnight, and crystals will grow on every surface that faces up. Here is the full step by step.
How to crystalize anything with one simple household product…Borax! That’s right, good old Borax laundry booster and all natural cleaning product. I know, I didn’t believe it either until I tried it and I can confirm that it works amazingly well! I can’t tell you how it works or the science behind it, but I can explain the process so you can crystalize your own things!
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Here is what you will need:
- Borax
- Large Pot
- Drying Rack
- Plastic Skulls, Spiders, Black Roses, and whatever else you want to crystallize!
STEP 1:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add in Borax while stirring until dissolved. Continue adding Borax until it will no longer dissolve and the water is completely saturated. I used the entire box of Borax in a really large pot filled about halfway. Turn off the heat and allow the water to cool slightly so you don’t burn your hands or melt the objects you’re putting in. You can pour the water into a large plastic container or you can just use the pot, which is what I did.
STEP 2:
Gather the items that you want to crystallize. If you’re doing skulls and they are shiny plastic, I recommend scuff sanding them a bit so the crystals will adhere better. I actually didn’t do this and they still turned out great! The skulls I used were hollow, so I cut open the bottoms and filled them with rocks so they wouldn’t float.
STEP 3:
Submerge the items into the water. Make sure they are not touching each other and are completely submerged. You want them to be facing the direction they will display as the crystals will not form on the bottom. You may have to hold the items under water and rotate them around to get all the air out of them so they don’t float.
STEP 4:
Once the items are properly situated in the water, let them sit for at least 12 hours. The longer they sit, the more crystals will develop. Do not touch them or agitate the water at all. They must remain still for the crystals to form. For the first 6 hours, absolutely nothing will happen and you might think it’s not working but be patient! The magic will happen! At about the 8 hour mark, I set up a time lapse to try to capture the crystals forming but it was a little too late as many of the crystals had already formed. I might try it again for next time. I think it would be really cool to see them forming! Regardless, I left them overnight and woke up to amazing crystallized skulls the next morning! So exciting!
STEP 5:
Once you’ve decided enough is enough, carefully remove the items from the pot. They may be stuck to the bottom so gently break them free. Be extra careful handling them as they are very fragile until they are dry. Place the skulls on a drying rack and let them dry completely. Now you can proudly display your creations!
STEP 6:
The pot may have quite a bit of crystals stuck to the bottom but don’t worry, you didn’t ruin your pot. Simply reheat the water and the crystals will dissolve again. In fact, you can use the solution once again to crystallize more things! I reused the water three times and it worked just as good each time. Note: the water looks red because some of the color from the skulls leached out into the water. It didn’t seem to effect the next batch of items though and the crystals were still clear.
For the second batch, I tried a black artificial fabric rose. I hung it upside down with a piece of string on a wooden spoon, making sure it was suspended and not touching the bottom. I also did a couple spiders. They had some sort of felt coating which came off a little bit in the water. They still turned out great!
The leaves of the rose didn’t get too many crystals which was interesting.
The skulls are definitely my favorite, but the spiders came out pretty cool too!
So there you have it! Super easy and fun project you can do in a weekend. Great for Halloween decor! What will you crystallize?
I displayed the rose in a cloche with some fairy lights! The skulls have a place of honor on our Ofrenda for Dia de los Muertos.
Borax Crystal Skull FAQs
How does Borax make crystals?
Hot water can hold a lot more dissolved Borax than cool water. As your saturated pot slowly cools, the water can no longer hold all that Borax, so it comes out of solution and forms crystals on any surface sitting in the water. That is why the skull has to stay perfectly still.
How long does it take to crystallize a skull?
At least 12 hours, and overnight is ideal. For roughly the first 6 hours it looks like nothing is happening, then the crystals form quickly as the water cools. The longer it sits, the bigger the crystals get.
Do I need to sand the plastic skulls first?
It helps the crystals grab onto shiny plastic, but it is not required. I skipped sanding and mine still turned out great. A quick scuff with sandpaper is good insurance if your skulls are very glossy.
Why do my skulls keep floating?
Hollow plastic skulls trap air and float. Cut a small opening in the bottom and fill them with rocks so they sink, and rotate them underwater to release trapped air bubbles. Lighter items like roses can be tied to a spoon and suspended instead.
Can I reuse the Borax solution?
Yes. Just reheat the pot to dissolve the leftover crystals and you can crystallize a new batch. I reused mine three times and it worked just as well each time.
What else can I crystallize besides skulls?
Almost anything plastic that can be fully submerged. I also did spiders and a black fabric rose. Pinecones, ornaments, and other small figures work too. Just keep them still and off the bottom.
If you try this project, I’d love to see it! Please share and tag me on social media! And be sure to subscribe for more DIY projects. Thanks for reading!
Until next time, happy DIY-ing!
-Selene Builds Things
About the author: I’m Selene Teitelbaum, the DIYer behind Selene Builds Things. I share home projects, seasonal crafts, and beginner friendly tutorials so anyone can make something they are proud of. More about me.
