How to Make Lava Pens

You’ll need:

• Clear Bic pens (or similar)
• Hot glue
• Liquid food coloring (gel works too)
• Baby oil or body oil (clear)
• A cup of water
• A straw
• Scissors or a craft knife
• Rubbing alcohol (for cleaning)

1. Take the pen apart

Remove the cap and ink tube, and set aside just the body — that’s where the magic happens.

2. Seal the little side hole

Bic pens usually have a small hole. Seal it with a drop of hot glue, but don’t overdo it — keep it neat.

3. Test for leaks

Fill the pen with water to check if it’s properly sealed. If not, patch it up before moving on.

4. Make your colored water

Add some food coloring to a cup of water and give it a good stir. Liquid food coloring mixes in more easily, but if you only have gel, no worries — it works too!

This is the fun part where you can show off a bit of your personality through your pen. Pick your favorite colors and bring your lava pen to life. The more vibrant the color, the cooler the effect! You can even sprinkle in a bit of glitter like I did with two of mine (just... maybe don’t go full glitter explosion like I almost did — a little goes a long way!).

I wish I could say you can mix more than one color in the same lava pen, but sadly I don’t think it works — unless maybe you tried putting one color in the oil? No promises though, that’s just my brain getting curious... I haven’t actually tested it (yet!).

5. Fill the pen with the colored water

At first, I tried just pouring the liquid straight into the pen, thinking some of it would go in… spoiler alert: it didn’t. It went everywhere except where I wanted it to go. 

So I came up with a better method: cut your straw at a 45º angle. Dip it into the colored water, cover the top with your finger, insert the straw into the pen, and release. Repeat this little trick until about 1/3 of your pen is filled. To help the liquid go down — it tends to get stuck near the top of the pen — cover the pen's opening with your finger and give it a good shake.

6. Add the oil

Use the same straw trick to add baby oil or body oil. Try to go for a 1:1 ratio with the water, but honestly, you can totally tweak it depending on the look you’re going for.

(Quick tip: don’t use cooking oil — it has a yellowish tint and can go bad over time, which is not the vibe.)

Oh, and don’t fill the pen all the way! You’ll need a bit of air for that cool lava effect, plus some space for the ink tube later on.

7. Seal the opening of the ink tube

What good is a beautiful lava pen if you can’t actually write with it? Don’t worry — that won’t be a problem with your lava pen.

To make sure the “lava” doesn’t sneak into the ink tube and mess things up, just add a little bit of hot glue to seal the tip. Nothing too dramatic — just enough to keep it lava-free and ready to write like a charm. 

8. Reinsert the ink tube

Add hot glue to the base of the ink tube and gently push it back in. Smooth out any excess glue. Make sure the cap still fits!

(Pro tip: wipe off any oil from the surfaces so the glue sticks properly.)

9. Clean it up 

Use rubbing alcohol to clean off any sticky residue or oil. Your pen will look perfect!

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Final tips:

• Use vibrant colors and thicker oils for a more intense effect.
• Work over paper to avoid messes.
• Make a bunch in different shades — they’re great as gifts or fun surprises for your friends!

If you try this DIY, let me know in the comments! I’d love to hear what color combos you picked!

See you next time! Ladybug out!