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I know a lot of people are intimidated by resin/ epoxy! I have been using resin to add shine and dimension to my projects for about 5 years. And I will admit, it didn’t scare me… I wasn’t scared of it in the least. Like all things I do, if I mess up a project I would walk away knowing I tried and learned a few things along the way. But with resin, I came across a YouTuber who made me terrified of anything to do with resin. I basically put my resin up on a shelf and didn’t want to touch it ever again because I was afraid it was toxic. Just recently, I reached out to Art Resin and picked their brains on all things resin. I wanted to make sure I did my own due diligence before promoting a craft product. After talking to Art Resin, I realized there are several different types of epoxies and resins. So I am going to cover what I learned and hopefully it will make working with resin a little less scary.

First let’s cover the different types of resin: tabletop resin and casting resin! Tabletop resin is used to add a protective clear layer over finished art projects and tabletops. Whereas casting resin is used to pour in silicone molds to form resin objects. For this project, technically, I did not use the correct type of resin. It worked, but according to the brand, “Art Resin” is not a casting resin. Art Resin is a resin used for coating projects– it’s similar to tabletop resin. It’s recommended to use over finished art, photos, paper, puzzles, etc., to give your project a nice finished surface. When I asked if I could use it to cast in a silicone mold, they said it would work, but would only recommend it in small, shallow molds. This post gives a great overview of the difference between each resin type. So with that being said, I chose and trust Art Resin because it’s safe, free of VOCs, and there are no fumes. Since it’s not intended for casting, you will only be able to cast small molds or if you want to cast larger projects, you would have to pour in increments and wait for it to cure between layers. I am okay with that since I plan to cast small projects and for me, safety is my number one priority. When you are purchasing resin for casting molds, you will want to look for a “casting resin” as opposed to a tabletop/ coating resin.

As always, I recommend that you do your own due diligence and take whatever safety precautions you feel are necessary. With Art Resin, I work in a well-ventilated space but have not felt the need to wear a respirator. If you are sensitive to smells, you may find wearing a mask or respirator can help. With Art Resin, it is a clean system, meaning there are no solvents or non-reactive diluents—everything in it reacts so nothing is free to become airborne and cause health issues. You can read through all of their FAQs here. 

Okay now that we got the safety and scary stuff out of the way, let’s get started.

Here’s what you will need!

• Barrette Resin Molds/ Clips

• Resin (I chose Art Resin) 

• Silicone Mixing Cups 

• Gloves

• Popsicle Sticks

• Star Glitter

• Foil Confetti

• Heat Gun

• Glue Gun or E6000

If you want to skip the written tutorial, you can check out the full video tutorial below!

Mixing your resin!

Before you follow my video instructions completely, take a look at the instructions that come with your resin. At some point I used a resin that was measured by weight and not volume. I used a kitchen scale to measure my resin from that point forward. DON’T DO THIS! All resin is not created equal and the measuring will be different for each product. So for this step, you should measure based on the instructions that come with your resin, either by volume or weight. Your instructions will also give you the mixing ratio. For Art Resin they recommend measuring by volume and to mix at a 1:1 ratio of hardener to resin.   

Using the ml lines on your measuring cups pour 20 ml of the resin and 20 ml of the hardener for this set of barrette molds. It does not matter which one you pour in first. Slowly stir those together for a few minutes until your mixture comes out nice and streak free.   

Once your mixture is clear, it’s time to add our mix ins! 

Mix in all the fun things!

This is the fun part. Using an additional silicone mixing cup, pour a little bit of resin into a new cup and add glitter, foil, alcohol ink, paint…. whatever you want into the cup. And then stir it up until you are happy with the consistency. Before you fill your mold, clean out your molds with some compressed air ensuring they are free of any debris.   

Once your molds are clean, using your popsicle stick, guide your resin into the mold. Make sure they are filled all the way up to the top of the mold. If there is a little spill over, that is all right, we can clean that up with a craft knife after the resin cures.  

Let your molds cure for 24 hours

I let my barrettes sit for 24 hours before I released them from my molds. Using a craft knife, I cleaned up any extra resin from the edges of my barrettes so they were nice and clean.  

Glue clip to barrette 

After your barrette is completely cured, using either hot glue or E6000, secure your resin barrette to the top of your clip.

Enjoy your new barrettes!

These are so addicting to make! I have been playing around with alcohol inks and I cannot wait to show you what I have made! Since the Color Pour Resin Barrette kit only comes with 6 hair clips, I reached out to the company and asked if they planned to sell the barrettes separately. They are looking into it, but currently do not have that as an available option. I have been searching for alligator clips that will work, but if you find some you love, let us know in the comments below! 

Thanks so much for spending part of your day with me! If you end up making these barrettes, please tag me so I can see your wonderful creations. Think of all of the possibilities you have with resin, glitter, and color! Do you have a favorite resin brand? Let me know in the comments below! 

If you have any questions or want to connect, check out the social media links below! 

Karley