Gathering around the campfire is an essential part of the camping experience. This primal act seems to create the perfect atmosphere for telling spooky stories, recounting the day’s adventures, or sharing a great meal together. 

And while “don’t play with fire” is generally sound advice, there’s just one exception — changing your campfire’s color! 

Using store-bought fire-changers or using a DIY recipe with a few simple ingredients, you can manipulate one of the best parts of camping into a true spectacle. In this article, we’ll show you how to change fire color safely and easily.

Let the (colored) sparks fly!

Store-Bought Fire Color Changers

For an easy way to learn how to change fire color, try our favorite campfire color changers below! 

Colored Flame Cedar Bars

• Long-lasting multicolored flames
• Pleasant cedar scent repels mosquitoes

These cedar bar fire color changers turn any night around the campfire into a light show. The whole family will enjoy watching flames shift from blue to green to purple hues. Cedar adds a wonderfully rustic scent and works to repel mosquitoes while you kick back and relax.

Colorful Fire Premium Fire Colorant

• Smoke-free and odorless
• Affordable choice

These budget-friendly fire colorant packs add a little razzle-dazzle to any ordinary wood fire. These smoke and fume-free packs create no smoke or fumes making them a perfect choice for indoor burns, too. Each pack lasts about 60 minutes and is easy to use — just throw it in with the wrapper! Add multiple packs for a more intense effect.

Mystical Fire Blue Campfire Colorant

• Produce pure blue flames
• Safe and easy to use

Color your flames a mystical blue with these blue campfire colorant packs. Gather around a magical-looking flame and imagine being transported to another world as you relax with family and friends. The pure blue is a unique spectacle that looks best with 3 or more packs thrown on the fire.

Where Can I Buy Fire Color Changers?

Depending on where you go, some family-friendly campgrounds with firepits and a shop may offer these fun items. But, there’s no reliable way to know for sure without a direct call to the grounds. Instead, we recommend shopping in advance since all sorts of campfire color changers are available online and in stores everywhere.

DIY Fire Color Changers

Want a little more control over the burn and the light show contained therein? Learn how to change fire color with this list of DIY fire changers.

Wax and Chemicals

Chemicals are where the magic comes from in every store-bought fire changer above. So making them yourself is a simple process we’ve outlined below. All you need is paper cups, a chemical of your choice, and wax candles.

How To Make DIY Fire Color Changer:

1. First, you’ll need to pick a chemical. Here are the color combinations you can make:

 

Sodium Chloride	Orange
Magnesium Sulfate	White
Copper Sulfate	Green
Potassium Chloride	Purple
Lithium Chloride	Pink
Strontium Chloride	Red
Copper Chloride	Blue

 

2. Coat the bottom of the cup with a thick layer of your chemical.
3. Pour melted candle wax (using a double boiler) into your cups. We recommend making a few to experiment with different chemical combos.
4. Stir the mix thoroughly.
5. Allow about 3 hours to cool.

Once they’re cool, you’re ready to go! Just choose a cup and throw it onto the flame. Your campfire should slowly shift colors as the wax burns.

Cinnamon

• Creates a powerful flare in campfires
• Simple and easy to do

If you’re not comfortable handling chemicals, throwing regular cinnamon into a fire can have a surprising effect! A handful of cinnamon thrown at the top of the flames will flare up into a flash burn. Just be mindful of your distance and stay upwind of the fire to maintain campfire safety.

Flour

• Similar effect to cinnamon
• Use with caution!

Flour will have a similar effect to cinnamon. But thanks to flour’s weight the flame will travel a bit farther and have a more “pure” appearance that looks a bit like a fireball. Be careful! Keep a good safe distance if you’re going to use flour and make sure nothing flammable is anywhere in the vicinity.

Salt Substitute

• Makes purple flames
• Harmless and easy to use

Another simple way to change your campfire’s color is with a salt substitute. Potassium Chloride is a healthier alternative to salt and also changes any fire into a mystic purple. The effect may be short-lived, but you can have some fun without worry with momentary flashes of brilliant purple. 

Find the Perfect Campfire Spot With an RV Rental

Need a way to get to your next big adventure? Start your next campfire in style next to our reliable and comfortable RV rentals from Cruise America! When plans change, your home is right there on the road with you making RVs one of the most flexible ways to camp.

Find a ride for you and yours and reserve your RV rental today!