You can make convincing fake blood with just a few ingredients. Mix sugar syrup, food coloring and a little cocoa powder and you get fake blood that looks good and, as long as every ingredient is food safe, can even be edible.
It works for horror makeup, zombie costumes, blood around the mouth and effects where the blood should only appear at the right moment.
Edible fake blood: the basic recipe
What you need
- light sugar syrup or glucose syrup
- red food coloring
- a tiny drop of blue or green food coloring
- optional cocoa powder
Color the syrup a strong red first. Then add only a very small amount of blue or green. Pure red quickly looks artificial. The second color gives the blood more depth.
A little cocoa powder makes the mixture darker and works well for older wounds or zombie makeup. More syrup makes the fake blood thicker.
If every ingredient you use is food safe, the mixture can also be used for effects around the mouth and teeth.
Fresh, old and clotted fake blood
You do not need a completely different recipe for every type of blood. Small changes to the basic mixture are usually enough.
Fresh blood: brighter red and glossy.
Older blood: darken it with a little cocoa and a touch of blue. Dark red to reddish brown usually works better here.
Thick or clotted blood: add more cocoa or a very small amount of starch.
For more depth, put darker and thicker blood inside the wound and add a little brighter, glossier blood around it.
Fake blood on clothing
Homemade fake blood can leave stubborn stains on clothing, even when it is made mainly with food coloring. If you want to clean the costume later, test the mixture on a fabric sample or a hidden area first.
The color can also change over time. Sweat, humidity and other moisture can make originally dark red stains turn noticeably pink after repeated use.
Old blood stains on clothing with iron drops
For costumes that are meant to stay permanently stained, iron drops, such as liquid iron supplements sold by retailers including Amazon, can be useful.
On light fabric they can create dark red, rusty brown and very dark stains that look similar to old or dried blood.
The downside is simple: iron stains can be extremely difficult to remove. Use them only on costumes and props that may be permanently altered.
The color also tends to stay more rusty brown instead of developing the pink look that many colored fake blood mixtures can show over time.
Important: use iron drops here only as a textile effect. Do not put them into edible fake blood, blood capsules or makeup.
How to make fake blood look more realistic
Using one shade of red everywhere quickly looks flat. Combining several blood tones usually works better.
Old blood: matte dark brown stains on clothing
Older blood: dark and thick blood around wounds
Fresh blood: brighter glossy blood directly at the wound
A few fresh traces over older stains often look more believable than covering the entire costume in the same bright red.
How to make blood capsules
The edible recipe also works for blood capsules. They are useful when blood should suddenly appear from the mouth during a scene.
Fill an empty food safe gelatin capsule with a small amount of your edible fake blood.
Put the capsule in your mouth in time before the effect. About one to two minutes beforehand, open or bite the capsule and mix the fake blood with saliva. This makes it thinner, helps it spread and makes the amount look larger.
At the right moment, let the blood run from your mouth or spit it out. The best timing depends on the syrup and the capsule you use, so test the sequence beforehand.
Only use edible ingredients for blood capsules. Iron drops and products that are not intended for this use do not belong in them.
How to make a blood pouch for a timed effect
You can also prepare fake blood under a costume so that it only appears during the scene. Put a small amount of fake blood into a small bag or between suitable sheets of film and place it under or behind the prepared area of the costume.
Plan where the blood should come out and which direction it should run. Depending on the setup, the release can be triggered by pressure, a deliberately weaker seal, a small prepared opening or controlled tearing of the film.
Test the setup with the actual costume. A small change in position can decide whether the blood runs visibly from the wound or simply disappears underneath the clothing. Thinner fake blood travels faster and farther. Thick fake blood stays closer to the release point.
These effects work for staged scratches, bites and fight injuries. The injury itself is only acted. You do not need real blows, cuts or sharp objects for the effect.
How to apply fake blood
Dripping: place the blood at the starting point and let gravity create the trail.
Smearing: for zombies, victims or fight marks, transfer the fake blood irregularly with your hands or gloves.
Splattering: use a brush to create fine droplets.
Hidden release: a prepared blood pouch lets the blood appear only when the scene calls for it.
Protect the surrounding area while working. Liquid fake blood can travel much farther than expected.
Conclusion: make your own fake blood
With syrup and food coloring you can make edible fake blood for makeup, mouth effects and blood capsules. Cocoa and different consistencies help create fresh, old or thicker blood effects.
For clothing that may stay permanently stained, iron drops can create a convincing rusty brown old blood effect.
Fake blood works best when the color, consistency and amount fit the injury you are trying to show.
If you want to use the effect as part of a full character, continue with the Learn to Play a Zombie workshop for makeup, costume and scare acting.
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