After a few days of expirimenting, and going through the majority of a box of Knox brand gelatin, I feel like it would be beneficial to everyone who could use this document if this could be distributed for use and informational purposes, saving trouble and headaches.

On gelatin:

Do you remember back when you were little, when your mom made Jell-O for you? She would boil water, mix in the packet of Jell-O and then add a cup of ice water? Gelatin dissolves best and easily at high temperatures. So it would stand to reason that you'd mix it with boiling water to dissolve it best. The gelatin will firm up best when cold, which is why you'd refrigerate it. Mixing in the ice water with your Jell-O is a useful step, because it takes a fair amount of time to cool down boiling water in the fridge. Plus, the heat the warm Jell-O gives off is not the greatest thing for the other items that should remain cold. The Jell-O will always firm up best when it goes into the fridge cold.

The same reasoning applies when it comes to using Knox brand unflavored gelatin. Hot water will dissolve it best and keep it the most fluid, easiest to apply, and require as little drying as possible.

A few reminders before you do anything: water stores a large amount of heat better than most metals. If it is hot, it will transfer the energy you put into it into your hand and burn you. Boiling water can and will burn you; exercise extreme caution when dealing with water hotter than what comes out of your showerhead.

First:
 Get a bowl that could be used for cereal. Use something cheap, you don't want to ruin anything decent. Any size bigger is kind of wasteful. You could even use a ceramic mug. You will want to choose one that would be easy enough to stir hot liquid in, so if you've got shallower bowls, pass them over in favor of a deeper one.

Second:
 This applies to all bowls, but ceramic ones in particular, as they have a greater capacity to absorb the heat of the water. Get hot or boiling water, and use it to warm up the bowl, so if you're undergoing a long operation, it slows the cooling quite a bit. After having heated up the bowl, add about 4 packets of Knox brand unflavored gelatin and then about a third of a cup of hot water. Stir. Do not add any more Knox after the initial combination with the water; it will get clumps in it that will be difficult to remove.

Third:
 Put a towel over your shoulders. If you would like, make sure to wear a shirt that will easily fit over your finished hair style. Button-downs are a great choice, but don't use a nice one; your dad might kill you. The Knox will get on your clothing or the towel, but will come out with hot water.

Fourth:
 Apply Knox to your hair at the highest temperature your fingers and scalp will tolerate, and comb it through. If you let it cool too much, it will get rubbery in the bowl. Style as desired, and blow dry until firm. Use the "Cool" setting so the Knox will strengthen as quickly as possible. Make sure you get the roots. If the knox begins to cool and harden, avoid adding hot water to dilute it. It will indeed warm the Knox back up, but it will dilute it. Consider an alternative, such as putting the bowl in a boiling water bath to heat up the bowl and contents, or microwaving, although I will add the caveat that I have not to date attempted this.


If you're making large spikes sticking out at all angles from your head ("Liberty Spikes", as in the Statue of Liberty), you'll want to definately wear a buttondown shirt. My stepbrother got them, but his t-shirts underwent a fair amount of stretching to remove. We used roughly 16 to 20 packets on his hair alone, which I do not reccommend. His hair was like fiberglass, and he was unable to bend them. Further, they required a long time in the shower with hot water to remove. He could literally support his head with them.

My mohawk proved less problematic. We used four packets of Knox mixed with hot water, combed it through and applied it well to the roots. It has lasted virtually unchanged for several days. Because it is rather difficult to remove from your hair, I would not recommend it for anyone interested in a temporary hairstyle. After blowdrying firm, the hair becomes stiff but not brittle. It will take roughly two more hours to completely dry your hair out; do not go to sleep during this time period. If you used a large amount of Knox, it may take longer.

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