A How-To Guide to Glitter Blessings

Glitter blessings are the LGBTQ+ community’s equivalent to Ashes to Go events — they take blessings out of church buildings and offer them where people already are. The version described here is used by Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Sacramento and a number of other parishes in the Episcopal Diocese of Northern California, as adapted and used by St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church at the 2026 Lodi Pride Festival.

How it works

Each person who comes to your booth is offered the opportunity to receive a glitter blessing — a daub of glitter gel applied to the person, and a blessing pronounced over them. They choose the blessing they’d prefer from a basket of slips or cards. They’re asked where they’d like the glitter: forehead, cheek, or back of hand. Both lay people and clergy take turns offering the blessings.

A few things to keep in mind when offering the blessings:

• If you feel comfortable doing so, ask the person’s name first, then name them before saying the blessing.
• Add a phrase before or after the chosen blessing — e.g., “Susan, you are God’s beloved child. [read blessing]” or “[Read blessing]. May you be blessed this day and always.”
• Because so many in the LGBTQ+ community have met rejection from churches, try to avoid language that could be triggering. Let the blessing feel like a blessing, not a liturgy.
• The blessing card is handed to the person to keep.
• Parents often think of glitter as something only for children. If they want a blessing for their child, always ask if they’d like one too.
• Some people don’t want the glitter but would like the blessing without it. Of course they can have it.

The glitter itself

In recent years, many glitter blessing events have switched from traditional glitter — which is made of microplastics — to biodegradable glitter mixed into aloe vera gel. Biodegradable glitter is widely available online, often in a much wider range of colors than local stores carry.

Pre-mixed options: Unicorn Snot (Bio-Gel Line), Glitterazzi (Shimmer & Glitter Balms), Glitter Fairies (Bio-Glit Stix).

One good source for biodegradable glitter (loose or pre-mixed): Wisechildbotanicals on Etsy.

Buying aloe vera gel: Available at most pharmacies and natural food stores. For best color, buy the clear gel rather than the green gel.

Making your own glitter goo

Ratios vary — recipes online range from 1 part glitter to 8 parts aloe gel, to 1 part glitter to 2 parts aloe. The best ratio depends on the color intensity of the glitter you choose. At St. John’s we used a blend of gold, red, and copper glitters at a ratio of 1 part glitter to 3 parts aloe gel. A few things we learned:

• The mixture looks richer in the container than it will spread on skin. Apply more generously than you think you need to — the thicker application looks much better.
• Durability is not a concern. Because biodegradable glitter only dissolves when exposed to water and microbes, the mixed gel keeps for months in a sealed container without losing color.
• Mess is less of a problem than you’d expect. Add glitter to the container before the aloe, then stir — it stays put. When daubing on people, it lands only where you touch. It washes off easily with plain water.

How much to make

It depends on the event. At the 2026 Lodi Pride Festival, with approximately 1,000 attendees, we made 250 blessing cards, ran out by mid-afternoon, and gave at least 25 more blessings without cards. We used about 3 fluid ounces of glitter goo — though if we’d applied it as generously as we ended up doing all day, it would have been closer to 4 or 5 ounces.

Sample blessings, compiled by Kenny Pierce of Trinity Cathedral, Sacramento

Print these on cardstock at business card size. At St. John’s, each blessing was printed on a different color cardstock so children who couldn’t read could choose their favorite color instead.

• Blessed are you, beloved child of the Holy One.
• Glitter is holy when worn with joy.
• God dances in your joy and weeps with your pain — and always walks with you.
• God delights in your glitter and your truth.
• God’s love is big enough to hold all of you.
• In you, God’s rainbow shines bright.
• Love made you, love sustains you, love surrounds you.
• May love be your sanctuary and pride your prayer.
• May you always find people who see and celebrate you.
• May you shine with divine light, just as you are.
• May your joy be contagious and your pride be holy.
• May your sparkle reflect the glory of the Divine.
• Shine on, sacred one — the world needs your light.
• The Divine sparkles through your courage and love.
• The light within you is divine and dazzling.
• The Spirit rejoices in your pride and your authenticity.
• You are a blessing. You are sacred. You are loved.
• You are a radiant reflection of God’s image.
• You are embraced by grace and glitter alike.
• You are God’s work of art — unique, beloved, queer.
• You are loved beyond measure — exactly as you are.
• You are made in the image of God — fabulous and free.
• You are never alone — God walks with you.
• You are not just accepted — you are celebrated.
• You are proof that beauty comes in all forms.
• You are the miracle we’ve been waiting for.
• You are wonderfully made — glitter and all.
• You carry the sacred in your story, your body, your truth.
• Your glitter is a sacrament of joy and resistance.
• Your presence is a blessing to this world.

Questions? Reach Andee Zetterbaum at azetterb@aol.com.