If you want to play a prank on someone, how about using a good old tamarin powder? The mixture can be made with dried roses or maple samaras. Another option is to create a stinging substance with bits of hair.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Using Roses
Step 1. Dry a rose
Buy a fresh rose and cut the stem just below the flower, leaving about 2.5 cm of the stem. Place the rose in a dark place, such as a cupboard, for five to seven days or until it is completely dry.
The rose should be dark or brownish, with a brittle and crumbly texture
Step 2. Remove rose-hip
Pluck the sepals and petals from the flower and look for a brownish bulb attached to the stem, right in the middle of the rose. That bulb is the rose-hip.
Located just below the petals, the sepals are the green leaves that protect the bud
Step 3. Cut the rose-hip in half
First, however, protect your hands with a pair of rubber gloves. Use a knife or scissors to cut the bulb in half and then divide it into four parts, revealing a cotton-like substance known as cythilicus.
It is this substance that is responsible for the itching
Step 4. Remove the cythilicus
Place a small cup on a table and hold one of the halves over it. Using a toothpick, remove the cythilicus from the rose-hip, causing it to fall into the cup. Do this until all the substance is removed from the bulb.
- Cythilicus is the cotton-like substance inside the rose-hip.
- Avoid rubbing your eyes and mouth with your hands after starting.
Step 5. Boil a cup of water
Pour a cup (240 ml) of water into a saucepan and heat to medium-high heat. After approximately five minutes, the water will begin to boil. Pass it to a mug.
Step 6. Place the mug next to the cup with the cythilicus
Allow the cythilicus to absorb the steam for ten to 15 minutes, until fluffy. The steam will help activate the substance's stinging properties.
Be careful not to get the cythilicus wet
Step 7. Dry the cythilicus
Place the cup with the cythilicus in a window that receives direct sunlight and let the substance dry for one to two hours.
Step 8. Crush the cythilicus into a powder
Turn the dried cythilicus onto a sheet of paper and crush it with a spoon until it forms a powder. Then pass the powder to a ZipLoc-type bag or a small glass jar.
- For security reasons, write “CAUTION! DON'T TOP AND DON'T THROW AWAY!" in the bag.
- Wash the spoon thoroughly with soap and water after use.
Method 2 of 3: Using Maple Samaras
Step 1. Gather between 15 and 20 onboard samaras
Look for a maple or a maple forest and try to find some samaras. Capsules are also called cocoons because of the way they protect the seeds and are somewhat similar to brownish wings or helices.
During spring and summer, the samaras become green and stuck to the branches. Pluck them out and place them in a window so they dry until they turn brown
Step 2. Line a table with a white sheet of paper
The paper will be used to trim the silver hairs that get caught in the samara's wings. They are the ones that cause the itchy feeling.
Protect your hands with a pair of rubber gloves
Step 3. Remove the seed and the spine from the cocoon
Using scissors, loosen the wings and remove the twig that crosses the samara.
Step 4. Rub the wings together
Take two wings and rub them together until the little silver hairs start to fall out. Keep rubbing the pieces until you release as much hair as possible. Do this with all the samaras to fill a teaspoon (5 ml).
You can also use a razor blade to loosen the hairs. Just run the sharp part of the blade through the wings
Step 5. Store the hairs in a plastic bag
Lift the sheet of paper and slide the hairs into an airtight bag. Store them in a dark place, such as a closet, for two to three days, until they are very dry, increasing the intensity of the itching.
- You can also keep the hairs in a little bottle.
- For security reasons, write “CAUTION! DON'T TOP AND DON'T THROW AWAY!" in the bag.
Method 3 of 3: Using Hair
Step 1. Gather some strands of hair
Take a used hairbrush and loosen the hairs from the bristles, passing them onto a sheet of paper.
Step 2. Cut your hair
Use scissors to cut the strands into small pieces until it forms a pile of hair.
Step 3. Pass the hair into a bag
Lift up the sheet of paper and slide the bits of hair into a ZipLoc or envelope. Store them in a closet for later use.
Tips
Do not microwave cythilicus. Radiation is harmful to the substance's structure
Notices
- Wear gloves whenever making or using tamarin powder.
- Be careful not to rub the tamarin powder in your mouth or eyes (or anyone else's!). If this happens, wash the affected areas immediately.
- Do not eat or drink Cythilicus.