Two Ways to Get Colored Flames
There are two common ways to turn a campfire or fire pit blue, green or rainbow-colored. Fire color changing packets are small sealed pouches of colorant that you toss into a fire that is already burning. A color fire starter, like Aurora Lites, is a fire starter first: it lights your kindling, and it colors the flame while it does. Both rely on the same science — metal salts that glow a specific color when heated — but they fit different moments of the night.
How Fire Color Changing Packets Work
Packets are added to an established fire, ideally once there is a good bed of hot coals. You throw them in unopened, and the colorant releases as the pouch burns. They are made for adding color to a fire that is already going, often later in the evening. They do not help you light the fire.
How Color Fire Starters Work
An Aurora Lites color fire starter goes under your kindling at the very beginning. Light it with a match or lighter and it burns hot and steady while your kindling catches, giving off blue and green flame as it goes. You get colored flames from the first minutes of the fire, and one product replaces your regular fire starter. They are handmade in Concrete, Washington to light in wind and damp Pacific Northwest weather.
Which Should You Use?
Use a color fire starter when you are building the fire and want color right away — a backyard fire pit night, a campsite arrival, a party. Use color packets when the fire is already burning and you want a burst of color later on. Many people use both: an Aurora Lites starter to light the fire, then packets once the coals are glowing. Our campfire kits and fire pit gift crates include both for that reason.
Safety: Treats First, Color Second
Colorants contain metal salts that must never be eaten or touch food. Roast marshmallows and cook before you add any color, then put the food away. Keep fire starters and color packets out of reach of children and pets — colorful packaging can be mistaken for candy — and never open color packets; throw them into the fire unopened. Use them outdoors or in a well-ventilated fireplace with a working chimney, never in a grill or cooking fire, and follow the directions on the package.