Self-regulating thermal insulation includes one or more thermal actuators that expand and contract in response to changes in temperature adjacent the thermal insulation, thereby automatically changing the thermal resistance of the thermal insulation. In this manner, a self-regulating thermal insulation may be configured to locally adjust in response to local changes in temperature of a part being insulated, for example, during curing or some other manufacturing process. Such self-regulating thermal insulation may be configured to respond to temperature changes without feedback control systems, power, or human intervention. Methods of making self-regulating thermal insulation include coupling a first plate with respect to a second plate using a support structure, thereby defining an insulation thickness therebetween, positioning an internal partition positioned between the first plate and the second plate, and positioning at least one thermal actuator positioned between the second plate and the internal partition.