I know, I know, we are behind on this one. Slime was the hot viral sensation six months ago back in January, when we shot and filmed this post. My fourteen-year old daughter, Ava, has been utterly and completely obsessed with making slime. She is the one who made up this recipe, she is the one who asked me to film her making it, and she is the one who pushed me to publish this post, despite being behind the trend. Her recipe is not the most precise as she is not a measuring kind of girl. Plus, making slime is not an exact science, as it turns out. The recipe below does have measurements, but just know that you can play around with it (as you will see in the video).
Fun fact: All slime recipes are basically the same. Yup, it’s true. I don’t have the heart to tell Ava that her recipe is not entirely original, other than her added zeal! My friend Asia writes about the science behind slime if you want to know more.
Advisory warning: There has been some controversy about Borax, which I will address in full at the end of this post. In short, it’s a naturally occurring compound that is mined like salt. It can be toxic in large quantities, just like salt can be, or caffeine. Used properly, it is very safe. Still, use Borax responsibly – just a tablespoon in water, don’t breathe it in, don’t eat it. 🙂
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Ava’s Awesome Fluffy Slime Recipe
Ingredients
– 1 cup Elmer’s glue
– 1 cup shaving cream – half at the beginning, then half later (Note: I find Amazon’s price on this to be expensive and I get mine at the CVS or Walgreen’s in town.)
– a few squirts of liquid watercolor or food coloring
– 4-5 teaspoons corn starch
– 5-6 teaspoons activator (mix 1 tablespoon Borax with one cup of hot water to make your solution)
(Note: You can find Borax at the grocery store in the detergent aisle. If you live outside the US, try recipes using liquid starch, eye solution, or laundry detergent.)
– plastic containers for storage (we recycle deli containers, but you also can buy them new from Amazon)
Directions
1. Mix 1 cup glue with a 1/2 cup shaving cream. Mix well.
2. Add 4 teaspoons of corn starch (which makes the slime harder, for lack of a better word). Mix well.
3. Add your color. We used liquid watercolor, but you can use food coloring. Mix well.
4. Now comes the fun part, adding the activator. Dissolve 1 tablespoon of Borax with a cup of hot water. Use this mixture one teaspoon at a time. DO NOT POUR IT IN. The key to good slime is adding the activator slowly and mixing very well. Ava adds 1 teaspoons at a time. (In the video it looks like she is putting in two teaspoons at a time, but in typical Ava fashion – the non-measurer – she used the teeny half-teaspoon.) You’ll know when you’ve used too much activator when the slime starts ripping apart and is less stretchy.
5. After about 5 teaspoons, she decided to put her hands in and feel the consistency for herself. It feels very sticky to her. Time to add more shaving cream.
6. Add another 1/2 cup of shaving cream. Mix well.
7. Time to take it out of the bowl and play! Ava loves the crackling sound that this fluffy slime makes. I think it’s the air bubbles from the shaving cream that pop when she squeezes.
8. Finally, store your slime in an air-tight plastic container.
For die-hard slimers, make all of the rainbow colors. Ava’s favorite part is mixing them all together! Ultimately, it makes a giant blob of gray slime, but she loves seeing the colors blend.
I made this video of Ava in action. You can see how much she stirs. Her arm actually gets really tired. You can also see the table shaking with all her vigorous work!
Tips from Ava, master slime maker:
1 – If you want your slime to pop even more and create little bubbles that rest at the top when the slime is in it’s container, then add a few squirts (about 6) of foaming soap.
2 – Over time, the slime will get less fluffy as the shaving cream dissolves. Play around with adding more shaving cream.
3 – Add a few squirts of hand lotion (about 4) to your mixture to make your slime more stretchy.
4 – Put lotion on your hands before you use your slime if you don’t want it to stick to your hands.
About Borax:
I’ve written about Borax before, here in my flubber post from 2012. (And yes, back then I called it flubber but it’s basically the same as slime. Ava’s recipe is better, though!) I remember researching Borax heavily before using it, and deciding that it was perfectly safe. My own children, the children in my art class, and the children at the many birthday parties I have hosted where we make slime, have never had any adverse reactions to the slime.
As I said above, Borax (sodium borate) is a mined substance, just like salt is mined, and occurs naturally in the Mojave Desert, Chile and Tibet. Borax is only slightly more toxic than salt, and in some countries it is used as a salt substitute. Caffeine and flouride are also toxic. Breathing Borax powder is not a good idea, so don’t let your kids handle the powder. And don’t breathe the powder if you are pregnant. But once it is in it’s polymer form, it is completely safe.
I think this article about the safety of Borax is very good.
Because slime has been such a fad lately (Elmer’s glue was actually sold out on Amazon for a while!), there are more people using these ingredients, and therefore there will undoubtedly be a higher rate of allergic reactions. Some parents have reported redness on their child’s hands after playing with slime, and one mom even said that the slime her daughter made caused burns. I believe that these are just allergic reactions, not a sign of unsafe ingredients. My son is allergic to corn starch so I don’t let him play with this recipe. But that doesn’t mean I think corn starch is unsafe. If you find that your child’s hands become chaffed, they could be allergic to any one of the ingredients within the slime. It would be best to quit making this recipe and wash their hands.
Let me know if you have any questions or comments when making your slime!
xo, Bar and Ava
This is just the perfect DIY. My kids have been asking me for one of these slimes and I’m very glad to know that we can make one ourselves. Thank you for the tutorial! =)
This is excellent! I haven’t ever known where borax came from, I also haven’t seen a cornstarch recipe, & thank you Ava for showing us what it looks like on hands before it’s ready! Enjoy your pop-pop-poof sounds!
Ava is all about the popping sounds, she is quite obsessed actually. I hear those sounds all day long! especially because she follows people on Instagram that only post themselves playing with slime and making it pop! teens are weird sometimes. thanks for leaving a comment, Jeanine! xx Bar
Hi Barbara and Thank you Ava….you both for posting how to make Fluffy Slime!
My question is if we add the foaming soap….do we pump it from the container or use by taking the liquid 1?
hi Lisa! I actually have the mastermind, Ava, sitting here in my office. She says pump the foaming soap! Better to be foamy than runny 🙂 Hope this helps, good luck! xx
Hi,
it is areally nice recipe and I wish I can make it. Unfortunately Borax is not allowed in Germany. We can`t get it. Do you have an alternative for me?
Thank you in advance.
Katja
You should be able to use Sta-Flo a liquid starch..
you can use laundry detergent or contact solution I think.
yes they apparently work, too, instead of Borax. I have never tried them, though.
Can you also use corn flour?
Ooh, I don’t know! you could try it, Olivia. I have no idea if that would work. Let us know! xx Bar
Hi it’s a really good recipe works for me but I did not need to add anymore shaving foam in the end liven u guys thank you Ava for showing us😍
Thank You for your Awesome Guide.
My daughter is going crazy!!!
Thanks Ava! This is awesome. My daughter likes to stick a straw into her fluffy slime and blow to create massive ‘bubble gum bubbles’ that you can remove, throw around and play with. Too cool!! If only shaving cream didn’t smell so bad!
How do i make Thick slime ??
hi Chloe, you might be interested in the model magic slime, it’s definitely thicker. Here is the link: https://www.artbarblog.com/model-magic-slime-two-ways/
I agree with Barbara, Borax isn’t as poisonous for you as people give it credit for, but that still doesn’t mean that it should be mishandled. How fun would it be to incorporate some of these additives into this slime recipe? https://www.naturesgardencandles.com/cosmetic-colorants
Hi Barbara and Ava! Thank you for this post! My daughter (13 now, will be 14 next week… eeeek!) and I have tried so many different ways to make slime. She really wants this kind of fluffy slime and it never turns out as she hoped. We will definitely try this. Oh, and by the way… the Dollar Store has shaving cream, lotion, foaming hand soap, glitter, and reusable storage containers! Sometimes I have found Borax there as well.
thanks for writing Carolyn, I hope you tried it and it works!! and thanks for the tip on the dollar store… i always forget about that place! xx Barbara + Ava
it is the best recipe in my life!!!!!!!
awesome!!
This is perfect! Thank you so much, I cannot wait to make this with my kids and see how they like it. I have always hated the storebought slime! What is the best way to store it? Thanks, again
I made this with my 4 year old today
And it is truly the best recipe
We can’t wait to make more tomorrow !
This was the best recipie ive come bye so far love it!! thanks so much!!!
I just showed this to my daughter and we agree that fluffy bubblegum slime is the perfect explanation for that recipe! Beautiful!
Will Elmer’s Clear Glue and Elmer’s Crunchy Activator work?
Clear glue –> yes! I don’t know crunchy activator, but try it!