How to Make Slime with Shampoo

It's undeniable: playing with slime is so much fun, no matter your age! Slime has that gooey, sticky texture, and it's incredibly fun to poke and squish with your fingers. The most common slime recipe usually requires glue and borax powder, but not everyone has these materials on hand. That doesn’t mean you have to miss out on the fun of making and playing with slime. All you need is some shampoo and a few other ingredients!

Pour 1/2 cup (120ml) of shampoo into a bowl. Thicker shampoo will yield better results. Choose a shampoo with a color and scent that you like.

Stir in some color or glitter if you like. If your shampoo is white or transparent, you can add a few drops of food coloring to the bowl. To make sparkly slime, you can add glitter. Use a spoon to mix all the ingredients well.

Add 2¼ cups (280g) of cornstarch. Use a spoon to mix the ingredients. If you want a thicker slime, stop here. If you prefer a more runny slime, keep going!

• If cornstarch isn't available where you live, you can substitute it with yellow cornmeal.

Stir in 1 tablespoon (15ml) of water at a time. You will need about 6 tablespoons (90ml) of water. The more water you add, the more runny the slime will become. If you want a dough-like slime, you don't need as much water for the water-based recipe.

Knead the slime by hand. At this point, the slime will have absorbed the water and stuck to the cornstarch as much as possible. When this happens, your slime is ready to play with! Scoop it out of the bowl and let it flow through your fingers. Yuck, it's so slimy!

• Store the slime in an airtight container once you're done playing.
• You will need to add 1/4 teaspoon of water to refresh the slime the next day.

Put some thick shampoo in the bowl. You can use any type of shampoo, but thicker ones tend to work better. Choose a shampoo with the color and fragrance you like.

Add body wash if necessary. This will make the slime thicker. Use equal amounts of shampoo and body wash. Stir both ingredients together until there are no streaks left.

• Make sure the body wash and shampoo are the same color, so your slime doesn’t turn grayish.

Add a little salt until the shampoo thickens. There's no exact amount of salt you need to add since each type of shampoo reacts differently to salt. Just sprinkle in a pinch, then stir. Continue adding salt and stirring until the shampoo becomes thicker.

Freeze the shampoo for 15 minutes. Once you have the thick mixture, place the bowl in the freezer. Freeze the mixture for 15 minutes.

Play with the slime. After the freezing time, the slime will have formed and be ready to play with! Once you’re done playing, store the slime in an airtight container. If it’s too runny, you can repeat the freezing step (15 minutes).

Put some 2-in-1 shampoo in the bowl. For some reason, 2-in-1 shampoos tend to work better. Choose a shampoo with a scent that matches peppermint.

• You can try a colorless, unscented shampoo, but make sure it’s thick.

Add a little toothpaste. You can use either white toothpaste or gel toothpaste, it doesn’t matter. You’ll need an equal amount of toothpaste and shampoo.

Stir both ingredients with a spoon. Keep stirring until the mixture becomes uniform in color and there are no streaks left. As you stir, the shampoo and toothpaste will blend together and form a slime with a smooth texture like matte.

Adjust the thickness if necessary. If the slime feels too thick, you can add a little more shampoo. If it’s too runny, try adding more toothpaste. Stir well after adding the ingredients.

• Add some fine glitter or large glitter flakes for extra sparkle.
• Drop in some food coloring for a pop of color. You can also try using liquid watercolor. Use green food coloring or liquid watercolor to create traditional slime.
• Store the slime in an airtight container after you’re done playing with it.
• Slime can be very messy. It’s best to play with it on a table. Avoid letting it touch carpets or clothing.
• Slime doesn’t last long because it dries out.
• The recommended shampoos are Suave Kids 2-in-1 and Treseme.
• You can also add plastic beads or foam beads to give the slime some texture or make a fun popping sound!
• Don’t let babies play with slime. They may put it in their mouths not knowing what it is (if it’s non-edible slime).