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The best slime recipe depends on the result you want: use contact solution for reliable stretchy slime, shaving cream for a fluffy batch, liquid starch for a putty-like texture, classic borax for a traditional chemistry experiment, or tapioca starch for a glue-free, food-ingredient alternative.
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- Create a variety of colorful slime with this assortment of glues and slime activators
- Elmer's liquid glue is washable, safe, nontoxic—great for kids
- Magical Liquid slime activator is an all-in-one formula that eliminates the need for lens solution, baking soda, and additives
- Mix and match different glues and activators to discover new slime creations
- Includes 1 bottle each: Regular Slime Activator (2.3 oz.), Crunchy Slime Activator (51.2g), Butter Slime Activator (1.7 oz.), Glow in the Dark Slime Activator (65g), Cherry Limeade-scented Slime Activator (65g), Glitter Glue (Silver, 6 oz.) Clear Glue (5 oz.), Color Changing Glue (Purple-to-Pink, 5 oz.), Glow in the Dark Glue (Purple, 5 oz.), Translucent Glue (Blue, 5 oz.)
One important labeling note comes first: borax-free does not always mean borate-free. Contact lens solution and some liquid laundry starch contain boric acid or sodium borate, which are the ingredients that activate glue slime. The contact-solution, fluffy, and many liquid-starch recipes below avoid measuring loose borax powder, but they may still contain borates.
Choose the right slime recipe
| Recipe | Best for | Activator or thickener | Borate status | Heat? | Texture |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Classic borax slime | A traditional science experiment | Borax solution | Contains borate | No | Stretchy and elastic |
| Contact-solution slime | Convenient everyday glue slime | Contact solution and baking soda | Usually contains borate; check the label | No | Stretchy and glossy |
| Fluffy slime | Soft, airy sensory play | Contact solution, baking soda, and shaving cream | Usually contains borate; check the label | No | Puffy at first and less dense |
| Liquid-starch slime | A short ingredient list | Liquid laundry starch | May contain borate; check the product | No | Rubbery or putty-like |
| Edible tapioca slime | Glue-free play using food ingredients | Cooked tapioca starch | No borax or glue | Yes | Gooey and translucent, with less elastic stretch |
For the closest match to familiar stretchy slime, start with the contact-solution recipe. For children who may put the material in their mouths, ordinary glue slime is not appropriate; choose the tapioca recipe instead, with adult supervision and normal food-safety precautions.
Slime safety before you begin
Products labeled nontoxic are not automatically edible. Poison Control says most school glues are generally low-risk in small accidental exposures, but that does not make finished glue slime food. See Poison Control’s art-product safety guidance and the American Chemical Society’s slime safety instructions for additional precautions.
1. Classic borax slime
Choose this recipe for: the traditional slime-making experiment and a strong, elastic result. It uses raw sodium borate, so it is not the first choice for very young children or anyone with sensitive skin.
Ingredients
- ½ cup washable school glue
- ½ cup warm water
- 1 teaspoon borax
- ½ cup additional water for the borax solution
- Food coloring, optional
- Two bowls and a mixing spoon
Instructions
- Pour the glue into one bowl.
- Stir in ½ cup warm water. Add food coloring if you want a colored batch.
- In the second container, dissolve 1 teaspoon of borax in ½ cup water. Stir until as much of the powder as possible has dissolved.
- Add the borax solution gradually to the glue mixture while stirring.
- Stop when the mixture thickens and begins to hold together. You may not need all of the solution.
- Knead the mixture until it becomes easier to handle. It may initially look wet and stringy.
This proportional recipe is also used by PBS. For a small classroom demonstration or a test batch, the American Chemical Society’s smaller version uses 1 tablespoon glue, 1 tablespoon water, and ¼ teaspoon borax dissolved in 1 tablespoon water.
What to expect
The mixture should thicken quickly as the borax solution is incorporated. Pull it slowly and it should stretch; pull it quickly and it is more likely to break. That contrast makes this a useful hands-on demonstration of how the material behaves.
Safety: Raw borax powder can irritate the skin and eyes and can be harmful if swallowed or inhaled. Follow the product label, avoid creating dust, and have an adult handle the powder.
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2. Contact-solution slime
Choose this recipe for: a convenient, glossy glue slime without measuring loose borax powder. This is often the easiest all-purpose recipe, provided the contact solution has the right ingredients.
Check the contact-solution label first
The solution should list both boric acid and sodium borate in its ingredients. Do not assume that every saline solution, rewetting drop, or contact-care product will activate slime. If those ingredients are absent, the mixture may stay runny no matter how long you stir.
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Science Buddies explains the ingredient requirement, and the ingredient information for Renu contact-lens products is an example of why checking the current label matters.
Ingredients
- ½ cup washable PVA school glue
- ½ cup water
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 tablespoons contact lens solution containing boric acid and sodium borate
- Food coloring, optional
Instructions
- Mix the glue, water, and food coloring in a bowl.
- Stir in the baking soda until it is evenly dispersed.
- Add the contact solution and stir vigorously.
- Continue stirring until the mixture begins pulling away from the bowl.
- Knead it for 5–10 minutes. It may be runny and sticky at first, then become less sticky as it is worked.
- Do not keep adding activator once the slime is workable.
A separate 6-ounce glue variation
Do not combine the quantities above with the ratios for a different glue size. For one 6-fluid-ounce bottle of glitter glue, Elmer’s product-specific recipe uses ½ tablespoon baking soda and 1¼ tablespoons contact solution. If the batch is still sticky, it allows an additional ¼ tablespoon of contact solution. This version does not add the ½ cup of water used in the larger Science Buddies recipe.
Why the terminology matters: This is more accurately described as slime made without raw borax powder, not slime that is free of borates. The boric acid and sodium borate in the contact solution perform the activating role.
3. Fluffy slime
Choose this recipe for: a soft, airy, puffy texture. It is less about maximum stretch and more about light sensory play. The foam will not remain permanently inflated, and the batch may become denser with handling and storage.
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup white school glue
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ cup water
- 2–3 cups shaving cream
- 1½ tablespoons contact solution containing boric acid and sodium borate
- Food coloring, optional
The quantities are based on the University of Missouri Extension’s fluffy-slime guidance. Keep the shaving cream, glue, and finished slime away from mouths and food surfaces.
Instructions
- Mix the glue, water, and baking soda.
- Stir in the shaving cream until it is incorporated.
- Add food coloring if desired.
- Add 1 tablespoon of the contact solution gradually while stirring.
- Knead for about 5 minutes.
- Add the remaining ½ tablespoon only if the mixture still needs activating.
- If it remains sticky, add approximately 1 teaspoon more contact solution at a time, kneading between additions.
Shaving cream introduces air, which makes the mixture lighter and puffier. Resist the temptation to pour in a large amount of activator: Missouri Extension warns that too much contact solution can make slime hard and less stretchy.
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4. Liquid-starch slime
Choose this recipe for: the shortest ingredient list and a material that feels more like silly putty than classic, highly stretchy slime.
Ingredients
- ½ cup glue
- ¼ cup liquid laundry starch
- Food coloring, optional
This is a 2:1 ratio of glue to liquid starch from PBS.
Instructions
- Add the glue and liquid starch to a bowl.
- Stir until a blubbery mass begins to form.
- Add food coloring if desired.
- Knead until most of the liquid is absorbed.
- Drain excess starch if necessary.
- If the mixture is too loose, work in a little more glue. If it is too sticky, add a small amount more starch.
The result is generally rubbery or putty-like rather than identical to contact-solution slime. A larger alternative from Missouri Extension uses 1 cup liquid starch and 1 cup white glue, followed by draining and kneading.
Do not assume this is borate-free. Some laundry starch and other laundry products contain sodium borate. Read the product’s current ingredient information if avoiding borates is important to your family.
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Choose this recipe for: glue-free play made from food ingredients. It is a cooked starch mixture, not the same chemically crosslinked PVA slime made by the first four recipes. It will be gooier and less elastic.
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- MAKE SLIME FROM SCRATCH: Includes 150 mL of clear slime glue and 50 mL of activator. Mix the base ingredients, then add colors and decorations to customize your creation.
- CREATE CUSTOM COLORS: Experiment with four liquid colorants to make different shades and combinations. Add the glitter mix for a sparkling finish.
- CHOOSE YOUR MIX-INS: Decorate with blue bugle beads, blue and silver glitter, blue, purple and confetti foil flakes, resin charms, and soft clay for varied looks and textures.
- MIX, MOLD AND STORE: Prepare slime in the mixing bowl, explore the star and egg-shaped molds, and keep a finished creation in the storage jar.
- CREATE TOGETHER, AGES 6+: Boys and girls ages 6 and up can enjoy making and decorating slime during family craft time, classroom activities, playdates, and birthday parties.
Ingredients
- 2 cups water
- 3 heaping teaspoons tapioca flour or tapioca starch
- Up to 5 drops food coloring, optional
- A saucepan
- A wooden spoon
- A heat-safe bowl
Instructions
- Combine the water and tapioca starch in a saucepan and stir until dissolved.
- Add up to five drops of food coloring, if desired.
- Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly.
- Reduce the heat and continue cooking for 5–10 minutes. Scrape the bottom and sides as it thickens.
- Transfer the mixture to a heat-safe bowl.
- Cool it completely before children touch it.
PBS notes that shorter cooking produces a thinner mixture, while longer cooking makes it gooier. It also continues to thicken overnight. This recipe uses food ingredients, but it should still be treated as a craft material: use clean hands and equipment, account for allergies, do not serve it as a meal, and discard it if it develops an unpleasant odor, mold, or another unexpected change.
No glue? Make oobleck instead
Oobleck is a good alternative when you have cornstarch but no glue, but it is not stretchy slime and should not be counted as a sixth glue-slime recipe. It is a cornstarch-and-water suspension that feels more solid when struck or squeezed and flows more readily when handled gently.
Oobleck ingredients
- 1 cup cornstarch
- ¾ cup water
- Food coloring, optional
- Put the cornstarch in a plastic bowl or bin.
- Add the water and coloring gradually.
- Mix for about 10 minutes.
- Adjust the texture with small amounts of water or cornstarch.
See PBS’s oobleck instructions for the handling demonstration. Keep it out of drains, just like finished slime.
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How to fix slime that went wrong
| Problem | What to check | First fix |
|---|---|---|
| Too sticky | Not enough activator, insufficient kneading, or an unsuitable contact solution | Knead for several minutes first, then add tiny amounts of the correct activator. |
| Too stiff or breaks easily | Too much activator or over-crosslinking | Stop adding activator. Knead it, then cautiously work in a small amount of the original glue mixture or a little water. |
| Does not form | Wrong glue, missing baking soda, or contact solution without the required ingredients | Confirm that the glue is washable PVA and that the contact solution lists boric acid and sodium borate. |
| Borax crystals remain | The powder was not dissolved thoroughly | Prepare the solution again and stir until as much borax as possible dissolves before adding it. |
| Fluffy slime is too loose | It needs more kneading or a very small amount of activator | Knead first, then add about 1 teaspoon of contact solution at a time. |
| Edible slime is too thin | It was not cooked long enough | Cook longer while stirring in the next batch; it may also thicken overnight. |
| Edible slime is too thick | It was cooked too long or continued thickening during storage | Use a shorter cooking time in the next batch and judge the texture only after it has cooled. |
Why adding more activator can backfire
Glue slime needs enough activator to change the behavior of its polymer chains, but excess activator can make the material hard, rubbery, and prone to breaking. That is why the reliable correction is gradual: knead before adjusting, add very small amounts, and stop as soon as the slime becomes workable. Exact corrections vary with the glue and activator formulation; there is no universal rescue quantity.
For contact-solution slime, Science Buddies recommends kneading before deciding that more activator is needed. The Elmer’s recipe and Missouri Extension guidance likewise use small additions rather than a large pour.
How the slime chemistry works
Washable school glue contains PVA, or polyvinyl alcohol, polymers. In glue slime, borate species link some of those long chains together. The resulting network is thick enough to hold its shape but flexible enough to stretch. Water helps the chains move past one another, which is why the final material can flow slowly, stretch when pulled gently, and break when handled abruptly.
The classic borax, contact-solution, fluffy, and many liquid-starch recipes use variations of this glue-and-borate chemistry. Tapioca slime is different: heating hydrates and thickens starch, producing a gooey food-based mixture rather than a crosslinked PVA network. Oobleck is different again, because cornstarch particles suspended in water produce pressure-sensitive, non-Newtonian behavior. The American Chemical Society’s slime experiment provides a useful explanation of these contrasting behaviors.
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Storage
Put glue-based slime in an airtight container or sealed plastic bag when play is over. This reduces drying, but no recipe has a guaranteed shelf life: storage time depends on the ingredients, contamination, handling, and whether the batch contains shaving cream or food ingredients. Discard any slime that becomes moldy, smells unpleasant, or changes unexpectedly.
Food-based tapioca slime deserves particular care because it contains cooked ingredients. Use clean hands and containers, and discard it at the first sign of spoilage rather than trying to salvage it.
Cleanup
- Wipe tables before slime dries.
- Use washable, nonporous bowls and spoons when possible.
- Keep slime away from carpets, fabric, hair, and upholstered furniture.
- Put finished slime, scraps, and excess solid material in the trash.
- Do not pour slime down a sink or toilet; it can contribute to clogs. Science Buddies specifically recommends trash disposal.
- For leftover liquid borax solution or laundry products, follow the product label and applicable local disposal rules.
What to do after an exposure
If slime or borate-containing ingredients cause burning, itching, redness, cracking, blisters, or a rash, stop using the material and wash the affected skin. Homemade slime has been associated with irritant and allergic contact dermatitis in published case reports, so do not dismiss a persistent or worsening reaction. The reports do not mean every batch causes injury, but they are a reason not to claim that slime is safe for sensitive skin. Sources include this peer-reviewed case report, a report of acute slime-associated contact dermatitis, and a report of allergic contact dermatitis from homemade slime.
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- Encourages Creativity: Explore and create a variety of fun, tactile slime
- Safe For Kids: Elmer's Liquid Glue is washable, safe, non-toxic
- All-in-One Activators: Transform glue into slime without any extra ingredients
- Mix & Match: Different glues and activators present a range of slime creation possibilities
- Includes: Assorted glues and activators (Metallic, Glow in the Dark, Color Changing, Translucent, Glitter, Crunchy, and Confetti)
For suspected borate exposure, Poison Control advises the following:
- Skin: wash with soap and water.
- Eyes: rinse with room-temperature water for at least 15 minutes.
- Inhalation: move the person to fresh air.
- Swallowing: give a few sips of water and contact Poison Control for guidance.
In the United States, call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 or use webPOISONCONTROL. Seek emergency help for serious symptoms, trouble breathing, severe pain, unusual drowsiness, repeated vomiting, or any other emergency sign.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is contact-solution slime really borax-free?
It is usually free of added raw borax powder, but it is not necessarily borate-free. The recipe depends on a contact solution that lists boric acid and sodium borate, so call it slime made without raw borax powder rather than chemical-free or borate-free slime.
What contact solution works for slime?
Check the current ingredient label for both boric acid and sodium borate. Not every saline solution, rewetting drop, or contact-care product contains the ingredients needed to activate PVA glue.
Can I use regular school glue?
Use washable PVA school glue for the glue-based recipes. Formulations vary, so a different glue can change the amount of activator and the final texture. If a batch will not form, confirm that the glue is PVA before adding more activator.
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Ordinary glue slime is not appropriate for toddlers or children who mouth materials. It contains ingredients that should not be swallowed, and small children may rub it into their eyes or spread it onto skin. Use close adult supervision and follow the age guidance on the product labels; Elmer’s slime projects state that they are not for children under 3.
Can I eat homemade slime?
Do not eat glue, contact-solution, fluffy, or liquid-starch slime. The tapioca recipe uses food ingredients and can be described as taste-safe by ingredients, but it is still a craft mixture, not a meal. Use clean equipment, account for allergies, cool it fully, and discard it if it spoils.
How long does homemade slime last?
There is no dependable universal shelf life. Store it airtight and discard it when it dries out, becomes moldy, smells unpleasant, or changes unexpectedly. Food-based slime should be handled especially hygienically and discarded at the first sign of spoilage.
Why did my slime become hard?
The most common cause is too much activator. Stop adding borax solution, contact solution, or starch, and knead the batch. You can cautiously work in a small amount of the original glue mixture or a little water, but the correct repair depends on the recipe and may not fully restore the texture.
Can slime go down the sink?
No. Put finished slime and scraps in the trash instead of washing them down a drain. Slime can contribute to plumbing clogs.
What should I do if slime causes a rash or gets in the eyes?
Stop using it and wash irritated skin with soap and water. Rinse eyes with room-temperature water for at least 15 minutes. For suspected borate exposure in the United States, contact Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222; seek emergency care for serious symptoms.
The Bottom Line
Choose contact-solution slime for the easiest stretchy batch, fluffy slime for an airy texture, liquid starch for a putty-like result, classic borax slime for the clearest chemistry demonstration, and tapioca slime when you need a glue-free option made from food ingredients. Check activator labels, supervise children, wash hands, and put used slime in the trash—not the drain.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
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