How to Make Slime Without Borax

Last Updated on July 30, 2019

3 Borax-Free Slime Recipes

Adults might hate the feeling of slime, but that may just be why children love to play with this gooey substance!

Making slime with your kids is a terrific bonding exercise. It is also a great for encouraging creativity. It allows your child to mold and shape the slime in any way they want, and it is a sensory experience they can enjoy.

Also, making slime is pretty similar to a scientific experiment. The way the ingredients combine to change its texture and physical properties is something children can really learn from. Therefore, it has educational value as well.

And while making slime can provide several benefits, one drawback is that it is commonly made with Borax. Borax is non-toxic to play with, but it is not an ingredient kids should eat.

If you’ve got little ones that are at the ‘eat-anything-but-dinner stage’, it’s probably best to use Borax-free recipes.

Also, Borax has been known to cause skin irritation. If your kids have delicate skin and are playing with the slime for a long time or if too much Borax has been put into your recipe, your child may end up with a skin irritation.

If all these factors make you skeptical about using Borax in your slime, we provide some great alternatives.  These are easy Borax-free slime recipes that will give your children all the fun of slime without the possible side effects Borax can cause.

Our recipes have ingredients like cornstarch, which is so safe, your children, really can eat it! Other active ingredients in our recipes include glues and detergents that are not edible, but they are gentle on the skin.

These are all ingredients you can feel good about so make up some slime and let the creative fun begin! Just be prepared to do a bit of cleaning afterward!

Borax-Free Liquid Starch Slime Recipe

This makes slime with the consistency of “goo.” It flows when you pour it or set it down, its a thinner version of slime. It does get thicker feeling if squeeze it.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup liquid starch (recipe for homemade liquid starch is after the slime recipe)

1 cup white glue

food coloring

Directions:

1. Mix together the liquid starch and glue.

2. Add food coloring for colored slime.

Homemade Liquid Starch Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon cornstarch

1/4 cup cold water

3 3/4 cup tap water

Liquid Starch Directions:

Bring 3 3/4 cup tap water to a rolling boil.

While waiting for water to boil, mix the tablespoon of cornstarch into cold water. Stir constantly until cornstarch is completely dissolved.

Once the water boils, slowly stir in cornstarch mixture.

Remove from heat and let cool.

After cooling add to a one quart spray bottle.

Borax-Free Cornstarch Slime Recipe

Ingredients:

2 cups cornstarch

1 cup warm water

food coloring

Directions:

1. Stir the cornstarch into the warm water, a little at a time until all of the starch has been added. You can add a little more starch if you want a thicker slime. Add a small amount of water if you want a runnier slime. Also, the consistency of the slime is affected by temperature.

2. Add food coloring to get the color you prefer.

Laundry Detergent or Dish Soap Slime Recipe

This is a super easy recipe to make slime, that uses only two common ingredients. It doesn’t require borax.

Slime Ingredients:

White school glue

liquid laundry detergent or dish soap (we used Dawn)

Directions:

1. Pour about 1/4 cup of glue into a bowl.

2. Add about 1 Tablespoon of liquid laundry detergent.

3.  Stir well with a rubber spatula. You can add more laundry detergent if you want it less sticky. Add a tiny bit at a time because it does get the gooey slime texture after sing or a few minutes. Also, playing with it warms the slime and makes it more pliable and smooth

Storing Your Slime

You can store the slime from any of these recipes in a sealed container, such as a bowl or a plastic bag. The slime is good for a couple of days at room temperature or at about a week if stored in the refrigerator.