How to Make the Best Slime Without Borax (Kid-Friendly Recipe)

Since you’ll need to mix together an activator in order to give the slime its consistency, many people simply mix Borax with water. And while that’s indeed an effective way to make an activator, there are many children who have hurt themselves (and in some cases, quite seriously hurt themselves) by burning themselves with Borax when making slime. (1)

While you can certainly minimize the risks by taking safety precautions such as wearing gloves and washing your hands thoroughly, there’s still going to be some element of risk when using Borax. So with that in mind, today I wanted to share a great kid-friendly recipe that will show you how to make the best slime without Borax.

To make this slime, you’ll first need to add ½ cup of either clear or white school glue into a small bowl along with ½ cup of shaving foam. Mix them until they’re well combined, and then add in one teaspoon each of cornstarch and baking soda.

From here, you can then grab your preferred choice of food coloring (my kids seem to always want to make green slime) and mix it in with the other ingredients. Once everything has been combined, you’re going to want to slowly mix in one tablespoon of contact lens solution — although you may need more, or even less, as needed.

As you mix in the contact lens solution, you’ll notice that the mixture will begin to take on a slime-like consistency and get gradually harder to mix. You can then take the slime out and begin to knead and stretch it.

Once the slime no longer sticks to your hands, it’s good to go. You can either play with it immediately or store it in an airtight container for future use.

On a final note, if you’re wondering what sort of fun things your kids can do to get the most out of making homemade slime, we’ve got you covered. Here’s a brief list of fun things you can do with your slime:

1) Help your child learn and grow by making a few different colored slimes. You can then sort them by colors, shapes, sizes, etc.

2) You can also use letter and number magnets to make imprints in the slime — talk about a fun way to practice the ABCs and counting!

3) Similarly, you could use cookie cutters to make your slime into all sorts of fun shapes like stars, hearts, and diamonds.

Admittedly, most of these activities are geared towards much younger children. That’s because making slime from scratch and then playing with it can both be incredibly educational experiences for your little ones — and they’ll definitely appreciate getting to spend some time doing something cool with you as well!

P.S. – If you don’t mind using a bit of Borax to make your slime, be sure to check out our recipe for making fluffy rainbow slime and clear slime (these are both a ton of fun!)

½ cup school glue (clear or white)
½ cup shaving foam
1 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp baking soda
your choice of food coloring
1 tbsp contact lens solution (more or less as needed)

1. In a bowl place the glue and shaving foam.

2. Mix to combine.

3. Add the baking soda and cornstarch and stir until smooth.

4. Add your choice of food coloring and mix to combine.

5. Slowly add the contact lens solution, stirring slowly as you pour it, until the slime forms and it begins to get harder to mix.

6. Take the slime out and begin kneading and stretching it.

7. If you find it still too sticky, use gloves or add some baby oil or lotion to your hands. (see note*)

8. Knead and stretch until the slime stops sticking to your hands.

9. Once mixed, you can play with the slime immediately or store in an airtight container or jar for future play.

Note:
*If necessary, keep adding the contact lens solution until desired consistency.