Make the Softest 2 Ingredient Play-Dough at Home!

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More Crafts/DIY

smushing play-dough in hand

Looking for a fun craft idea to keep kids busy?

If you’ve been wondering how to make play-dough at home, you’re in luck! By using just two common household ingredients, this fun activity results in a super soft dough you can mold… and the best part is there is no cooking required.

Playing with it is soothing and calming, and it just so happens to be a fun way to reduce stress and anxiety for all ages. Win win! 🙌

cornstarch and conditioner in mixing bowl

Hip tips for making your own play-dough:

    • You can make as much play-dough as you’d like by using the ratio of 1 part conditioner to 2 parts cornstarch.
    • Lotion works too instead of conditioner, so you could experiment with using that instead.
    • If you use a scented conditioner, your play-dough will smell great too! You can also add a couple of drops of essential oils if desired.
    • We didn’t notice much color transfer to our hands after adding a few drops of food coloring, but this step is completely optional and you could omit it altogether if you choose. A second option would be to try using soap dye, which is less likely to stain your skin.

mixing up corn starch and conditioner

holding white homemade play-dough

holding homemade play-dough

using a cookie cutter with homemade play-dough


2-Ingredient Play Dough

Print

Supplies Needed

  • 1 cup conditioner
  • 2 cups cornstarch
  • food coloring (optional)

Directions

1

Mix the conditioner and cornstarch in a bowl, and manipulate it until dough forms. It helps to mix it well first with a spoon before using your hands.

 

2

Add a few drops of food coloring to the mixture if desired. You could also split up the batch of white dough to create different colors with the food coloring.

3

Manipulate and play with dough. Store it in a sealed baggie when finished playing, and it could last about a week.

 

Note: This amount makes enough for 2 kids.Β 


smashing homemade play-dough

You’ll love how soft and cloud-like this play-dough is!

Can you believe how easy it is to make your own play-dough?! Better yet, it’s inexpensive and really fun, too.

I love using play-dough as a calming activity for both kids and adults alike. It’s such a soothing way to provide a little sensory input for fidgety hands, and making your own play-dough couldn’t be easier! I really appreciate that it comes together with easy-to-find ingredients you probably already have on hand, too.

homemade play-dough on a cutting board with cookie cutters

Take a few minutes to relax and enjoy this fun craft with your kiddos!


Love slime? Check out all of our easy slime recipes next!


About the writer:

Lina has a Bachelor's Degree from Northern Arizona University with 11 years of blogging and photography experience having work featured in Today.com, Martha Stewart, Country Living, Fox News, Buzzfeed, and HGTV.


Join The Discussion

Comments 22

  1. Shra G.

    Fun! Love the at home ideas. Now if only I didn’t throw away the cornstarch dwelling in my cupboard for years only a month ago. 😭

    • Lina D (Hip2Save Sidekick)

      Oh darn! Ha

  2. burntham

    Thanks! We had already planned to make this today!

    • Lina D (Hip2Save Sidekick)

      Oh yay! Enjoy πŸ˜‰

  3. Silva

    I’ve done this one in the past and love it. I add epson salt to it and had the kids make bath bombs as a way to change it up.

  4. Allison

    Thank you! Just matches two batches and divided into 4 colors! Worked great! My kids love it!

    • Allison

      Made*

    • Lina D (Hip2Save Sidekick)

      Yay! That is fun to hear Allison – thanks for sharing!

  5. Lori

    We’ve done cornstarch “chalk” pain this week, so this is a similar and perfect next step. Thanks!

    • Lina D (Hip2Save Sidekick)

      Oh yay – enjoy!

  6. Alysa

    Does this last longer if you refrigerate it when not in use? Thanks!

  7. Tawni

    Has anyone actually used lotion instead? I would like to try this with the kiddos today, but I want to make sure it turns out first.

    • Martina

      Just made this slime with lotion and it worked wonderfully!!

  8. Christa

    Just did it with my kids for the “experiential” hour of our forced homeschooling. Technically it’s not forced, they have no requirements…but with no school for the remainder of the year, I’m attempting to do 1/2 day of learning, and 1/2 day of my normal work from home. This project was a total hit! And cheap, too – extra bonus!

    • Lina D (Hip2Save Sidekick)

      Oh Hooray! I’m so glad and thanks for sharing!

  9. Amy

    we made this just the other day! My kids loved it and it turned out so well! We are planning to make more next week. So inexpensive and fun!

  10. CJ

    Has anyone used shampoo instead of conditioner?

    • Lina D (Hip2Save Sidekick)

      I searched online for ya and found mixed results. Some say it’s a sticky mess, and some say it worked. Let us know if you try. πŸ‘

  11. Bethany Vass

    It didn’t work for me. πŸ™ any suggestions?

  12. Mia

    Can you use anything other than cornstarch.

    • Trish (Hip Sidekick)

      Hi Mia! When searching online, here are some substitutions that were recommended – keep in mind that these might change the consistency of the slime. πŸ’ž
      Baking soda combined with shaving cream
      Flour
      Potato starch or corn flour

  13. Mia

    Thank for telling me that I was going to use powdered sugar

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