How to make slime (lizun) with your own hands from improvised means

Make slime from improvised means at home – a fascinating activity for both children and adults. It can be made on the basis of many substances – from flour to glue, and adding additional ingredients allows you to change the properties of the mass in one direction or another.

It is important to remember that the use of some substances is associated with the formation of harmful compounds and strong odors, so such experiments should still be carried out with caution and in ventilated areas.

Basic slime recipes from improvised means

Slime can be made from improvised means in the following main ways:

Ingredients	Features of use
Using thick, gel-like detergents.	Liquid soap, shampoo, shower gel are suitable; in this case, salt, soda, sugar, starch, boric acid and other components that are available in every kitchen or can be easily purchased at a store or pharmacy are used as thickeners.
Using silicate glue or PVA.	The ingredients are also mixed with detergents, soda, and borax.
Using lens fluid.	The ingredient is hard to find. But it makes great slimes that can stretch to a thin film with the addition of silicate or PVA glue.
Using sodium tetraborate.	These slimes almost always work, and their production does not require much effort, but they also have some disadvantages, which are listed below.

There are also recipes for making "edible" slimes based on food products.

These slimes are some of the easiest and safest:

• from mashed banana with the addition of flour;
• made from flour with the addition of water and food coloring (essentially, this is regular dough, but you can’t eat it raw);
• from Nutella chocolate spread and elastic Marshmallow pastilles, preheated in a microwave oven or in a water bath;
• from tapioca (a granular starch obtained from the root of the cassava plant), starch powder and water.

In the latter case, you get a translucent slime filled with balls.

From shampoo

Methods for making slime from shampoos are among the simplest. However, it is necessary to take into account that all detergents have different chemical compositions, so different quantities may be required. This is a very exciting activity for a child, in which the result itself is not as important as the process of experimenting with simple household products.

With salt

You can make slime from improvised means - shampoo and salt - using this technology:

1. Pour 2-3 teaspoons of shampoo into a cup. It is best to use thick types of detergent. If you take a shampoo with a certain shade or smell, the slime will be more interesting. 2 in 1 compositions with balm will give a more viscous structure that does not stick to your hands.
2. After this, you need to add salt to the mass little by little. All shampoos react differently, so you need to add 1 pinch, no more.
3. Then stir the mixture thoroughly with a spoon. If the shampoo has not thickened, add another pinch of salt and stir well.
4. Now the slime needs to be covered in a plastic box (or cling film) and placed in the freezer for 10 minutes. This will make it thicker. It is recommended to freeze it periodically after playing so that it retains this texture.

Proven brands of shampoos that will definitely make slime are TRESemme, Timotei for men (the slime sticks to your hands a little), Princess 2 in 1, Syoss, Pantene, Coconut water shampoo.

With soda

This recipe requires several ingredients, as simply mixing shampoo with baking soda will not help you get a stretchy mass:

1. Pour 2-3 tablespoons of Pantene Pro-V AQUA LIGHT shampoo into a cup.
2. Add the same amount of thick liquid Palmolive soap.
3. Then stir the mixture. The mass will begin to thicken before your eyes.
4. The final touch is to add ½ teaspoon of salt to the resulting mixture, stir, add a pinch of baking soda and stir.

After 2 days of storage in a closed container, this mass will become completely transparent, but this slime does not stretch very well.

With sugar

Slime made according to this recipe has properties that are as close as possible to those sold in stores in ready-made form.

To prepare it, you need to follow these steps:

1. Pour 2-3 tablespoons of Pantene Pro-V AQUA LIGHT shampoo or another very thick, jelly-like shampoo into a bowl.
2. Add 1 teaspoon of liquid soap, stir. The mixture will thicken even more.
3. Then add powdered sugar to the mixture. At first, you only need to add a couple of spoons and stir. Then add more until the mass starts to come away from the sides of the bowl. The entire recipe may require about 30 g of powdered sugar.
4. Place the container with the mixture in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes.

This slime stretches very well and does not stick to your hands. In some cases, the slime can be made by mixing only shampoo and sugar, after which the mass is put in the freezer for 10 minutes.

With starch

Another simple option for making slime is to use starch as a thickener. For the base, you can use not only one of the thick shampoos listed above, but also liquid soap or shower gel.

The slime is made using the following technology:

1. Pour shampoo into a cup (2-3 tbsp.).
2. Add potato starch to the shampoo, stirring it well.
3. Gradually add more starch until the mass resembles thick dough. In total, you may need 100-150 g of powder.

To get a colored slime, you can add a little gouache at the first stage. This slime has a uniform structure and stretches quite well. You don’t need to put it in the refrigerator, otherwise it will become more brittle. This slime, like many others made from improvised means, is short-lived. It dries quickly.

With boric acid

This recipe uses an alcohol solution of boric acid as a thickener, which can be purchased at pharmacies.

The process of making slime is as follows:

1. Pour the entire bottle of boric acid into a glass or ceramic cup.
2. Add ½ teaspoon of baking soda to it.
3. The undissolved soda must be removed by straining through cheesecloth folded in several layers. The liquid must be poured into a glass. Instead of cheesecloth, you can strain through a paper napkin folded into a cone.
4. Then repeat the same steps as in the previous recipes: pour 1-2 tablespoons of thick shampoo into a cup and add a little of the resulting sodium tetraborate, thoroughly mixing the mass.

Recipes with PVA

For PVA-based slimes, you can use either office glue or construction glue. The latter has better adhesion and is thicker. As in the previous cases, you can add dyes, glitter, metallic acrylic paint (to get a "metallic" slime), foam balls, beads and other decorative components to the slime.

Slippery Slime

You can easily make slippery and crunchy slime from improvised means by following these sequential steps:

1. Pour PVA glue into a cup. You can take the amount by eye, depending on the size of the slime you want to get.
2. Add a small amount of liquid soap or shower gel to the glue (approximately 1 teaspoon of soap per 60 g of PVA), stir vigorously until small bubbles form. This component will give the mixture a "bubbly" appearance.
3. Then you need to add 5 drops of baby oil (or body oil) to this mass. It serves not only for aromatization, but also to make the slime iridescent and shiny.
4. Mix everything thoroughly.
5. Then add a small amount of washing gel (for example, Losk) into the container and stir.
6. Now you need to add a thickener - shaving foam. Its quantity is selected so that the slime becomes thick enough. At the same time, you need to constantly knead the mass.
7. After this, the slime should be placed in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic and left for 2 days. After "aging" it will become shinier.

At first, the slime will stick to your hands a little, but this will go away over time.

Anti-stress balls

To make a slime with anti-stress small balls, you will need the following:

1. Pour 150 ml of glue into a cup.
2. Pour in colored foam balls, which can be purchased in craft and children's art stores, and mix thoroughly. The balls can be taken from old ball plasticine. To do this, pour hot water over it and let it sit until the glue dissolves, then strain it. You can also crumble regular foam.
3. Now prepare the thickener. To do this, dissolve ½ teaspoon of borax (dry boric acid powder) in 250 ml of hot water.
4. Mix in a cup, then knead the mixture completely in your hands.

With soda

The simplest recipe for making slime from 2 ingredients - soda and glue - is as follows:

1. Pour 1 heaping tablespoon of soda into a cup and pour 1 cup of hot water over it. Stir until the soda dissolves. Wait until the liquid cools down a little.
2. Pour 50 g of glue into another cup. Instead of PVA, you can also use silicate office glue, then the slime will be more transparent.
3. Add a few drops of dye to the glue.
4. Then pour the soda solution into the glue and stir. The slime will be in the form of a torn mass and will accumulate at the bottom, these particles need to be collected and put on a plate.
   
5. To prevent the slime from sticking, dip it several times into the remaining solution.

With sodium tetraborate

It is easy to make slime from improvised means and sodium tetraborate. Such slime stretches well and does not tear. Sodium tetraborate can be bought in almost any drugstore, as it is used as an external antiseptic.

The technique for making slime is as follows:

1. Pour PVA glue into a cup (or disposable cup), add dye, stir well.
2. Then add literally a couple of drops of sodium tetraborate and mix well.
3. To thicken the mass, add the antiseptic solution in very small portions, stirring thoroughly and for a long time. As soon as the slime starts to come off the sides of the container, take it in your hands and knead it a little more.

Flour recipes

Recipes made from flour are among the safest, as they contain a minimum of "chemical" ingredients. However, the slimes are denser and "heavier" in consistency, more reminiscent of plasticine.

With water

To make a simple slime from flour, you need to do the following:

1. Pour 50-70 ml of water into a cup. Add a few drops of dye.
2. Add flour and stir. Add flour in small portions to achieve the desired consistency.
3. Knead the dough well. To prevent it from sticking to your hands and to make it shiny, you can add a couple of teaspoons of vegetable oil or moisturizing body oil. These substances will also help prevent the slime from drying out quickly and maintain its soft structure.
4. Knead the dough again. You can pour a little more oil on top of the lump so that it does not stick to your hands and the dishes.

This slime should be stored in a closed container, or better yet, wrapped in plastic.

With shampoo

Slime can be made from improvised means - shampoo and flour in the same way as from flour and water. Such slime stretches better. It is best to use thick gel-like shampoo, which must be combined with flour and kneaded into a "dough". The amount of ingredients is arbitrary, if necessary, you can add more.

A little cosmetic or baby oil is also added to the composition so that the mass stretches even better and has a shiny surface.

With soap and toothpaste

The slime made according to this recipe is more like jelly.

The method of its production is as follows:

1. Squeeze about 1 tablespoon of regular, non-gel toothpaste (Colgate works best) into a cup.
2. Then add liquid soap or shower gel. The thicker it is, the better.
3. Mix the mixture. To achieve the desired consistency, add the required component to it again.

To make the slime more dense, you can add a small amount of flour to it, but in this case the slime will look more like plasticine.

With glue

Adding PVA glue allows you to increase the elasticity and softness of the slime. This slime is prepared using the same principle as from flour and water. Glue and flour are mixed in an approximate ratio of 2:1.

From plasticine

The easiest way to make slime from plasticine is to pour hot water over it and let it sit for 15-20 minutes. However, regular plasticine will not work for this purpose; you need to use soft modeling clay. This slime needs to be kneaded well after being kept in hot water. If you do this earlier, the slime will stick to your hands very much.

Regular plasticine can be used to make a sticky slime using sodium tetraborate:

1. First, you need to pour hot water over 1 block of plasticine to make it softer.
2. Then add PVA glue and try to stir the mass. It is quite difficult to do this, since the plasticine is still hard.
3. Add a few drops of sodium tetraborate and knead. The plasticine will begin to soften little by little.
   
4. Next, you need to add shaving foam and PVA glue one by one, stirring thoroughly until you get the desired consistency.

Without sodium tetraborate

Sodium tetraborate is not safe for children because it is toxic when absorbed through damaged skin. Prolonged contact with this substance may also cause irritation. Slimes containing sodium tetraborate should not be given to small children who may put the toy in their mouth.

In addition to the above methods without tetraborate, you can use the following:

1. Pour 1 package of gelatin with 5 tablespoons of warm water, stir and wait until it dissolves completely.
2. Then add a little starch as a thickener.
3. Add flour to give the slime a thicker consistency and stir.

This slime is completely safe for health and stretches well. If you add more flour, you can use it as a modeling dough. As is typical for all flour-based recipes, this "slime" will dry out quickly and you will need to make a new one. It also sticks to your hands a little.

Without PVA glue

One of the most effective thickeners is also contact lens fluid.

To prepare a super elastic slime with the addition of such a liquid and a film mask, you need to do the following:

1. Squeeze 1 packet of cosmetic face mask-film into a cup. As it dries, it gradually thickens, simultaneously giving the mass elasticity.
2. Then add the same amount of shaving foam, 1 tbsp. water, food coloring and mix well.
3. Add ½ teaspoon of soda and stir. Also add about the same amount of contact lens solution to the mixture and knead.
4. Knead the slime in your hands for 3 minutes. After that, it will stop sticking. If this does not happen, then you need to add more contact lens fluid.

There are also recipes for making slime using toilet paper.

The method below makes slime that is very stretchy and “crunchy”:

1. Tear soft toilet paper into small pieces into a cup.
2. Then pour in dishwashing gel (about 1-2 tbsp.) and stir well so that the paper is completely saturated and begins to dissolve.
3. Add 2 pinches of soda and stir again.
4. Spray the mixture with nasal spray (you can use Nazivin). This ingredient will give the mixture more airiness.
   
5. Then squeeze out about 2 tablespoons of the film mask.
6. Stir the mixture. As soon as the mass starts to come off the walls, you can pick it up and play with it.

Slime can be made quickly and easily from various improvised means. For children, however, it is better to give preference to safer materials - starch and flour, as they cannot cause negative consequences even if swallowed.

For older children, slimes are a vast "field of activity"; you can choose a suitable recipe from the many available recipes or invent your own. There are also ready-made kits on sale that allow you to make this popular toy with your own hands.

Video on how to make slime

Simple slime recipe without tetraborate: