My biggest reader question is always, what do you need to make slime? Find out below exactly what slime is made of. You can pick up the BEST slime ingredients on your next trip to the grocery store. Check out our slime ingredient list for when you make your grocery list this week! Plus, make sure to get the printable slime recipe too!
PinMake Slime With The Right Slime Ingredients
You can DEFINITELY make homemade slime with the kids this season. It is not hard at all, and we have tons of videos, tutorials, and tips to share with you. At the bottom, you will find lots of clickable slime resources to help you.
It might take a little practice and a little tweaking from what we do, but it should be pretty spot on. I receive tons of emails and comments from readers so happy to have finally been able to make homemade slime with their kids!
Making homemade slime is all about having the right slime ingredients! I do get slime fail questions. Many of these failures are simply because the right slime ingredients weren’t used! Substitutions don’t work! Read on to find what ingredients for slime you will need…
Slime Ingredients List
The 2 main ingredients for slime are glue and a slime activator. Depending on the slime recipe, you will also need water and baking soda.
Of course, there are tons of fun slime variations you can make. For more awesome slimy supplies and fun mix-ins, see our RECOMMENDED SLIME SUPPLIES. You will also find our favorite storage options. Hint, it’s definitely not a plastic baggy!
1. Glue
From what you read above, the right type of glue is very important and is the foundation for a good homemade slime. You want to look for a washable PVA-based glue which is usually also listed as school glue.
Our choices usually include Elmer’s brand of washable school glues. Clear, white, and glitter are all good choices. Now many of you might not have access to Elmer’s Glue, so I would make sure you are finding a PVA-based glue {polyvinyl-acetate}.
Something to note about the glue is the difference in viscosity between white and clear glue and even the glitter or color glues.
Clear glue will make a thicker slime, therefore, you may want to go easier on the amount of activator until you are comfortable with it. Although it may feel stickier, to begin with, if you add too much, it will become more rubbery.
White glue will make a looser slime! The new colored glues and glitter glues are also thick, and we actually developed a recipe just for them; see it here.
2. Slime Activator
Each of ourbasic slime recipes uses a different slime activator. The slime activator is the key ingredient for slime. When mixed with the PVA glue, the activator causes the specific chemical reaction that produces your slimy texture. If you don’t have the right slime activator, you don’t have slime.
Let’s talk for a minute about slime activators; none of them are borax free. That’s right! Slime recipes are NOT completely borax free. Each of the popular slime activators you see in all those recipes will have at least one ingredient from the boron family.
We go over each slime activator more in-depth here.
Your choice for slime activators are:
- Liquid Starch
- Saline Solution
- Borax Powder
Liquid starch contains sodium borate. The saline solution usually has two key ingredients: sodium borate and boric acid; they might also just list one of these. The borax powder contains, of course, borax.
It’s up to you to decide what you want to use, but I have seen a lot of sites claim that recipes using saline solution and liquid starch are borax free. This is NOT true 99% of the time.
There are many ways to make borax-free slime that include borax substitutes such as fiber, cornstarch, marshmallows, and more, but these edible slimes WON”T have the same texture and stretch that you get with our classic slime recipes.
How To Make Fluffy Slime
Kids love fluffy slime because it’s SO fun to squish and stretch but also light and airy as a cloud! Learnhow to make fluffy slime with saline solutionso quickly you won’t believe it! The key slime ingredient you need is shaving foam!
LOOK: Fluffy Slime Recipe
How To Make Butter Slime
When you hear aboutbutter slime,does it make you think of slime made from a stick of butter? That would be something, wouldn’t it? We have two easy recipes for butter slime that will give you smooth buttery slime every time. The ingredient for butter slime is clay, or alternatively, you can use cornstarch.
LOOK: Clay Butter Slime and Butter Slime Without Clay
PinWhere To Find Slime Ingredients?
Liquid Starch Slime
To make our liquid starch slime recipe {which is super easy to make}, you need a bottle of liquid starch. This can be purchased in the laundry detergent aisle of your grocery store, big-box store, and even online if necessary.
Saline Solution Slime
The saline solution slime recipe trips people up the most because of the variety of saline solutions out there. This slime is the new popular slime in our recipe collection. It’s a good slime for UK slime recipes as well as Canadian slime recipes.
When looking for your saline solution, ensure the ingredients include sodium borate and boric acid. I can’t write it enough! You need these slime ingredients for making homemade slime. My favorite brand of saline solution is actually Target Brand!
Borax Slime
This is your most classic and controversial slime recipe, requiring a box of borax powder. I know this is not a popular ingredient in Canada and the UK. Listen to Steve Spangler discuss borax in a video on Facebook.
This slime ingredient can also be found in the laundry detergent aisle.
We also love borax powder for growing crystals, and making bouncy balls!
Helpful Slime Making Resources
These are the best resources to look through before, during, and after making your slime!
- Slime Activator List
- What is slime?
- What You Need To Make Slime
- Amazing Benefits Of Playing With Slime
- Best Slime Ideas
- How To Make Slime Less Sticky
- How To Get Slime Out Of Clothes And Hair
- Free Slime Camp Week Guide
Cool Slime Recipes To Try
Now you have a heads up on what slime ingredients you need to make slime, check out these fun recipe variations.
- Fluffy Slime
- Cloud Slime
- Clear Slime
- Glitter Slime
- Galaxy Slime
- Ultraviolet Slime
- Butter Slime
Printable Slime Recipes Ultimate Guide
This is the ULTIMATE collection of slime recipesevery kid wants to make! Explore the best recipes and find the right supplies to make slime time a breeze!
Perfect for kids of all ages, including tweens and teens! Taste-safe recipes are perfect for the youngest slime fans.
What’s Included:
- The Ultimate Slime Guidecontains all the specialty recipes you or your kids want to make! You’ll find all the best tips, tricks, hints, and slime-y info in almost 100 pages!
- The Ultimate Slime Holiday Guidecovers all the best holidays and seasons with special themes and slime-y projects!
- The Ultimate Borax-FREE and Taste-Safe Slime Guideshows you how to make all the best borax-free, taste-safe, and non-toxic slimes kids love, such as marshmallow slime. These recipes do not use chemical activators such as saline solution, liquid starch, or borax powder, making them truly borax-free.
- The Ultimate Slime Coloring Bookis an easy-to-print coloring book kids will love! Color and design your favorite slimes!
- The Slime Starter Guideis a fact-filled information guide with everything you need to know to make the best slime ever!
- Slime Science Project Packhelps you turn slime-making into a science lesson!
