How can you thicken slime: list of activators for slime

Beginning slimers often ask questions: how can they thicken the slime so that it stretches well, does not tear, and does not stick to your hands?

What to do if the already made slime turns out to be liquid?

Many hand chewing gum lovers find pleasure in not having to buy a toy, but making it at home. Children especially enjoy such experiments.

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Therefore, it is useful to know what substances can be used as activators so that it is effective, affordable and safe.

How can you thicken slime?

In order for the slime to acquire the intended consistency, it is important to choose the right thickener. Most often, one of the following substances is used:

sodium tetraborate, also known as borax or borax;
hydrogen peroxide;
liquid for contact lenses;
salicylic acid (a popular antiseptic);
washing gel;
dishwashing liquid;
Polish for hair;
air freshener in the form of a spray;
soda;
starch;
gelatin;
salt;
powdered sugar;
Visin eye drops;
Teymurov spray.

Recipes usually tell you what type of activator you need to use to thicken the slime. But sometimes you don’t have just such an ingredient on hand. To avoid difficulties with replacement, let’s understand the properties of all these substances.

What can be used as a thickener for slime?

The list of thickeners for making slime at home is not as short as it might seem. The components can be easily obtained by anyone - without the need to visit the school laboratory.

Popular thickeners for slime:

Sodium tetraborate
. Also known as borax or borax. The most reliable option, the remaining variations on the theme of the classic slime, in principle, can be considered its subspecies. Sold in almost any pharmacy or online store. It can be produced in the form of a bottle with a 20% glycerin solution, as well as in the form of a powder in packages of 0.5 kg. It is relatively cheap: a 30 ml jar of solution will cost 75 rubles (25-30 hryvnia), a package of dry borax will cost 200 rubles (70 hryvnia) per half kilo. If, when planning how to make a thickener for slime at home, you take Borax in powder, then for a thickening solution per toy you will need from 1/4 teaspoon per half cup (125 ml) of warm water. Be careful not to accidentally get the powder or solution into your eyes. Borax in a glycerin solution is already ready for use: slimes with this component are softer, and glycerin does not need to be added to the base. A solution concentration of 20% means that a 30 ml jar contains approximately 6 grams of borax - half a heaped teaspoon. Thus, for one toy and half a glass of water for the thickener you will need a little less than half a 30 ml jar - this is how you can make a thickener for slime.
Boric acid
. You can make a thickener for slime from both borax and ordinary boric acid. It is also sold in pharmacies and is very cheap. Available in two forms - powder and solution. The solution can be two or three percent, in 20 and 25 ml bottles. The price of one bottle is only about 13 rubles (5 UAH). A ten-gram bag of powder will cost about 45 rubles (15 UAH). It should take about 1/2 teaspoon of powder to make one toy. Due to its low concentration, the solution is added, without measuring, drop by drop, gradually until it is ready. It forms the tetraborate necessary for the reaction when interacting with soapy water.
Baking soda
. Regular soda can also be an activator component. The secret lies in another chemical reaction: soda, interacting with boric acid, especially at high temperatures, forms borax in solution. You can also use baking soda as a cheap substitute for Borax. How to make a thickener for slime in this case: use approximately 1 tablespoon of soda (heaped) per 50 grams of base and half a glass of warm water. The more baking soda you add, the less sticky the slime will be.
Liquid for contact lens care
. Before preparing, make sure that the product contains boron (this can be sodium borate or tetraborate, boric acid). Usually it is present there in one form or another. To make a thickener, it is advisable to add a little baking soda to the lens fluid. The mixture is added dropwise to the base until it stops sticking to the walls of the dishes and hands, and then knead. This is perhaps the most expensive way to make a thickener of all possible: a bottle of lens care product can cost from 500 rubles (200 hryvnia) and more. But the slime with such a thickener turns out very fluffy and airy.
Liquid starch
. Contrary to its name, liquid starch is not edible: it is a type of bleach sold at home improvement stores. As in other methods, the essence lies in the presence of boron in the composition of the product - study the label. To activate one slime you will need approximately 3/4 cup of liquid starch or 75 ml. This is also not the cheapest method: a 750 ml bottle of liquid starch can cost from 260 rubles (100 hryvnia).
Eye drops
. The reaction using this product is constructed in a similar way, since most of these drops contain boric acid. Its concentration is quite low, so a lot of drops (even in interaction with soda) may be needed. A bottle of the cheapest eye drops can cost from 300 rubles (110 hryvnia) and more.
Corn starch
. If you are interested in how to make slime if you don’t have a thickener - traditional, with boron in the composition, pay attention to corn starch. In this case, the base does not have to be adhesive: thick shampoo or dishwashing detergent may also work. This slime will live less than usual, but you can play for a day.
Gelatin
. In this case, slimes also turn out to be short-lived. Usually, a solution of gelatin (15 g of gelatin per 100 ml of water) and plasticine are mixed. What to do to thicken the slime: add concentrated dishwashing detergent or shower gel.

Edible slimes are prepared with the addition of flour, granulated sugar, soda, starch or melted marshmallows. The base is made from condensed milk, nut butter and other similar products.

If you are wondering which slime thickener is the best, set your priorities. Of course, if durability is important above all, the activator should be boron-based. The most durable slimes are made directly from tetraborate on an adhesive base. Also good results are shown by slimes made with the use of an appropriate lens cleaning product. If the price and number of toys are important, pay attention to dry borax or boric acid with laundry soap. In general, you can use any of the thickeners described for slime - experiment, some recipes are sure to become your favorite and will turn out better than others.

Is it possible to thicken slime with boric acid?

The main active ingredient of borax is boric acid salts. It is due to them that it acts as a thickener on the slime mass. Therefore, in addition to sodium tetraborate, you can take other salt products.

Salt suitable for adding to the mixture is also found in contact lens liquid, Visine eye drops, and table salt solution. These substances can be used as a replacement for boric acid.

Salt-containing preparations are the most famous option for activators. When they are added, a chemical reaction quickly begins, the mass thickens and becomes denser before our eyes.

The application scheme is simple: after the main ingredients are mixed, the salt product is added drop by drop. Its quantity depends on the volume of the slime and what density you want to achieve.

How to make edible slime

What it is?

The main property of each slime is its ability to stretch and wrinkle. or simply thickener included in its composition By adjusting the amount of this component, you can achieve different densities.

Compound

The first thickener that has always been used when mixing slime is sodium tetraborate. It contains a salt of boric acid or borax, which allows the base to become thicker.

Important! Borax is a toxic substance that accumulates in the body with frequent contact with the skin. It can cause allergies in the form of rashes or digestive disorders. When using sodium tetraborate, protect your hands and do not inhale the fumes released during the reaction.

Washing gel or dishwashing liquid

If you don't have sodium tetraborate, or you don't want to use it, you can thicken the slime with laundry gel (for example, Persil) or dishwashing liquid (Fairy is best suited).

In order to get slime, you need to mix two capsules of washing gel with a bottle of PVA glue (125 ml) and mix thoroughly until smooth. You can beat the mixture with a blender. Then the slime should stand for 15-20 minutes. After this, it is completely ready for use.

This recipe is not recommended for people with sensitive skin.

You can cook without Persil. A teaspoon of “Fairy” is added to the PVA glue, after which the mass is thoroughly kneaded by hand or on the table. The result is a pleasant to the touch and beautiful handgam.

What thickeners can be used for slime?

We remind you that the above substances work with good PVA glue. Not necessarily expensive. It happens that you can get slimes with budget brands of this glue.

1. Hairspray. With it, the slime will be exactly the slime in the classical sense. It will be very stretchy, slightly sticking to your hands. 2. Liquid laundry detergent (Persil or Losk). The first one definitely gives good results with most types of PVA glue. 3. Shaving foam. This is actually something that can be used in place of a slime thickener. Moreover, the toy turns out to be voluminous, light, airy, and stretches well. And in appearance, this slime is more like a fluffy marshmallow. 4. Shaving gel. Unlike foam, you only need a little bit of it, less than a pea (!). Otherwise, there is a risk of getting rubber. 5. Thick liquid dishwashing detergent. It works almost the same as washing gel.

Is it possible to thicken slime with air freshener?

To thicken the slime mixture without boric acid, hairspray or an air freshener spray may be suitable.

The varnish should be taken with the highest fixation force.

For preparation you will need PVA glue or stationery glue. We place a bottle of glue in the container and begin to spray varnish on it. This should be done in small portions, for a few seconds. After each serving, stir the mixture thoroughly.

The slime turns out to look like plasticine. When kneading, excess varnish drips off. At first, the slime hardly stretches and breaks, but if you let it sit for a few minutes, it becomes more elastic.

Do the same with an air freshener. Not all brands are suitable; only Air wick can be recommended.

You can only work with varnish or air freshener in a ventilated area!

One composition uses only varnish or only a freshener.

If the mass turns out to be too liquid, baking soda dissolved in water will help bring it to the desired consistency.

What types of activators are there, what are they called and what do they look like?

There are various thickeners for slime, and below is a list of the most popular ones:

Visin (eye drops);
borax (sodium tetraborate);
gelatin;
liquid laundry detergents;
potato starch;
hairspray;
dishwashing detergent;
air freshener;
baking soda;
salt;
solution for contact lenses;
salicylic acid or any alcohol tincture;
powdered sugar.

Whatever thickener is used from the above, there is a recipe for “chewing gum for hands” with each of them. All of them can be divided into three main groups:

saline;
soapy;
sprays.

Salt

They are considered the most popular thickeners. Their main advantage is that they are publicly available and can be purchased at any pharmacy or store. They are also very effective and are added to the composition at the very end, after mixing all the ingredients.

A solution containing borates is called saline. For example:

contact lens product;
sodium tetraborate;
borax;
boric acid;
"Vizin";
salt.

Important! If you are using borax in powder form, you should first dilute it in a ratio of 10 grams of salt per 125 milliliters of water.

Soapy

Soap thickeners are used as a replacement for salt thickeners. This could be dishwashing detergent or washing machine gel.

Method 1.
1. Pour 125 milliliters of PVA into a blender.
Shake all this well for a few minutes.
Pour into a separate container and let stand for 20 minutes. Ready. You can take it out and play.

This slime can cause allergies on your hands.

Method 2. A teaspoon of Fairy is mixed with PVA, and the mixture is kneaded well. The slime turns out pleasant to the touch and beautiful.

Sprays

Very often, when salt or soap thickeners are not available, sprays (hairspray or air freshener) are used. A product with a strong level of fixation is used.

When using sprays, the mass does not always thicken.

Method for making slime with spray:

Pour PVA glue into a bowl.
Gradually add spray, spraying for 5-7 seconds.
After each addition of spray, stir the mixture for 5 minutes.
Perform these steps until ready.

Important! You cannot use a hair freshener and hairspray to fix your hair in one slime.

In addition to the freshener and fixation varnish, you can also use Teymurov’s foot spray, which contains boric acid and helps thicken the mixture well.

How to thicken slime with baking soda

Slime can be thickened with soda alone, without using additional activators. This is a remedy that allows you to do without sodium tetraborate and other strong substances. The process is not fast, but exciting. First you need to prepare a soda solution. To do this, take 2 tablespoons of powder per glass of warm water. Then squeeze office glue into the center of the container. Do not stir under any circumstances!

We begin to carefully collect the glue with a spatula from the edges to the center. It may take quite a long time. You want the glue to resemble a jellyfish. When it thickens, you can take it in your hands and knead until smooth.

How to make iceberg slime at home

Different brands of glue produce a mass of different consistencies. You can correct too liquid slime by adding a few drops of boric acid.

How to make thickening slime at home

Below you can find recipes for thickeners that allow you to make mucus at home. The appearance of such slimes will be identical to store-bought ones.

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From liquid sodium tetraborate

The substance can be purchased at any pharmacy. The high level of concentration of the substance is a significant advantage. To make the main component of the slime from sodium tetraborate, you will need to dilute the solution with water, which will make it possible to reduce the concentration level of the substance. As a rule, 30 g of sodium tetraborate is required per 1000 ml of water

Glycerol is an auxiliary component of a pharmaceutical drug. The viscosity of the substance is high, which makes it impossible to completely dissolve in liquid.

Advice! In order to give the finished activator uniformity, you will need to mix the composition each time before use.

Excess water in slime makes it unusable

From salt or soda

Salt and baking soda can also be used in the process of making a slime activator. The bulk component is poured with warm water in a ratio of 3:1. The moistened thickener makes it easy to mix into the base. If the slime is not thickening well, it is recommended to add a small portion of salt. The finished anti-stress will look elastic and fluffy. In a hot room it may melt a little or begin to spread.

Sugar, powdered sugar

Often hand gums are made from powdered sugar/sugar. Experts recommend combining the sweet component with shampoo or another soap thickener.

To make a thickened toy, you will need to combine liquid soap with shampoo or shower gel and dissolve a teaspoon of powdered sugar/sugar in the composition. After thoroughly mixing the ingredients, you should place the gum for your hands in the freezer.

Nail polish is an effective activator

Liquid for lenses

A thickened product can also be made from lens fluid containing a borate buffer. To enhance the thickening effect, add a small amount of soda to the solution used to clean lenses. Slime can be launched in the air and caught.

Nail polish

According to the recipe, you should mix sunflower oil with nail polish in a 3:1 ratio in a convenient container. The ingredients are thoroughly mixed. The resulting anti-stress will last perfectly and will not break through for a long time.

Washing liquid powder, gel Persil, Pervol, Losk, Ariel

According to the first recipe for creating a toy, you will need:

Mix 125 ml of PVA adhesive base and 10 ml of dishwashing detergent.
The ingredients are gently kneaded by hand.
The slime should turn out pearlescent.

According to the second recipe, the slimer will need:

Mix 125 ml of PVA adhesive base with a couple of laundry capsules.
To create a homogeneous mass, you will need to beat the composition.
The mixture should be left for 20 minutes.

Note! This method of preparing slime is not suitable for people who suffer from allergic rashes and skin diseases.

Washing powder can be used as an activator

Sprays

If you don’t have a salt or soap thickener on hand, but you really want to make slime, experts recommend using sprays that have a high level of fixation. However, it should be taken into account that the mass may not thicken well.

The PVA will need to be poured into a convenient container.
Little by little spray is sprayed into the adhesive base.
The ingredients are thoroughly mixed. How long will it take? As a rule, no more than 5 minutes.
The steps are repeated until the slime is ready. The slime will be good, thick and fluffy.

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Spray slime will be thicker

Is it possible to thicken slime with gelatin?

Gelatin does not make classic slimes - they do not stretch and are more like jelly. You can make, for example, such a trembling mass from shampoo or shower gel.

To do this, completely dissolve the gelatin with water, add shampoo or gel, pour it into a mold and leave it in the refrigerator for an hour. The formed jelly does not stretch and cannot serve as chewing gum for the hands.

But you can wash yourself with jelly slime, and the collagen contained in gelatin is good for the skin.

Top 3 slime recipes

Slime without PVA glue with sodium tetraborate

By following the recipe exactly, you can get a beautiful, high-quality toy with a pleasant texture. This slime stretches well and makes a crunch when pressed.

You will need:

shower gel – 6-7 dispenser pumps
toothpaste – 1 tsp.
water – 2 tsp.
sodium tetraborate
glitter, dye - for decoration.

Additionally: a container with a tight-fitting lid (plastic or glass container), a deep plate, a spoon/stick for stirring.

Preparation procedure:

Pour 1 tsp into a container. water. Add shower gel and any toothpaste.
Close the lid and shake the contents of the container well for about 10 minutes.
Transfer the resulting foam to a plate, add glitter if desired and color the mixture. Stir thoroughly.
Add a few drops of sodium tetraborate (thickener). Knead to the desired consistency, up to 20-30 minutes.

The easiest slime recipe for beginners

Thickeners for slime, the list of which is listed above, make it possible to make slime using what is at hand, without purchasing additional special components. The first slime you ever make yourself can pleasantly surprise your child. The recipe ingredients are simple, accessible and inexpensive, and the result should be amazing.

You will need:

Water – 2 tsp.
shampoo or dishwashing gel – 1 tsp.
Hand cream – 0.5 tsp.
PVA glue – 5 tsp.
Soda – 0.5 tsp.
Naphthyzin drops
Acrylic paints or gouache

Additionally: deep container, spoon/stick for stirring.

Preparation procedure:

In a deep bowl, mix water and shampoo, beat until foam appears.
Add cream, mix. It is not necessary to achieve uniformity.
Pour in water and glue, stir well so that the glue is evenly distributed throughout the mass.
If desired, tint the future slime with a couple of drops of paint of the desired color.
Add a few drops of Naphthyzin and stir until the mixture begins to pull away from the edges of the container.
As soon as the slime acquires density and becomes elastic, the toy is ready.

The resulting slime stretches well, kneads with your hands, and you can make “bubbles” from it. Stored for up to 10 days.

Super slime made from glue and toothpaste

A very large, very crispy, airy, loudly clicking slime that stretches into a film. There are quite a few ingredients in the recipe, but they are all necessary. It is not recommended to replace them or remove any one.

You will need:

Silicate glue – 200 ml.
Dye (gouache or special food coloring)
Toothpaste – 0.5 tsp.
Shaving gel – 20 gr.
Sodium tetraborate – 2-3 drops.

Additionally: large deep container, stirring spatula.

Preparation procedure:

Pour glue into the container, give it the desired color by adding dye available at home.
Add toothpaste and stir thoroughly until completely dissolved. The mass should lighten.
Pour in the shaving gel, beat the mixture well until fluffy.
Add sodium tetraborate. Stir with a spatula.
When the slime begins to thicken and it becomes difficult to stir with a spatula, continue kneading the mass with your hands until the desired thickness.

Sugar - slime activator

How to make slime without sodium tetraborate: recipes

With all the variety of recipes for creating slime presented on the Internet, it is very important to choose not only a “working” one, but also one that is as safe as possible. Replacing a chemical thickener is not difficult; it is important to choose the appropriate recipe and get the desired result.

Antistress from simple thickeners

You can create a toy using the bare minimum of ingredients found in any home. The mass can be “complicated” with additional accessories, for example, foam balls or foil stars.

Additional slime decorations

In principle, there are no restrictions in this matter. The main thing is the result obtained. The mass should be elastic, have excellent stretch and provide tactile pleasure to its creator.

Below are recipes in which sodium tetraborate is replaced with another activator.

Cool slime made from toothpaste and liquid soap: a simple recipe

Squeeze a whole tube of toothpaste into the prepared bowl. Next, you should gradually add liquid soap or shampoo. The combination of these two components will allow you to get a slime that is pleasant to the touch, which can also be decorated with small sparkles.

Important! It is recommended to use a cosmetic cleanser that is as thick and transparent as possible.

Brilliant anti-stress

From glue and concentrated washing powder

In this recipe you can use PVA or silicate transparent glue. Concentrated powder is poured into a plastic or metal cup. The next step is the gradual introduction of glue to the dry component.

For reference! The result obtained directly depends on which glue was chosen.

To create this slime recipe, it is very important to thoroughly mix these two components and ensure that the laundry detergent granules are completely dissolved. It is very easy to adjust the density and viscosity. To do this, you just need to add one or another ingredient.

Various options from different glues

Recipe for an air toy made from soap and toothpaste

An interesting “working” version of making snow slime is presented below.

Take a white or clear hand cleanser and add toothpaste to it.

Snow Slime is a snow-white toy. Accordingly, all ingredients must be transparent or white.

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The last step is mixing the stretchy snow-white mass with grains of artificial snow. This toy must be kneaded for at least 15 minutes. Afterwards it is important to let it “rest” in the refrigerator. It is recommended to play it no earlier than 24 hours later.

pink snowball

Slime made from flour and water

The resulting mass according to this recipe is an ordinary dough with a minimum of ingredients. You need to take 400 grams of flour and slowly pour 3 tablespoons of cool water into it, and then 2 tablespoons of boiling water. After mixing, the resulting mass should be placed in the refrigerator.

After the allotted time has passed, the slime is taken out and mixed again with the addition of vegetable oil.

This slime is even edible, but the taste is disgusting.

Important! The shelf life of this toy is 3-5 days. Next, the food components will react and deteriorate.

Dough is also slime

How to make slime from salt and shampoo

The shampoo itself is an excellent thickener, and adding salt to it will achieve gloss.

To make one slime, just take 200 ml of any hair cleanser and 30 grams of salt.

Attention! It is best to use finely divided salt, this makes it easier to completely dissolve and combine the components.

Painted slime

From baking soda and dishwashing liquid

Soda is an excellent activator; adding dishwashing detergent to it allows you to get a wonderful and very pleasant slime. To make it unusual, you can add kinetic sand or starch to the resulting mass.

The ratio of ingredients is as follows:

200 ml dishwashing liquid;
30 grams of soda;
2 tablespoons kinetic sand.

For information! When making slime according to this recipe, the order in which the ingredients are added does not matter.

Kinetic stretching mass

How to make slime from plasticine and gelatin

To create slime from gelatin, you need to prepare just one more ingredient - plasticine.

After diluting gelatin in water, you need to wait until it swells completely. This will take approximately 45-60 minutes.

The next step is to heat the prepared ingredient. Gelatin should be brought to a boil, but not allowed to boil.

Pre-mashed plasticine must be poured with a small amount of warm water, no more than 2 tablespoons. Now hot gelatin is introduced there. The entire mass must be moved and stored in a cool, dark place.

After complete cooling, you can start playing.

Gelatin is the basis of transparent slime

Nail polish recipe

The most unusual recipe that allows you to get a very pleasant and stretchy slime with minimal input. You will need nail polish and vegetable oil.

20 ml of oil is poured into a disposable container and the contents of the bottle with varnish are added there. During the mixing process, the mass will begin to curl and even then you should continue kneading with your hands.

Important! It is recommended to use gloves when making this slime.

You only need two ingredients

Shiny slime without glue, made from two film masks

The combination of a face film mask and hairspray will allow you to get a shiny and “clicky” slime.

To create, you need to squeeze the contents of two tubes containing film masks into a cup. Next, you need to spray hairspray onto this mass. The duration of pressing the button is at least 3 minutes.

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Important! The only thing you need to remember is that both of these products have a pronounced characteristic odor and mixing them can lead to unpredictable results.

Correct clicking anti-stress

Slime without glue and tetraborate, with sugar

The use of sugar is justified only if the toy is made using detergents.

Required ingredients:

20 ml liquid soap;
20 ml warm water;
60 ml shampoo;
5 grams of soda;
120 grams of sugar.

First of all, the cleaning ingredients are mixed and water is added to them. Only after this is sugar introduced.

Stir continuously until the granules are completely dissolved. The resulting mass is placed in the freezer for 30-40 minutes and only then baking soda is added. The longer and more intensely this mass is kneaded, the better and more enjoyable the slime will be.

Sugar mass

With dishwashing liquid

You can create glass slime using just two ingredients: dishwashing liquid and sugar.

40 ml of detergent is poured into a cup and sugar is gradually added. It is important at this stage not to stop stirring vigorously.

Once you have achieved uniformity, you can put the toy in the freezer for several hours. Before the game, the slime warms up.

Transparent slime can be painted

Slime without glue and sodium tetraborate, from soap and hand cream

You can use one type of cream or even several in the recipe. Liquid soap should be gradually poured into the container with the cream.

It is very important to stir the mixture continuously. If you get the required consistency - good, if not, then you can add a third component - shaving foam.

The result will be excellent fluffy slime, which will be very pleasant to the touch and stretch perfectly.

The process of making fluffy toffee

Starch to thicken slime

Handgam from starch is very easy to make. To do this you need to take shampoo, vegetable oil and starch. If desired, add dye to the oil and shampoo and mix. We begin to gradually add starch so that the mass takes on a dough-like consistency.

If you replace the shampoo with condensed milk, you get another edible slime from which you can make jewelry.

What is an activator and what is it for?

What is a slime activator? This is a mandatory component, without which the toy will not work. Slime activator is a component that allows you to obtain the necessary consistency and elasticity. Thanks to this, the toy can stretch, like chewing gum or plasticine.

Expert opinion

Elena

Slime Expert

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Important! The thickening component must be added slightly compared to the base so that it does not spoil the result. Only then will the toy be thicker and more elastic.

Is it possible to thicken slime with hydrogen peroxide?

Peroxide is most often used together with starch or soda. In the first case, the mixture turns out to be fluid, in the second - elastic, similar to a bouncy ball.

For the first recipe, we take starch and dilute it with cold water (proportions 1:1) or hot (proportions 1:2). We get a mass similar to jelly. Add PVA glue and hydrogen peroxide.

In the second recipe, instead of peroxide, soda is added, dry or dissolved.

Instead of dry starch, you can use flour. The mixture will be doughy, thick, but almost inelastic.

What can be used instead of this substance?

Instead of an activator, you can use a number of other available ingredients to make slime. Here are some of them:

Sugar . Sugar or powdered sugar is used as a thickener, adding 2-3 tbsp to the mixture. l. But the second option is preferable, because the toy will not contain lumps or undissolved sugar crystals. Powder consists of smaller particles, so it dissolves without residue.
Starch . Potato or corn starch is usually added to edible toys (but not only). It is important that the remaining ingredients are also edible. Starch quickly gives the mass elasticity and the necessary consistency.
Spray. It is recommended to use air freshener or hairspray as a spray for strong hair hold. The product is sprayed into a container with the remaining ingredients and the mixture is thoroughly mixed (until it thickens).
Detergents . Washing gel (for example, Persil) or dishwashing liquid (Fairy, etc.) is used as a thickener. The product is added to the composition until the toy becomes dense and elastic. You can also use a soap base (soap + water) instead of an activator.
Gelatin . Gelatin is an excellent thickener that is added to various jellies, mousses and jellied meats. But it cannot be used in all recipes - only in cases where the other ingredients combine well with gelatin (for example, in combination with plasticine and water).

The slime activator is one of the most important ingredients in the toy, as it gives the product the necessary density and elasticity. Otherwise (in the absence of a thickener), the mass will turn out liquid and shapeless.

Pharmaceutical preparations, household chemicals and some food products (starch, salt, soda, flour, minerals, etc.) are used as activators. The main thing is to maintain the required proportions and work with gloves (if possible). This will protect the skin from irritation and allergic rashes.

How to make an activator with your own hands

If you experiment with different recipes, it may happen that some of them do not work. The mixture will not thicken, or even turn out to be liquid like water. In such cases, a universal thickener will come in handy, adding which you can try to save the unsuccessful slime. You can prepare it in reserve and keep it on hand just in case.

How to make crunchy slime

To prepare the activator, you will need a liter bottle of water, into which you need to add 50 ml of tetraborate. Shake the liquid.

If necessary, a few spoons of this solution can be added to the remaining ingredients.

Tips and tricks

One of the main components of slime is sodium tetraborate. The substance acts as a thickener. Sodium tetraborate is usually added at the end of the work.

It’s easy to make your own slime using sodium tetraborate:

255 ml of hot water is poured into a container and 2.5 g of borax is dissolved in it;
55 ml of hot water is poured into another container, in which 32 g of PVA glue with the thickest consistency is dissolved;
dye is added to the adhesive solution;
pour in the solution with the thickener and stir with a stick;
When the lump stops sticking to the walls of the bowl, take it in your hands and actively knead it.

To prevent the toy from deteriorating and retain all its properties for a long time, simple tips will help:

A thickener should be added to the mixture periodically. To make the composition softer, 2-3 drops are enough

After this, the slime is kneaded in your hands for 4 minutes. When purchasing, you need to pay special attention to the production time of the product and storage conditions in the store. You need to play with slime in moderation. You can't hold the slime in your hands for too long without a container. If the slime has become too watery, a few grains of salt will help.

Add grains of salt to the container where the slime is stored, cover with a lid and shake. Salt absorbs excess moisture and returns the slime to its original structure. The mass may harden. The cause is too intense, long play or overfeeding. Add a few drops of water to the mixture and leave it alone for three hours. Adding a thickener will help remove excess stickiness. After which the slime is placed in the refrigerator for 5-6 hours.

All these methods restore not only the structure, but also increase the size of the slime.

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Why doesn't the slime thicken?

3 main reasons:

Not enough activator. If you add all the ingredients and vigorously stir the liquid for several minutes, but the slime does not thicken, then this recipe may need more thickener. Try increasing its quantity.
The glue has expired. Try to use a new tube of glue for slime if the old one has not been used for a long time. The properties of the glue weaken when it is open for a long time. Pay attention to the expiration date. Expired glue can cause slime to become runny and sticky.
Some types of glue are not suitable for handgaming at all. Such glue, as a rule, does not bond well even to paper. If you have done everything according to the recipe, and the tetraborate does not help thicken the mixture, then the problem is most likely in the glue.
Too much water has been added. If most of the mixture is water, the slime will be very runny.

If the slime turns out to be very liquid, you can thicken it in several ways. Try the following steps one by one:

Add glue

If PVA glue was used and water was added to it, the glue solution could turn out to be too liquid and the activator could not work in it. In this case, to thicken the slime, just add more glue and mix the mass properly.

What glue is guaranteed to be suitable for slime.

Place in the refrigerator

In some cases, in order to fully “ripen”, the slime needs to brew. Try closing it and putting it in the cold for half an hour or an hour.

Mix

Vigorous stirring thickens the slime as it causes the reaction to occur faster. Before trying the next remedy, stir the mucus thoroughly again. If you can pick it up, knead it with your fingers.

What to do if the slime doesn't work

There are situations when, despite efforts and compliance with the proportions specified in the recipe, the slime does not acquire the desired consistency. Don’t be upset, because the result is influenced not only by compliance with the proportions, but also by:

the quality of materials used in the manufacturing process;
compliance with step-by-step actions;
incorrectly formulated recipe.

A large amount of water can make the toy watery.
In the case when the slime does not turn out homogeneous, it can be saved by vigorous stirring until the product acquires the required level of viscosity.

In a situation where the toy drags like a cobweb behind your hand, it is worth adding a small percentage of liquid starch to the composition. Excessive viscosity can be removed by including boron or flour in the solution.

You can make your own slime thickener at home. There is absolutely no need to purchase expensive products. You can use materials that are found in every home, for example, powder or dishwashing detergent. By experimenting with the ingredients used, you can create the perfect anti-stress toy and delight yourself and your children.