Homemade is essential in many areas. But be careful because if you are not careful, you take risks in manufacturing certain products yourself when you do not respect the rules of the art. It is always necessary to choose its ingredients or components with great vigilance. This is the case of slime, this colored paste that children like so much. It is therefore imperative to manufacture it without any toxic product. Here’s how.
What is slime?
Originally from the United States, slime (pronounced slaɪm) is a kind of viscous and sticky paste that is very elastic and ultra colorful. Very flexible, it can be kneaded endlessly. Slime – which means slime in English – was invented in 1976 and as soon as it was marketed, this funny sticky dough caused a stir among teenagers.
More than 40 years later, this material, which is nicknamed prout dough because it imitates the noisy “winds” when it is fiddled with in all directions, is still much appreciated by children and teenagers. But many adults also love it, and assure that its manipulation is a real anti-stress ! In short, this unicorn snot – another nickname for slime – is still very popular today, and youtubers have also seized on the subject: the manufacture of this slime to pamper attracts more and more subscribers, if although their numbers are skyrocketing.
Create toxic-free slime
You can easily find this sticky paste on the market, but nowadays everyone wants to have a homemade slime, firstly because it’s a real challenge not to stick it everywhere , then because we prefer to have fun with the family with a completely harmless product. However, the slime found on the market very often contains hydrated sodium borate – sodium tetraborax decahydrate simply called borax. The problem is that this ultra-powerful detergent causes symptoms such as :
- Nausea or even vomiting,
- Headache,
- Skin irritation…
In very high doses, borax is likely to impair fertility and can lead to poisoning can seriously damage certain organs. In pregnant women, exposure to an excessive dosage of borax is harmful to the fetus.
We therefore understand perfectly why slime fans want to make it themselves, but the stakes are high: you have to be able to create an extremely elastic paste in addition to being sublimely aesthetic.
Making slime yourself: two recipes to try
Admittedly, there are ready-to-use kits in many shops. If you want to use this solution, it couldn’t be simpler, you still have to read the list of components carefully and only buy kits that meet European standards in all respects.
For those who prefer to play apprentice chemists, it remains to find the best slime recipe home. Well here it is available in two versions, one of which is 100% non-toxic !
1 – Ingredients
- 20 cl of water,
- Food coloring of your choice or glitter that can be purchased in shops dedicated to decorative arts.
- Let (1time version) :
- 40 cl of liquid detergent with Marseille soap,
- 40 cl transparent glue with strong adhesive power,
- Let (2th version) : 190 g de cornstarch instead of detergent and glue.
2 – Process for making homemade slime with detergent and glue
- Pour the glue into the water and mix well,
- Add food coloring or glitter to the resulting mixture,
- Continue to mix to obtain a homogeneous paste,
- Gradually add the liquid detergent without ceasing to turn with a wooden spatula,
- When the preparation becomes sticky and starts to stick, work it by hand for a few more moments,
- Form a round ball and place it in a plastic container,
- Leave to rest in the fridge for at least 4 hours.
After this pause time, the slime is ready to be kneaded at will. This version contains glue and detergent, it is recommended to do not make it available to very young children because it represents a risk of toxicity if ingested.
3 – How to make 100% non-toxic cornstarch slime
- Pour the water into a large container,
- Add either the glitter, or the food coloring, or both,
- To mix together,
- Put the cornstarch in another container,
- Dilute it with your fingers and very gently with the water/glitter/colorant mixture,
- Continue to knead this mixture by hand until it forms a fairly firm homogeneous paste,
- Leave to stand for about a quarter of an hour to 20 minutes at room temperature.
Ce healthy slime is then ready for use. This 2th process is highly recommended, especially if this kneading dough indefinitely is intended for children who tend to put everything in their mouths.
Knead to eternal life this more or less sticky or sticky dough is not really of interest to many of us, especially if there is no de-stressing effect in it (it can even annoy some people!). But the slime is fine more fun when used to make small bouncing balls of all colorsor shiny thanks to the encrusted sequins, which is quite possible if the dough has hardened enough.