How to Make Slime with Glue

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: January 31, 2023 References Tested

Slime is not only fun to play with, but also fun to make. While the traditional recipe uses Borax, there are lots of other things that you can use as an activator, such as liquid starch or saline solution and baking soda. You could even make fluffy slime by adding shaving cream into it!

Ingredients

Simple Starch Slime

¹⁄₂ cup (120 mL) of white or clear school glue
¹⁄₂ cup (120 mL) of water
¹⁄₄ cup (59 mL) of liquid starch
Glitter (optional)
Food coloring (optional)

Basic Borax Slime

¹⁄₂ cup (120 mL) of white or clear school glue
¹⁄₂ cup (120 mL) of water (for glue)
¹⁄₂ cup (120 mL) of warm water (for Borax)
1/4 teaspoon (2.2 g) of Borax
Glitter (optional)
Food coloring (optional)

Fluffy Foam Slime

3 to 4 cups (710 to 950 mL) shaving cream
¹⁄₂ cup (120 mL) of white or clear school glue
1/2 teaspoon (5.4 g) of baking soda
1 tablespoon (15 mL) of saline solution (with boric acid and sodium borate)
Glitter (optional)
Food coloring (optional)

Stretchy Saline Slime

¹⁄₂ cup (120 mL) of white or clear school glue
¹⁄₂ cup (120 mL) of water
1/2 teaspoon (5.4 g) of baking soda
1 tablespoon (15 mL) of saline solution (with boric acid and sodium borate)
Glitter (optional)
Food coloring (optional)

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Making Simple Starch Slime

1
Mix together ¹⁄₂ cup (120 mL) of glue and ¹⁄₂ cup (120 mL) of water. Pour ¹⁄₂ cup (120 mL) of white or clear school glue into a bowl, then stir in ¹⁄₂ cup (120 mL) of water.^{[1]
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- For more interesting slime, try ¹⁄₂ cup (120 mL) of glitter glue instead.
2
Add some glitter and food coloring, if desired. How much you use of either is up to you. About 10 to 15 drops of food coloring and 1 tablespoon (15 g) of glitter should be plenty, however. Be sure to stir these into the glue really well.^{[2]
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- If you used glitter glue, you don't need to add food coloring. You can still add more glitter, though.
- If you don't have food coloring, use 10 to 15 drops of liquid watercolor instead.
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3
Stir in ¹⁄₄ cup (59 mL) of liquid starch. Pour the starch into the glue, then stir it in until everything is combined. The glue will start to thicken, but it won't be slimy just yet.^{[3]
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- You can find liquid starch in the laundry aisle of a grocery store.
- This is the magical ingredient that turns glue into slime!
4
Knead the slime until it firms up or set it aside for 3 minutes. Take the slime out of the bowl and knead it with your hands until it firms up; this could take at least 5 minutes. Alternatively, let the slime sit in its bowl for 3 minutes.^{[4]
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- Try both! Knead the slime for a couple of minutes, then let it rest and firm up for 3 minutes.
5
Store the slime in an airtight container when you aren't playing with it. This is very important. If you don't do this, the slime will dry out. Your slime should last at least several weeks, but it could last a few months.^{[5]
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- A plastic container from the deli would work great, but make sure that it's clean first. A plastic, zippered bag will also work in a pinch.

Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Mixing Basic Borax Slime

1
Combine ¹⁄₂ cup (120 mL) water with ¹⁄₂ cup (120 mL) of school glue. Pour the glue into a bowl first, then add the water. Stir them together with a spoon until the texture is even. Whether you use white school glue or clear school glue is up to you.^{[6]
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- White school glue will give you opaque slime. Clear school glue will give you translucent slime.
- Glitter school glue is another great option.
2
Add any desired food coloring and glitter, then stir the mixture again. Use up to 15 drops of food coloring and 1 tablespoon (15 g) of glitter. You can use one or the other, or both. Be sure to stir them into the glue well, however.
- White school glue will always end up pastel-colored.
- You don't need to add food coloring into glitter glue, but you can always add more glitter.
- No food coloring? No problem. Try liquid watercolor instead! You can use up to 15 drops.
3
Stir 1/4 teaspoon (2.2 g) of Borax into ¹⁄₂ cup (120 mL) of warm water. Pour ¹⁄₂ cup (120 mL) of warm water into a cup (not the bowl with the glue in it). Add 1/4 teaspoon (2.2 g) of Borax, then stir the mixture together with a clean spoon.^{[7]
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- You can get Borax in the laundry aisle of a grocery store.
- The water must be warm; otherwise, the Borax won't dissolve.
4
Mix the Borax solution into the glue until the glue clumps together. Pour the Borax into the bowl with the glue in it, then stir it in with a spoon. Keep stirring until the glue clumps together and leaves the sides of the bowl.^{[8]
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- Try to mix as much of the Borax solution into the glue, but don't worry if there's some left in the bowl.
- Don't worry if the slime looks too stringy at this point. It's not quite ready yet.
5
Take the slime out of the Borax water and knead it until it firms up. Take the glob of slime out of the bowl and start kneading it with your hands. Keep kneading it until it firms up and is no longer stringy. This could take at least 5 minutes.^{[9]
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- The Borax is what activates the slime, but the kneading is where the real magic happens.
- The more you knead the slime, the firmer it'll become.
6
Store the slime in a plastic container. Any airtight, plastic container will do; you can even use a plastic, zippered baggie. Stored properly, the slime can last several weeks to several months.^{[10]
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Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

Trying Fluffy Foam Slime

1
Place 3 to 4 cups (710 to 950 mL) of shaving cream into a bowl. Fill a measuring cup with shaving cream, then scoop the shaving cream into a large mixing bowl with a rubber spatula. Do this 3 to 4 times total.^{[11]
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- Measure the shaving cream out by volume, even if you are on the metric system. Use a 240-mL cup to do so.
- Make sure that you are using shaving cream and not shaving gel.
- Men’s shaving cream is easier to color because it’s pure white. Women’s shaving cream is harder to color because it comes tinted.
2
Add some food coloring, if desired. How much you add is up to you, but 10 to 15 drops will be plenty. Keep in mind that this slime will always come out pastel-colored due to the white shaving cream.^{[12]
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- You don’t have to mix the food coloring in just yet. You’ll do that when you add the glue.
- Adding glitter to this type of slime probably isn’t the best idea because it won’t show up very well. You can still add some in, if you want to, however.
3
Fold in ¹⁄₂ cup (120 mL) of glue. White school glue will work the best for this, but you can use clear school glue as well. Pour the glue into the shaving cream, then gently fold the glue into the shaving cream with a rubber spatula until it’s all mixed in.^{[13]
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- You can try using glitter glue but be aware that the glitter may not show up very well.
- If you added food coloring, keep mixing until the color is even.
4
Mix in 1/2 teaspoon (5.4 g) of baking soda. This will not only help thicken the slime, but it will also react with the saline solution and turn the ingredients into slime. Make sure that you are using baking soda, however, and not baking powder.^{[14]
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5
Stir in 1 tablespoon (15 mL) of saline solution. Read the ingredient label on the back of the bottle to ensure that it contains both boric acid and sodium borate. If the saline solution doesn’t contain these two ingredients, then the glue won’t turn into slime.^{[15]
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- Don’t add more than 1 tablespoon (15 mL) of saline solution, even if the slime appears stringy. If you add more than this, the slime will be too firm.
6
Knead the slime with your hands until it’s no longer sticky. The slime will be sticky at first, but just keep kneading it. The more you work with it, the less sticky it will become. This may take about 5 minutes or so.^{[16]
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- If the slime keeps sticking to your fingers, coat them with more saline solution.
7
Store the slime in a sealed container, but don’t expect it to last long. Shaving cream starts to lose its texture after a couple of hours when exposed to air. Since this slime contains shaving cream, you should expect it to have a similar lifespan. If you keep it in a sealed container, however, you may get it to last a couple of days.

Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Creating Stretchy Saline Slime

1
Combine ¹⁄₂ cup (120 mL) of glue and ¹⁄₂ cup (120 mL) of water. Pour ¹⁄₂ cup (120 mL) of white or clear school glue into a bowl. Add ¹⁄₂ cup (120 mL) of water, then stir the two together until the texture is consistent.^{[17]
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- White school glue will give you pastel-colored slime, while clear school glue will give you bright, translucent slime.
- Try glitter school glue. It already comes colored and glittery, so you don't have to add those things later.
2
Add some glitter and/or food coloring, if desired, and stir it in. Add up to 10 drops of food coloring and/or 1 tablespoon (15 g) of glitter. Stir the mixture well until the color is consistent.^{[18]
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- White school glue will make pastel-colored slime. You can get a brighter color if you use up to 15 drops of food coloring, however.^{[19]
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- If you don’t have food coloring, try liquid watercolor instead. Use between 10 to 15 drops for the most vibrant color.
- If you used glitter glue, you can skip the food coloring. There’s nothing wrong with adding even more glitter, however.
3
Stir in 1/2 teaspoon (5.4 g) of baking soda to firm the slime. Don’t stress too much about getting the exact amount. In fact, you could use 1/4 teaspoon (2.7 g) of baking soda for oozier slime, and up to 1 teaspoon (10.8 g) for firmer slime.^{[20]
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- Keep in mind that the slime will become firmer the more you knead it later.
- Use baking soda and not baking powder; they are not the same thing.
4
Add 1 tablespoon (15 mL) of saline solution. It’s very important that the saline solution contains both boric acid and sodium borate; otherwise, the glue won’t turn into slime. Be sure to stir the ingredients together quickly, like making whipped cream.^{[21]
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- For sticky slime, try 1/2 tablespoon (7.5 mL) of saline solution instead.
- Avoid using more saline solution, even if the slime feels too sticky. If you use too much saline solution, the slime will turn out too firm.
- If you don't have saline solution, use 1 tablespoon (15 mL) of eye drops instead.^{[22]
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5
Knead the slime for several minutes to help remove the stickiness. The slime will be stringy and icky at first, but the longer you knead it, the firmer it’ll become. This may take 5 or so minutes, so be prepared to use a little elbow grease!^{[23]
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- If the slime sticks to your fingers, pour some saline solution onto them.
- If you used eye drops, the slime may still be sticky. If that happens, add more eye drops into the slime, 5 to 10 drops at a time as you knead it.^{[24]
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6
Store the slime in an airtight container when you’re done playing. All slime will eventually dry out, but this slime should last at least a few weeks. It could last even longer, however.^{[25]
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Community Q&A

Question

How can I make this with no Borax or corn starch?

Happy2Help

Community Answer

You could use glue and laundry detergent. Add glue to your bowl and mix it with a bit of water. Next, slowly add in your detergent. You will notice it starting to form.
Question

Can I make slime with just glue and baking soda?

Community Answer

No. You need borax and water, or contact solution to activate your slime. Otherwise it will just be glue and baking soda.
Question

How do I make slime without borax or cornstarch?

Happy2Help

Community Answer

You could use Tide and glue. Add glue to your bowl. Mix it with a bit of water and a drop of food coloring (optional). Next, add in a bit of Tide and mix. You should see it forming. Repeat until it is ready to use and play with.

Warnings

Borax may cause skin irritations. Wear gloves if you have sensitive skin, or better yet, allow an adult to handle the step for you.

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