How to make slime without baking soda or shaving cream

Are you looking for an easy fluffy slime recipe without Borax? A few weeks ago we made a gorgeous batch of 3-ingredient glitter slime, and today we’re sharing how to make fluffy slime.

My kids are crazy for slime, and they’re clearly not alone! After making countless batches of slime, I wanted to figure out how to make this fluffy slime with saline solution so that my kids could take full control over the recipe on their own.

This is the perfect fluffy slime, and the recipe does not disappoint. Of course you could buy slime, but isn’t the DIY route much more fun?

The difference between slime and fluffy slime is the texture. Fluffy slime actually has the consistency of marshmallows.

It’s bouncy, puffy, and, well, fluffy!

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Why is slime so exciting to kids?

We’ve been making slime for years (take a look in the book, TinkerLab: A Hands-on Guide for Little Inventors or click here our original recipe!), and even at ages 7 and 9 my littles still go bananas over this stretchy magical material.

What is it about slime?

It’s a sensory material with a texture that’s playful and stretchy, and encourages children to invent, build, sculpt, play, and even relax.

My kids played with this slime for an hour the other day and they didn’t want to stop.

How to make Fluffy Slime without Borax

There are four key ingredients in Borax-free fluffy slime: white glue or PVA glue, shaving cream, baking soda, and contact lens solution.

For the shaving cream, Barbasol is the best one we’ve tried.

For the PVA glue, Elmer’s School Glue is my hands-down favorite. It’s a classic and we buy it by the gallon.

Slime comes together with an activator, and this is usually Borax.

Why Borax?

Borax contains sodium borate, a combination of boric acid and salt. When boric acid combines with water and pva glue, a chemical reaction occurs that binds the glue molecules, pulling them into what we recognize as slime. It’s all pretty magical.

Is Borax problematic?

Some folks are concerned that boric acid could be dangerous to kids. I’ve read the reviews and I’m not concerned, but I have found that it’s a whole lot easier to give kids a bottle of contact solution than it is a box of 40 Mule Borax.

What’s a good Borax alternative?

Some (not all) contact solutions contain boric acid, further proof in my mind that boric acid is nothing to worry about as it goes in my eyes each morning.  For this Borax alternative, Renu saline solution by Bausch & Lomb works great!

Fluffy Slime Ingredients

White shaving Cream – 3 cups (750 ml) (Barbasol brand works!)

Elmer’s School Glue – 1/2 cup (120 ml) or a 4 ounce bottle. We love this glue. If your kids love making slime, splurge for the gallon!

Baking Soda – 1 teaspoon (5 ml)

Contact Solution with boric acid as an ingredient – 1 tablespoon (15 ml) (Renu brand works!)

Food Coloring: optional

Instructions for the Best Fluffy Slime Recipe

Step 1: Add three cups of white shaving cream (not clear shaving cream) to a large mixing bowl. Don’t worry about exact amounts. This recipe is forgiving and a little more or less will be fine.

Step 2: Add 1/2 cup Elmer’s School Glue to the mixing bowl

Step 3: Add a teaspoon of baking soda to the mixing bowl.

Step 4: Stir everything together with a spatula or large spoon.

Step 5: Add a tablespoon of contact solution (15 ml)  to the bowl. Stir it all together!

Regular slime with the addition of shaving cream to make it extra fluffy.

Prep Time10 mins

Active Time15 mins

Total Time25 mins

• Add three cups of white shaving cream (not clear shaving cream) to a large mixing bowl. Don’t worry about exact amounts. This recipe is forgiving and a little more or less will be fine.

• Add 1/2 cup Elmer’s School Glue to the mixing bowl.

• Add a teaspoon of baking soda to the mixing bowl.

• Stir everything together with a spatula or large spoon.

• Add a tablespoon of contact solution (15 ml) to the bowl. Stir it all together!

• Once the slime comes together, remove it from the bowl to knead and stretch it with your hands for a few minutes. It will be sticky at first, but it becomes non-sticky and pliable pretty quickly.

• Play with your slime!

This slime can be store for about a day in a tight container. Longer than that and the shaving cream sort of melts away and it loses its fluffy consistency.

Tips for Fluffy Slime

Make sure your contact solution has boric acid as an ingredient. Renu is a great choice.

Don’t stress about the measurements. This recipe is forgiving.

Store in an air tight container for up to one day.

For more sensory activities, see our list of 30+ sensory activities here.

Create more awesome things with kids.

If you’d like to join a community of families and educators who want to raise creative kids, you’ll love TinkerLab Schoolhouse, our online Art Club for Kids. Join us and gain access to hundreds of art and STEAM activities that boost imagination and creative thinking skills.

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