The classic slime recipe has to be borax slime! Used for years, this slime making gem of a recipe makes the most amazing stretchy, squishy slime once you find the correct ratio. We think we have, and we want to share it with you. Try this classic homemade slime recipe the next time you want to make homemade slime.

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Is Borax Slime Safe?

The borax slime recipe does get a bad rap, but done correctly, it should not be harmful at all. This slime recipe has been floating around for years, and while I don’t suggest using it daily, I do think it’s worth a try!

If you have sensitive skin, you may want to wear gloves or skip this slime activator and try one of our other basic slime recipes. They also contain borons but may be gentler on your skin. If you have an issue with laundry detergents, I suggest you skip this in favor of one of our other recipes.

Most slime recipes will use some form of boron as slime activators. Unless you are going for taste-safe slime, you must use some form of boron, like borax powder, sodium borate, or boric acid, to form the slime.

>>> Borax Free, Best Slime Recipes Guide

Note: I always recommend that adults handle the borax powder while supervising their kids. This is NOT taste-safe. Please don’t eat this slime, and wash hands and works surfaces thoroughly.

This past week, we have had some fun experimenting with the ratio of borax powder to water and found that if we used a bit less borax, we make an even stretchier slime.

Clear glue needs the new ratio as I noted in our CLEAR GLUE SLIME RECIPE, but white glue is a bit more forgiving.

WATCH THE SLIME VIDEO! (This slime making video uses clear glue but white works just fine too!)

Basic Slime Recipes 

Our holiday, seasonal, and everyday slimes use one of five simple slime recipes that are super easy to make! We always make slime, and these have become our favorite slime recipes!

Usually, you can interchange several ingredients depending on what you have on hand for slime supplies.

Here we use our Borax Slime recipe. Slime with borax powder is one of our favorite sensory play recipes! We make it ALL the time because it is quick and easy to whip up. Three simple ingredients {one is water} are all you need. You clear, white, or even glitter glue and you’re all set!

Where do I buy borax powder?

We pick up our borax powder in the grocery store! You can also find it on Amazon, Walmart, and Target.

Now if you don’t want to use borax powder, test out one of our other basic recipes using liquid starch or saline solution. We have tested all these slime recipes with equal success!

NOTE: We have found that Elmer’s specialty glues tend to be a bit stickier than Elmer’s regular clear or white glue, and so for this type of glue, we always prefer our 2 ingredients’ basic glitter slime recipe.

Read more on the science behind the slime below and grab a free printable slime recipe cheat sheet with our four basic slime recipes!

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The Science of Slime

We always like to include a bit of homemade slime science around here! Slime is an excellent chemistry demonstration, and kids love it too! Mixtures, substances, polymers, cross-linking, states of matter, elasticity, and viscosity are just a few science concepts that can be explored with homemade slime!

What’s slime science all about? The borate ions in the slime activators (sodium borate, borax powder, or boric acid) mix with the PVA (polyvinyl acetate) glue and forms this cool stretchy substance. This is called cross-linking!

The glue is a polymer of long, repeating, and identical strands or molecules. These molecules with flow past one another and keep the glue liquid. Until…

You add the borate ions to the mixture,  and it then starts to connect these long strands together. They begin to tangle and mix until the substance is less like the liquid you started with and thicker and rubberier like slime! Slime is a polymer.

Picture the difference between wet spaghetti and leftover spaghetti the next day. As the slime forms, the tangled molecule strands are much like a clump of spaghetti!

>>> What is Slime? Read more about slime science here.

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Is slime a liquid or solid?

We call it a Non-Newtonian fluid because it’s a bit of both! Experiment with making the slime more or less viscous with varying amounts of foam beads. Can you change the density?

Did you know that slime aligns with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)? 

It does and you can use slime making to explore states of matter and its interactions. Find out more below…

Free Printable Borax Slime Recipe

Swirling Slime Tip

Want to make colorful swirling slime? We made several batches of the full slime recipe but then divided them in half so we could enjoy the swirling process a little longer. You can even get a cool tie-dye effect if you pick up the swirled colors gently and stretch them out!

We put the first set of slime we layered into a mason jar and then slowly pulled it all out! The colors mix and mingle as they come out of the jar.

The second set of slime we played out in strips on our tray. All you need to do is pick up the three ends with your fingers, lift straight up, and swirl around on the tray. Squish it, stretch it, mix it!

You will end up with purple slime in the end, and it will be a huge amount.

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Borax Slime Recipe

I always encourage my readers to read through our recommended slime supplies list and How To Fix Slime Guide before making slime for the first time. Learning how to stock your pantry with the best slime ingredients is easy!

Slime Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup Clear or White PVA School Glue
  • 1/4 tsp Borax Powder
  • 1 cup of Water
  • Optional: Food coloring, confetti, glitter, and other fun mix-ins

Watch the Video:

How To Make Slime With Borax

STEP 1: Mix 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup of glue in a bowl. Mix well to combine completely.

STEP 2: Now’s the time to add (color, glitter, or confetti)! Remember, when you add color to white glue, the color will be lighter. Use clear glue for jewel-toned colors!

STEP 3: Make up your slime activator by mixing together 1/4 tsp borax powder and 1/2 cup warm water in a separate bowl. Hot tap water is fine and does not need to be boiled. An adult best does this step. Spend a minute stirring to ensure the borax powder is well mixed in.

STEP 4: Add the borax slime activator solution {borax powder and water} to the glue/water mixture. Start stirring! Your slime will begin to form instantly. Keep stirring until your slime has formed and remove immediately to a dry container.

With our new borax powder-to-water ratio, you should not have any leftover liquid in the bowl. If you do, keep stirring. With higher ratios of borax to water, you may have leftover liquid.

STEP 5:  Start kneading your slime! It will appear stringy at first but work it around with your hands, and you will notice the consistency changes. 

You can also knead the slime in the bowl before you pick it up. This slime is stretchy but can be stickier. However, keep in mind that although adding more activators (borax powder) reduces the stickiness, it will eventually create a stiffer slime. You can always add, but you can’t take it away!

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Turn It Into A Slime Science Experiment

We tested several ratios of borax to water, including 1/4 tsp, 1/2 tsp, and 1 tsp to 1/2 cup of hot water with white glue. We used about six drops of neon food coloring in pink, blue, and purple for each batch of borax slime.

This was an excellent slime science experiment (see more ideas here), and we made three batches of equally awesome but different slimes. It’s a great lesson in mixtures, polymers, and viscosity.

As you might imagine, the less borax used, the looser or slimier the slime. The more borax used, the thicker, more putty-like the slime.

How To Store Slime

Slime lasts quite a while! I get a lot of questions regarding how I store my slime. We use reusable containers in either plastic or glass. Make sure to keep your slime clean and it will last for several weeks.

If you want to send kids home with a bit of slime from a camp, party, or classroom project, I would suggest packages of reusable containers from the dollar store or grocery store or even Amazon. For large groups, we have used condiment containers and labels as seen here.

We have the best resources to look through before, during, and after making your borax slime! Make sure to go back and read the slime science too!

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Helpful Slime Making Resources

You will find everything you ever wanted to know about making homemade slime right here, and if you have questions, ask me!

More Fun Slime Recipes To Try

If your kids love playing with this stretchy swirling borax slime, why not try more favorite slime ideas…

Grab the Ultimate Slime Recipe Bundle

All the best homemade slime recipes in one place with plenty of fantastic extras!

2 Comments

  1. Pingback: 25 Slime Science Experiments Kids Love - Natural Beach Living
  2. FInally, a simple recipe for a first timer!!!! Thank you sssooo much and my kids definitely thanks you too because this is the first time I’ve let them make it lol

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