How to Make Slime Thickeners at Home

Slime thickener is considered an important component of a fun toy for children. The thickener is often called an activator. By correctly composing the reagents, you can make a homemade slime of the desired consistency, which will be durable. Below you can see the methods for making an activator from improvised means.

What is an activator and what is it for?

A thickener is one of the main components of any slime, which acts as a link in a certain composition. It is impossible to create a slime of thick consistency without a complex chemical compound. Slime activator can be of different forms:

• liquid;
• gel;
• powdery.

Using a thickener in the slime making process makes it possible to achieve thickening of the mass. The activator allows the liquid mixture to acquire an elastic form. Thanks to this, the slime stretches well and is easy to knead. Below is information that will help you find out what you can thicken slime with.

Types of activator

There are several types of activators that allow you to achieve the desired slime consistency. To achieve this effect, you can use:

• Visine (eye drops);
• sodium tetraborate;
• gelatin;
• liquid detergents for washing and washing dishes;
• potato starch;
• hairspray;
• air freshener;
• baking soda;
• table salt;
• contact lens solution;
• alcohol tincture or acetylsalicylic acid;
• powdered sugar.

Experts divide activators into several types:

• Salt ones are the most popular group of thickeners. This activator should be added at the end, when all the slime ingredients have been mixed. Salt activators contain borates. These thickeners include tetraborate and salt. The listed substances will quickly thicken the anti-stress toy.
• Soap activators are an excellent replacement for salt thickeners. Soap varieties include washing gel and powders.
• Sprays. Hairsprays, air fresheners, which have a level of strong fixation, can become effective activators for creating a stretchy slime.

What thickeners can be used for slime

If you want to make a thickener for slime at home, you can use any recipe. How to thicken slime at home? Below are the most popular substances from which you can make a slime of thick consistency.

Sodium tetraborate

Sodium tetraborate is often called borax. The substance is most often sold as a powder containing 20% ​​glycerin solution.

Borax can be purchased at a pharmacy or online. When making slime, it is important to follow basic safety precautions. Sodium tetraborate should never get into your eyes.

The use of sodium tetraborate allows you to make the slime especially soft and elastic. At the same time, the base may not contain glycerin. Using sodium tetraborate, you can be sure that the slime will have the desired consistency.

Boric acid

To make one small slime, you will need half a teaspoon of acid. The interaction of the substances in the preparation with soapy water promotes the formation of tetraborate, which helps to increase the softness of the toy. Boric acid will quickly thicken the toy.

Baking soda

During the preparation process, you will need a certain amount of soda (1.5 tsp) mixed with 50 g of the base and 120 ml of slightly warmed water with a small amount of hydrogen peroxide. Soda allows you to not only achieve the best anti-stress consistency, but also prevent the slime from sticking to your hands. The composition will quickly thicken. The toy will be jelly and similar to Ninja slime.

Liquid for lenses

How to make a thickener for slime? To make the activator, use a solution for lenses, combined with baking soda. The composition is gradually added to the base.

Liquid starch

What can replace sodium tetraborate for slime? Quite often people use liquid starch. To create a thickener, you will need to mix 180 ml of a product that contains boron with a base.

Eye drops

Any eye drops contain boric acid. Considering that the acid is added to the medicine in small quantities, it is worth buying several packages of the medicine at once from the pharmacy.

Corn starch

Starch is also suitable for making a thickener. You will need to mix it with thick shampoo. The composition will quickly thicken. The made toy will last a short period of time (no more than 20 hours), but you can always make slime again using such a simple recipe.

Gelatin

To make a slime, you can use gelatin. Mix 1 packet of the substance with 100 ml of warm water. After thoroughly mixing the components, add the slightly melted plasticine mixture. In this case, use a small amount of shower gel as a thickener.

How to Make a Slime Thickener at Home

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

From liquid sodium tetraborate

The substance can be purchased at any pharmacy. The high 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 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 does not allow it to fully dissolve in liquid.

From salt or soda

Salt and soda can also be used in the process of making the slime activator. The bulk component is poured with warm water in a ratio of 3:1. The moistened thickener allows you to easily mix it with the base. If the slime does not thicken 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 start to spread.

Sugar, powdered sugar

Often, hand gum is 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 mixture. After thoroughly mixing the ingredients, you should place the hand gum in the freezer.

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 the lenses. Slime can be launched into the air and caught.

Nail polish

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

Liquid washing powder, gel Persil, Pervol, Losk, Ariel

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

1. Mix 125 ml of PVA glue base and 10 ml of dishwashing liquid.
2. The ingredients are carefully kneaded by hand.
3. The slime should turn out pearlescent.

According to the second recipe, the slimer will need:

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

Sprays

If you don't have salt or soap thickener at hand, but you really want to make slime, experts recommend using sprays with an increased level of fixation. However, it is worth considering that the mass may not thicken well.

1. The PVA will need to be poured into a convenient container.
2. The spray is gradually sprayed onto the adhesive base.
3. The ingredients are thoroughly mixed. How long will it take? As a rule, no more than 5 minutes.
4. The actions are repeated until the slime is ready. The slime will be good, thick and fluffy.

Why slime doesn't thicken and how to make it thicken

There are a number of reasons why the slime may not thicken very well. Typically, the problem is caused by:

• Not enough thickener. It is important to add all ingredients according to the recipe. If the mixture still does not start to thicken, you can add a small percentage of activator and stir the composition.
• Expired adhesive base. Glue that has been open for a long period of time loses the properties necessary for creating a slime. It is best to use sealed tubes of glue for making the toy. Otherwise, the product will stick to your hands or will not thicken at all. It is also important to consider that not every glue is suitable for making antistress. Some cannot even glue sheets of paper.
• Excess of water, which can often be one of the main ingredients. A large amount of liquid often causes the product to be excessively watery.

Often, inexperienced slimers are interested in how to fix the situation if the slime turned out to be very liquid. To cope with this problem, it will be enough:

• Use the adhesive base, mixing it with a small amount of water.
• Place the product in the refrigerator for 40 minutes to ripen. It is important to cover the container with a lid.
• Stir the mixture vigorously for 5 minutes. You can take the slime in your hands and quickly knead it.
• Additionally add an activator.

What to do if the slime doesn't work

There are situations when, despite efforts and adherence to the proportions specified in the recipe, the slime does not acquire the desired consistency. Do not be upset, because the result is affected not only by adherence to proportions, but also by:

• the quality of the materials used in the manufacturing process;
• adherence to step-by-step actions;
• incorrectly composed prescription.

If the slime does not turn out homogeneous, it can be saved by actively stirring until the product acquires the required level of viscosity.

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

You can make a slime thickener yourself at home. It is not necessary to buy expensive products. You can use materials that are available in every home, for example, powder or dishwashing detergent. By experimenting with the ingredients used, you can create the perfect anti-stress toy and please yourself and your children.