Slime, this favorite toy of children of primary and secondary school age, received such a strange name in honor of one of the heroes of the American animated series "Ghostbusters". The manufacturing technology of this original toy is so simple that you can make it yourself from a variety of materials at hand. So, for example, it is very easy to make a slime from shampoo, independently adjusting not only the saturation of the coloring of this toy, but also its size, structure and even smell.
Slime, also found in stores under the names "smart plasticine", "handgum", "chewing gum for hands", "slime" belongs to the category of useful toys that have a positive effect on the development of fine motor skills of hands and reaction speed, as well as anti-stress and soothing properties. Before making a slime from shampoo or any other available material, it is recommended to explain to the child that the toy should never be pulled into the mouth and after the end of the game it is necessary to wash your hands thoroughly.
How to make a slime from shampoo or shower gel
To make a toy at home, you will need the simplest shampoo without conditioner - it is desirable that it be hypoallergenic and have a pleasant smell that the child will like. Instead of shampoo, you can use shower gel or, as a last resort, a safe dishwashing detergent. It is very important that the main components of the future craft do not contain hard granules that have a scrubbing effect. The use of protective gloves is recommended at all stages of work.
100 ml of shampoo is poured into any convenient container, 5-7 g of a safe food coloring of the desired color is added and both components are thoroughly mixed until a homogeneous mass is obtained. If desired, at this stage, decorative sequins can be added to the blank, used to create a festive manicure. You can also add a few drops of a good essential oil, which will match the scent of the shampoo.
In order for the toy to acquire the necessary plasticity and ductility, 100 ml of a thickener is added to the colored base. It is most convenient for this purpose to use the universal construction adhesive "Titan", which is distinguished by safety, environmental friendliness and good performance characteristics. Some parents prefer to use starch instead of glue, diluting it with water in a 2: 1 ratio.
All ingredients are well mixed, paying particular attention to the consistency of the slime: some types of shampoo may require more thickener than indicated in the recipe. So, for example, in some cases the best result is given by a mixture of detergent and glue, taken in a ratio of not 1: 1, but 2: 3. It is recommended to store such a shampoo slime in a container with a tight-fitting lid, without access to direct sunlight and air - this measure prevents possible delamination of the structure of a homemade toy.
An easy way to make a shampoo slime
If you wish, you can make a slime without using glue ingredients, but in this case you need to be prepared for the structure of the craft to be looser and less dense than that of a glue-based toy. For work, you will need 150 ml of shampoo and the same amount of shower gel, which are thoroughly mixed and placed in the refrigerator for a day or two. To achieve the best effect, you can put the container with the finished mass in the freezer for 10 minutes, and then move it to the upper shelf of the main refrigerator compartment. The disadvantage of such a shampoo slime is the loss of its plasticity and elasticity when heated. For this reason, the toy should only be stored in the refrigerator.
For older children, you can make a slime from good quality liquid laundry detergent. PVA glue will be used as a plastic base: a quarter of a glass of glue is mixed with food coloring, after which 2 tablespoons of liquid detergent are added to the resulting composition. After mixing, the mixture should acquire a dense, viscous consistency. The billet is taken out of the container, manually kneaded like a baking dough until the slime looks like a soft plastic mass. Store the toy in a tightly closed container.
What to do if the slime didn't work
All proportions of the starting components given in the recipes for making toys are indicative and can be changed up or down depending on the characteristics of the ingredients. If a do-it-yourself slime does not work, then, first of all, it is worth experimenting with the consistency of the base.
An indicator that the proportions are selected correctly is the receipt of a homogeneous mass that can be easily removed from the working container, has viscousness and a little stickiness. If the slime sticks too much to the hands or to the object with which the compound ingredients were stirred, then in this case it is recommended to add a small amount of liquid starch or water to the bulk.
In the opposite case, when the homemade slime stretches well, but at the same time does not stick to the hands and slips off them, it is necessary to eliminate the excess liquid. To do this, drain the remaining solution from the container and add a little starch, glue or other thickener. After that, the mixture is thoroughly kneaded again.
