We’ve had 3 snow days this year. The first two were fantastic. We stocked up on treats and wore our coziest clothes all day and stayed inside and read and played games. It was like something out of Gilmore Girls.
Well.
Our third snow day was not so perfect. I had one sick kid, a toddler in a terrible mood, and the third just bouncing off the walls. I was tired and sore from working out and we were all just kind of off a notch or two.
Turns out all we needed to make two of the three happy (the third needed Sprite and saltines) was making this play dough. I used to make this way back in my babysitting days and it was just as fun as I remembered it. We have a plethora of unused beauty and personal grooming products from my husband’s work, plus a plethora of cornstarch from that time I waaaay overestimated how much cornstarch I was going to need for a recipe (plus a plethora of piñatas, but that’s irrelevant here), so we had everything we needed.
Let’s make some cornstarch conditioner play dough!
You’re going to need some hair conditioner and cornstarch.
There’s no need to use anything other than the cheapest (or free-est) stuff–save your Bumble & Bumble for your hair. But I would use something that smells good to you because this play dough will have a strong scent and it will stay on your hands.
Place the cornstarch in a large bowl and add your conditioner.
As I should know by now (and as you guys may have noticed), I perpetually underestimate how large my mixing bowls should be and I end up transferring them to a larger bowl later on. It works wonders for my dirty dish workload. So use a bigger bowl than you think you’ll need, and don’t think that only a Pyrex measuring cup will do the trick, because it won’t. Mix in the conditioner with your hands–it will just start coming together and it will be pliable and very, very smooth. You may need to add more conditioner as you go).
Use food coloring to color as desired. Keep in mind that food coloring may discolor skin, which is troublesome to some people. It’s non-toxic and will come off soon, but you might want to be mindful of it when deciding to add color or how much color you want to add.
Keep covered when not in use.
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2-Ingredient Silky Smooth Play Dough
Ingredients
- 2 cups cornstarch
- About 1 cup inexpensive hair conditioner
- Food coloring optional
Instructions
- Place the cornstarch in a large bowl.
- Mix in the hair conditioner with your hands–it will just start coming together and it will be pliable and very, very smooth. If desired, add a drop or two or food coloring.
- You may need to add more conditioner as you go. Use food coloring to color as desired. Keep covered when not in use.
Notes
- Don’t use the expensive hair condition or lotion, but I do recommend something that is either scent-free or a scent that you/your kids like.
Questions & Reviews
This works amazing! I made pink and I love it! It’s fun to make and easy to clean up after! Thanks for the recipe. I made mine with lotion.
Terrible. Stains. Sticks to everything including hands so you can’t actually use it the same way as play doh. Please test your recipes before posting them.
We’ve made this countless times and have never had any problems. If it’s too sticky, you probably need to add a little more cornstarch. 🙂
It worked great for me! Made 3 batches with different scent conditioners (apple, strawberry and coconut) for my preschool class. They loved it and smelled great after playing with it too. Added just a few drops of coloring and had no issue with stained hands either. By the next day, even though stored in air tight container..it was pretty dry and crumbly. We just put it in a basin with spoons and small containers and used it like moon sand. A whole new and fun sensory experience and spills sweep up easily. ?
just because you failed dont stop the rest of us trying it out
Wow, that was pretty rude. Nice blogger to respond in a positive tone despite the uncalled for attack.
I’m pretty sure she did test her recipe. That’s why she’s posted it…and took pictures…and described how great and easy it was…and we all found it. Psh!
I make this all the time and just have to add more of the corn starch or condtioner depending on the texture. I never measure, just eyeball it. Makes sense to me that if it was too sticky you might automatically add more corn starch. Just saying….
Also depends on food dye used – some will stain worse than others. Maybe testing needed done on your end as well.
Maybe you added too much wet into your mix, just try less wet or add a little more corn flour!
I made this with my preschoolers at my daycare and it is a perfect recipe. It will be sticky at first until all the conditioner is thoroughly incorporated. I had my kids squish the cornstarch and conditioner together by themselves and experimented with the ratios. After a few minutes of squishing it became one big ball of dough. I also used Crushed up chalk for a bit of color which is a great alternative to food coloring. If using food coloring use gel and only a couple of drops and use a plastic container or bin to prevent staining.
I work in a school environment and we substitute kool-aid for the color. It doesn’t stain as much and can be used as a learning tool. Red ( strawberry) ect.
Also, while using something cheap is fine, you need to make sure it isn’t water based and that you don’t add any water. Using conditioner from the dollar store is probably going to have too much water in it. You’re best bet is to use something like suave lotion. I prefer to use a store brand version of gold bond healing lotion with aloe (the white bottle) it has great consistency, isn’t horrible expensive and leaves you’re hands feeling hydrated but not sticky or greasy.
I have found that if you use finely crushed up (or grated) chalk in most play dough recipes it will work but be very pastel. But it keeps it from staining your hands with ink or dye. You can usually find brightly colored chalk at craft and school supply stores.
I think that is a great idea!
If nothing else it makes a great fidget tool for my son. Super pliable and keeps his hands (and mind) busy. I put some essential oils in mine too. I think I needed more starch, but I used the last of it. Might mess around with ratios next time and see what happens.
This must really depend on what conditioner you use. Mine was a sticky mess. My 4 yr old hated it so much she cried. An ok substance for other kids or projects maybe, but I certainly would not call it “play dough”.
Next time, try adding more cornstarch–you might have to mess with it until you find a good consistency.
Might not be like conventional play dough, but the name is still apt; it is dough you play with… Just saying…
If your child has Sensory Processing Disorder the texture may upset them 🙁 Depends on the kiddo and the particular textures they struggle with. Speaking from experience, unfortunately.
It definitely does! I used cheap dollar store conditioner and ended up using a whole container of cornstarch to get it to the right play doh consistency. Once I did, my kids loved it and it wasn’t sticky at all! The second time we made it, we used lotion and it worked much better.
I tried this, but accidentally bought shampoo instead of conditioner. oops! It was a sudsy mess to try and clean. I will have to try it again with conditioner 🙂
Ha! Best comment ever! 🙂
I saw this post and immediately had to try it, because I love making things with Cornstarch ? it’s so fun!! The directions were really easy and it turned out perfectly! It reminds me of moon dough
Does this dry hard when you leave it uncovered like playdough does?
I’m sure it will dry out eventually, but not nearly as quickly. 🙂