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
I made this with my six-year-old son today, and we both LOVED it!! It’s our favorite play dough that we have made so far. Thanks for sharing!!
I wanted some green dough—so I used some green and yellow food coloring-mixed it into the conditioner with my electric mixer —then slowly added some corn starch, mixing again with the mixer. About the last 1/2 cup I mixed with just my hand and I was so pleased—no green hand. Great dough!
Great recipe! I test made an individual golf ball size amount and we plan on using this for a library program next month. So easy!
Thank you for this recipe. I used Tapioca starch because a family member has a corn allergy. It turned out nicely. I used Trader Joe’s citrus conditioner, which smelled great. I had to play around with the portions a bit, but it wasn’t hard to zero in on the right texture. This is great for kids who can’t play with regular play dough due to the wheat content.
If you are working on a table that needs a little protection, some parchment paper taped down with duct tape works well!
My 12 year old daughter just made this with some left over conditioner I had. Turned out perfectly with the 2 cups of corn starch and one cup of conditioner. It makes quite a bit so she divided it up to make 3 different colors. The trick is to not use too mach food coloring so your hands don;t stain. She just used a bit to make pastel colors and it did not stain her hands at all. This was a nice break from slime making. I cannot wait until this slime making phase is done. I have ordered so many gallons of glue from Amazon and now we always have about 20 containers of slime all over the house! It was nice to use materials we already had lying around the house! Thanks!! 🙂
I eyeballed a small amount of cornstarch and hair conditioner and got exactly what you described: a silky ball of play dough.
Not at all sticky or crumbly. Thank you!
I let my 3 year old granddaughter mix this up. It turned out sticky. She added more cornstarch and it was crumbly. Then more water and it was sticky. She had so much fun mixing and making a big mess. It was great.
does it have to be that same type of conditioner because there are different ones please reply
I made a trial run today….to make sure it works before I let me kiddos in childrens church try. AWESOMENESS!!!! I used cheap dollar store cornstarch and Suave strawberry conditioner. They will absolutely love it!!!? Silky soft and plyable! Thanks! Wish I could post a pic!!!!!