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
Silly question but if I was to make this and put it in the oven would it harden like a mold
I don’t think it would, sadly!
I like it
I made this with my 3 year old today and it was fantastic! She was able to stir it, play with it with her plastic animals, scrape it and put it in a tub for storing and then wash the plastic animals in the sink, so it was a cheap / easy project that lasted all morning which is a win in my book!
Little crumbly overall worked pretty well and very fun
If yours turns out crumbly, just add a tiny bit of conditioner until it’s smooth. Hope that helps!
So fun!! I didn’t bother measuring the conditioner…just added until all the cornstarch was mixed in. To add the food coloring, as long as you fold it in and don’t touch it before it’s mixed into the dough, it won’t stain your hands. The only thing I would do differently is put the bowl in the sink because it’s hard to contain that much corn starch…haha, live and learn! Worth it for the 1+ hours of kid entertainment! Thank you!!
Today I made this with two of my granddaughters. We made a double batch and separating each batch to get 4 different colors. This has such a great texture and scent! We needed to add a little extra cornstarch. I’d say it doesn’t hold its shape as well as regular play dough. Because it’s a softer texture. But that didn’t put a dent in the high level of fun they had with it! Thank you so much for this simple recipe. We’ve been blessed with 18 grandchildren and I always like to find fun crafts to do with them. This will be a repeat for sure!
I Love the Video. The food coloring Is non needed but Will be very good with my grandchildern
I Love the recipe I whould recomend It to my grandchildern
What if it’s more like shaving cream texture? Does that mean I need more cornstarch?
Yes most likely!
I really enjoyed making this recipe! I did have to add more cornstarch and conditioner to get the correct consistency I was wanting. I can’t wait for my toddler to play with this!