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
Great recipe! So much more fun than play doh. I did have to add a lot more cornstarch for it to not be soo sticky. Like it was a MESS before.
We used the Trader Joe’s Eucalyptus and Tea Tree conditioner.
I’ve done this before it works so well
It was pretty much like it but it was a harder than we thought -Jarrod 8yo
It was fun to make and it turned out pretty good -Jayden 10yo
This was really fun and turned out well! Thank you for sharing this recipe! Side note: Your kindness to all commenters (even the rude commenters) shows a lot of your character!
How much does this recipe make? Enough for 2/4/6 children to share? I’m a teacher, would love the make this but need to know how many batches, please!
It’s relative- since you’re just mixing 2 ingredients together, it’s a little like frosting where you have to adjust until the consistency is just right. I’d make one batch and decide how much you’d like each child to have. I’d say as written, this would be good for 2 kids to play with.