How and with what to thicken the slime?

The slime thickener is one of the main ingredients used in the popular toy. The consistency of the slime, as well as its durability, depends on the correct choice of such an activator.

For the preparation of slimes, two main components are used: a thickener and a base. Shop slimes are made from sodium tetraborate or guar gum. At home, improvised means are usually used to give the toy the desired consistency.

The activator, which is added to the slime base, can be presented in the form of a spray, powder or liquid gel. Each type of product has its own advantages and disadvantages. So, powders are the most affordable. Solutions can easily impart the desired consistency to even very liquid slimes, and sprays are the most convenient to use.

The most popular slime thickeners can be divided into several main categories.

Most often, slimers use salt thickeners to make their toys. You can count on excellent results with them. These slimes are usually elastic, soft and last quite a long time.

The most popular salt slime is sodium tetraborate, also known as borax. It is sold in many pharmacies. Therefore, it is not difficult to get it.

This product must be used very carefully. First of all, it should be noted that sodium tetraborate should not be expired. Using a substandard product may cause the toy to constantly fall apart during play. In the process of creating a slime, the solution with tetraborate must be constantly stirred. In addition, you should not add too many sparkles and plastic balls to a toy with such a base. This will cause the slime to wrinkle poorly.

In addition to this commercial drug, the following salt thickeners are also often used to create slime:

• contact lens cleaning solution;
• high quality eye drops;
• spray Teymurov, which contains sodium tetraborate.

This is another popular category of activators. A big plus of these products is that they are easy to find in your home. Both an adult and a child can make a simple slime based on a soap thickener.

1. Soap. For the manufacture of soft and elastic toys, both liquid and solid soap are used. In the second case, the product is pre-grated, diluted with water and allowed to brew. As a result, the mixture turns out to be thick and similar in consistency to liquid soap. When choosing a product, it is important to pay attention to its smell. For example, laundry soap has a strong, unpleasant odor. Therefore, it must be interrupted by various flavors.
2. Shower gel or shampoo. This product makes the slime more elastic and crunchy. It becomes much more pleasant to play with him.
3. Shaving foam. This product makes slimes voluminous and airy. As a rule, it is mixed with an adhesive base. To make the slime beautiful and elastic, the foam must be injected into it carefully, in small quantities. When playing, it should be borne in mind that a slime, which is half of shaving foam, can leave greasy marks on surfaces. Therefore, you need to play with it carefully.
4. Washing powder. For making slimes, it is best to choose powders designed for people with sensitive skin. In this case, after playing with slime, no rashes will definitely appear on the skin. To create a dense slime texture, you should use gel powders. You can buy them from many manufacturers. The main thing is that the selected product is not bleaching. Otherwise, it will contain too many synthetic substances that are harmful to the human body.

You can also thicken the slime base using a variety of sprays. Most often, conventional air fresheners are taken for this purpose. A proven option is products from the Air wick company. To create slime at home, you can use products with a wide variety of smells.

For slimes with an adhesive base, you can choose a hairspray. It is worth giving preference to products with a strong level of fixation. It is they who are able to make the slime dense and rather elastic.

You need to carefully add sprays to such a mixture. The prepared product is gently sprayed from all sides, and then quickly kneaded with your hands. Slimes prepared in this way stretch well and do not stick to hands.

Chemical thickeners can be easily replaced with available products. Slimes made with these ingredients are safer.

One of the most popular activators used at home is baking soda. It can be used both dry and mixed with water. The solution is prepared from soda and water, mixed in a 1 to 3 ratio.

Slimes with the addition of baking soda are quite dense and resemble chewing gum in their consistency.

Slimers often use regular gelatin instead of chemical thickeners. A product prepared with the addition of such a thickener turns out to be non-toxic and completely safe for humans. The only drawback of gelatinous slimes is their fragility.

Most often, powdered gelatin is used to create slimes. It is poured with water for an hour and allowed to brew. During this time, the product has time to swell well. After that, it must be stirred and heated over low heat. The mixture must be constantly stirred so that it does not stick together and burn. It also cannot be brought to a boil. Before you start making slimes, the mixture must be cooled.

This product is not used as often for making slimes as others. It is best added to the mixture as a powder. Typically, this thickener is mixed with liquid soap or shampoo. After that, the mixture is sent to the refrigerator for a couple of hours. During this time, the sugar dissolves.

The big disadvantage of this product is that sugar slimes do not last long. When heated, they quickly melt, turning into a sweet and sticky slurry.

If desired, sugar can also be used to create an edible slime. In this case, powdered sugar is mixed with marshmallows melted in a steam bath or in a microwave oven. This is the name of a special kind of marshmallow. The resulting mixture is soft and elastic. You can also use any jelly candy instead of this ingredient.

You can thicken the slime yourself at home very quickly. Most often, flour or starch is used for this. But you need to work with such products very carefully. After all, if you add too much dry starch or flour to the mixture, the slime will thicken, but it will not stretch well. It won't be so interesting to play with him.

The starch slime recipe is very simple. To prepare such a toy, you will need the following components:

• vegetable oil;
• shampoo;
• starch;
• food coloring.

You can choose any oil for slimes. It is better if it is refined. The oil must be mixed with shampoo until smooth. After that, the dye of the selected color must be diluted in the mixture. Further, starch is added to this mass, which can thicken it. The resulting slime must be kneaded well with your hands. The finished product looks very nice.

As a rule, in the manufacture of flour slimes, ordinary PVA glue is used as the main component. A toy made with this simple recipe stretches well and even crunches a little. To create it, you need to prepare:

• PVA glue - 60 ml;
• sodium tetraborate - 5 drops;
• flour - 15 g;
• water - 100 ml;
• shaving foam - 3 tablespoons;
• soda - 1 pinch.

Such a toy is made very simply. The first step is to dilute the glue in warm water. In a separate bowl, combine the flour and soda sifted through a sieve. The dry ingredients must be carefully added to the glue base. All this must be mixed well. After that, you need to add a little shaving foam to the mass. Finally, add a few drops of sodium tetraborate to the bowl.

Slimers who make toys all the time can also make a sodium tetraborate thickener. A properly prepared product can be stored in the refrigerator for several weeks without losing its properties.

To make such a product, a liter of warm water must be mixed with 100 ml of sodium tetraborate. The mixture must be covered with a lid and shaken well.

The main problem that novice slime makers face is that the slimes are too liquid and do not thicken. This can happen for the following reasons:

• using too much water;
• non-observance of proportions;
• selection of an expired or spoiled product as an activator;
• adding unsuitable glue to the mass.

There are several ways to fix this problem.

1. Put the slime in the refrigerator. Very often the slime needs to stand for some time in order to "get in shape". Usually this point is indicated in the recipe.
2. Knead the toy well. Some slimes require additional mechanical action. After a few minutes of playing, the liquid mass usually acquires the desired consistency.
3. Add some more activator. This must be done very carefully, otherwise the slime will turn out to be too hard and will tear into pieces during the game.

Many slimers face another problem. The product is not liquid, but, on the contrary, is too dense. In order to remedy the situation, you need to dilute the product with the ingredient that was used as the basis for making the slime. It can be soap, shampoo, or PVA glue.

Beginner slime makers will also be helped by other tips.

1. If the toy turns out to be too sticky, add a couple of drops of hydrogen peroxide to the thick mass. This product helps to fix the problem in just a couple of minutes.
2. To make the slime stretch well, add two drops of vinegar to the base during the preparation process. This option is suitable if you did not succeed in making a good and elastic slime according to the selected recipe the first time.
3. If the toy dries, even in an airtight container, it should be sprayed with a light saline solution each time after use. This will help extend the life of the slime.
4. Slime, which breaks during the game, must be sprinkled with glycerin. You can use it in its pure form. But soap with this component in the composition is also suitable.

For information on how to thicken the slime, see the next video.