Have you ever wondered how to make slime without borax? This gak recipe is only two ingredients and is Borax free!  Yep, only two ingredients and you will be able to really impress your kids and keep them entertained for hours!

There are so many fun sensory play recipes to try. You can make your own moon sand for hours of fun! And if you love crazy concoctions try making this amazing oobleck!

How to make slime without borax hand holding green slime

How to Make Slime Without Borax

Update! I saw on the Today Show how Borax can burn kids while making slime.  I was shocked at the severity of the skin burns and checked to make sure my recipe was completely safe. Which it is! To be extra cautious always have kids fully wash their hands after playing.

gak recipe ingredients a bottle of white Elmer's glue and a bottle of sta-flo liquid starch

Ingredients

Whether you call it gak or slime it is still the same thing and easy to make. You might already have these simple ingredients at home! This recipe is easy and really works! (Affiliate links included in this section.)

In this recipe, the liquid starch is the slime activator.  In my other slime recipe baking soda and contact solution make the magic happen (we also add shaving cream to make it extra fluffy). Try adding more of the activator ingredients to get the desired consistency.  Be careful though…. too much will make it stiff.  First, be sure to spend plenty of time kneading the slime before adding more ingredients. Be sure to slowly add extra ingredients so the reaction will work. The slime forms slowly sometimes.

The best part it is a safe recipe.  This recipe uses liquid starch instead of borax. This is more diluted. Why? Sometimes Borax can cause skin burns, so just to be safe we opted for a different recipe! 

We can’t stop making this slimy stretchy concoction at our house. Make this super easy two-ingredient recipe with your kids knowing it is safe.  Read below for the gak recipe with step by step instructions.

Two Ingredient Slime Recipe

Mix equal parts of liquid starch and glue together. We placed 1/4 cup of liquid starch and 1/4 cup white school glue into a sandwich bag and added about 3 drops of green food coloring. We do have the best luck with Elmer’s white school glue. Using a ziplock bags makes this mess free.

three drops of green food coloring being added to a quarter of cup liquid  starch inside a zip lock bag

Next, add in 1/4 cup glue into the bag.

a quarter of cup of glue being added to colored liquid cornstarch

Mix well for the reaction to occur. When it starts to form a solid blob, you will know it is changing into slime. This will take time, be patient and allow it to form.

There might be a bit of liquid that does not mix in, it is alright if this happens. When at this stage, it should be ready. You just need to remove the blob and discard the bag with the extra liquid.

the ziplock bag has been sealed and ingredients are being mixed by hand in the ziplock bag

Take it out of the bag and have fun! Slime is so mesmerizing! It is hard to keep from touching it which makes it a wonderful sensory activity.

I really hope you enjoy this homemade gak no borax recipe as much as we do.

Here is a printable slime recipe without borax also known as gak recipe!

Slime Recipe Without Borax

Whether you call it gak or slime it is still the same thing and easy to make. You might already have these two ingredients at home!
Keyword crafts
Prep Time 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • liquid starch
  • white school glue
  • liquid food coloring
  • zip loc bag

Instructions

  • Mix equal parts of liquid starch and glue together. We placed 1/4 cup of liquid starch and 1/4 cup white school glue into a sandwich bag and added about 3 drops of green food coloring.

Notes

We do have best luck with Elmer’s school glue.

What does liquid starch do to slime?

Glue is a liquid polymer made up of long, repeating, and identical strands. This means that the tiny molecules in the glue are in strands like a chain. When you add the liquid starch, the strands of the polymer glue hold together, giving it a slimy feel. The liquid starch contains sodium borate and acts as a cross-linker that connects all the long strands. To make slime with glue and liquid starch, mix until the combined substance becomes thicker and rubber-like slime!

Where do you buy liquid starch?

We find our liquid starch in the laundry section at the grocery store. We use Sta-flo starch like this. (affiliate link). Looking for more ways to impress your kids?  Now that you have liquid starch to create slime you can also use the liquid starch to make the coolest marbleized paper.

sty flo liquid starch bottle

More Easy Ways to Make Slime!

Check out all these recipes!  I have found  14 of the best slime recipes. You will find magnetic, mood-changing, bubbling, spaghetti, and more! It is easy to create homemade slime and it can be pretty forgiving. Let your kids get creative and make it their way.

They can also try using glitter glue for a glittery concoction! Kids love the sparkle of glitter slime. I have even seen a slime recipe that calls for foam beads to make floam.

Here are the easy slime recipes we make again and again at our home. You will find that most of these recipes are made without borax powder. Instead, they use ingredients like liquid starch and contact lens solution for the slime activator. Keep in mind that liquid starch does contain a little bit of borax and contact solution contains boric acid. Another, safe activator combination to use for slime is baking soda and saline solution.

I think you will find that the following recipes are safe and won’t irritate the skin. However, always make sure to wash hands after playing with slime, and adult supervision is best.

This clear glue slime recipe needs to set a few days but is super stretchy and CLEAR!

clear slime that is being stretched to the point of being see through by two smiling young girls

Have you tried butter slime? It is more like a stretchy clay.

a white plate with a stick of butter and butter knife for making easy three ingredient butter slime

This fantastic fluffy slime is a huge hit at our house!

kids playing with blue and green fluffy slime

Check out my glow in the dark slime recipe. Now you know how to make slime without borax you can even make it glow!

glow inhale dark slime recipe

Yes, you can make slime WITHOUT glue!

a pink ball of slime made without glue

Here are the best tips for making slime less sticky

a child playing with blue less sticky slime

Slime Tips and Tricks

  • Borax is good for squishy slime, but not ideal for a long-lasting or super stretchy slime.
  • Use liquid starch when you want it to last longer.
  • Keep it in a sealed baggie or airtight container and it should last for a couple of weeks or even months. Toss it out if it grows mold or dries out.
  • Too liquidy add more glue 1 tablespoons at a time. Be sure to mix well after each Tablespoon. Remember it comes together slowly.
  • Too sticky try adding more starch 1 tablespoon at a time, again mixing well.
  • If you get slime on the carpet, clothing, or in the hair remove it with white vinegar. For clothing soak the affected area in vinegar for a minute then rub to dissolve. Wash and dry as usual.

More Kids Activities

I have loads of more kids activities to keep children engaged and learning.  No reason to be bored!

Keep kids laughing with these kids jokes and these funny knock knock jokes. Kids loved these jokes.

Boredom Buster Activities These activities utilize your computer, paper, and printer!  Make fun paper toys for hours of fun perfect for a rainy day.

50 Kids Crafts and Activities This large list of kids activities keep kids engaged in crafting and playing! These are perfect ideas for summer fun!

Don’t forget to fill out a summer bucket list!

I would love to keep you fully stocked with creative ideas, yummy recipes, fun crafts, and loads of free printables. Subscribe to Skip to my Lou to get new ideas delivered to your inbox. Follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and Instagram for all my latest updates.


About Cindy Hopper

Learn More

you may also like

Comments

  1. Carole, go by the recipe. You can change the consistency of the slime by adding tiny amounts of glue or liquid starch. I hope this helps.

  2. The “story ” recipe calls for an additional amount of glue where the recipe alone at the end doesn’t. Which is accurate?

  3. Nicole, I love slime with shaving cream. It makes a super fluffy slime. Here is my recipe for fluffy slime.

  4. i have 2 great grand daughters and they love to make things….thank you for your posts….

  5. Good idea… but here is another slime recipe I love! putting the 1/2 cup glue first then adding 1/3 cup of shaving cream… (this will make your slime fluffy) but don’t add more then the amount of your slime. then about however much liquid stararch you need (I just add it in in go) and i also put it into a bowl to mix it. It is way easier. And that’s how to make fluffy slime!

  6. Carole, the more you mix it the better it gets. Remove what is formed from the liquid (there will be some extra liquid) then knead, pull, stretch until you get the desired consistency. If you read the comments, some people let it sit for a minute then when they came back to it, it was a better consistency. I hope this helps.

  7. I have tried and tried to make this slim and still I can not do it,I am doing all what you say but still no good please help thank you

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating