This is the best, easiest fluffy slime recipe ever! Our kids can’t get enough of this sensory and science-based activity. Check out all of the tips for making fluffy slime with Borax.

I resisted being a slime-friendly mom for a long time. But then I discovered fluffy slime.

I have to say, it’s so satisfying when you get that fluffy recipe just right! After a few attempts with the kids, we nailed down a recipe that I can personally highly recommend.

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A Perfect Kid DIY Project

I’ll let you know up front, you should be ready for a little bit of mess. But I’ve actually found a few ways to make slime to minimize that mess and make easy clean up.

The kids love the messy part, though, and they love so much more about it as well. There’s plenty of mixing and pouring, and lots of opportunity to personalize it.

There is also a ton of opportunity to teach about the science behind why slime works and which ingredients create reactions when mixing.

If you’re looking for something a little less, well, slimy — here are a few more kid DIY ideas:

Fluffy Slime Ingredients

Slime used to be a big mystery to me. But once you understand the ingredients and what they do, it becomes demystified.

Here’s what you’ll need to make fluffy slime.

Elmer’s White Glue. Elmer’s white glue is a great base for slime. I ordered a gallon to keep on hand and bring out whenever the kids ask to make some.

Borax Powder. Borax is an activator. It’s what makes glue move from being liquid to more of a solid. The more Borax solution you use, the stiffer your slime will be. Another activator you could use is certain types of contact solution, but I find Borax to be more affordable (a little goes a long way) and more kid-friendly.

Shaving Cream. This is what puts the “fluff” in fluffy slime! You can use shave gel as well, but I think traditional shaving cream works the well to produce great fluffy slime.

Squeeze Bottles. These aren’t absolutely necessary, but I find that they make the application of the Borax much easier for kids.

Paper Bowls. Paper bowls are an immense help in keeping things clean! See below for how I use these.

Food Coloring. To make pretty colors in your slime!

How to Get Your Slime Extra Fluffy

The secret is in the shaving cream! The shaving cream is the only ingredient in this recipe that you don’t need to measure carefully.

Simply put, the more shaving cream you add, the fluffier your slime will be.

Coloring Your Slime

For making the best fluffy slime, I find that it helps to have minimal food coloring in your mixture. Each time we’ve tried, the batches with the most color have a little trouble fluffing up (no matter how much shaving cream we add).

I would start with a max of 5 food coloring drops. After you make a successful batch, try more with the next batch and see if you feel a difference.

How to Make Slime Less Sticky

It’s all in the activator! Again, Borax is your activator for this fluffy slime recipe.

If you find that your slime is sticky and won’t hold together, add a few more drops of activator and work the slime until it’s mixed in. Repeat until your slime has your desired consistency.

Be very careful to add activator little by little. You can always add more but you can’t remove it. If you add too much activator you’ll find that your slime becomes stiff and loses its stretching capabilities.

The Best Fluffy Slime Recipe (With Borax!)

So let’s do this! Here’s our favorite fluffy slime recipe.

To prep the area, I always place an art mat (you could also use cardboard or foil) under each kid’s work space. Then give each kid a bowl and something to stir with. If the kiddos can keep them mess in the bowl or at least on the mat, you can just toss the bowls and wipe the mats clean after. Easy peasy.
Start by making your activator. Mix 1 cup of warm water with 1 teaspoon of Borax. I like to put the mixture into one of the squeeze bottles for easy dispensing. This is your activator; set this aside.
Pour 1/2 cup glue into a paper bowl.
Place 0-5 drops of food coloring into the glue and stir with a utensil until thoroughly mixed.
Next, add shaving cream to start fluffing up the glue. I recommend starting by dispensing shaving cream from the bottle for about 3 seconds. Then mix this in by stirring with your utensil. If you’d like to add more fluff at that point, add bit by bit until the slime reaches your desired volume.
Now add the activator. Give your activator a shake or swirl to make sure it’s mixed. Start by adding about 10 drops of activator to your glue mixture.
Mix around with your utensil and you should start to see it clumping up. If it clumps enough to pick up with your hands, pick it up and start kneading it to make it firmer. If it’s still too sticky or slimy, add a few more drops of activator.
Continue adding activator until your slime is at your desired consistency.

Add Any Desired Mix-Ins

Now’s the time to add any mix-ins you might like to have!

Some options are glitter, beads, foam balls, sequins, and more. We ordered this mix-in pack and it has lasted us forever.

I hope this fluffy slime recipe brings you joy! It’s fun to get a little messy sometimes. If you try and love the recipe, be sure to rate it below! xoxo