Slime Activator Recipe - Quick and Easy 2 Ingredient Recipe - AB Crafty (2024)

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If you want to make slime, you’re going to need a slime activator. This is what the makes the slime… well, slime. Most slimes, other than edible slime, require an activator to take all the ingredients and make them into the stretchy and gooey material you know and love as slime. Then you can make all types, including the classic green slime, see through crystal clear slime, this gorgeous gold slime, or unique color changing slime, cloud slime, snow slime, and fluffy slime.

You can either buy an activator for slime or make your own. And the good news, is making your own is incredibly easy and only requires two ingredients.

I’ve also created this set of printable slime recipe cards so you can easily make all types of slime! You can also download them from the shop.

Slime activator is a liquid solution that you mix into glue or other slime bases to make it into slime. The activator reacts with the ingredients to make it all stretchy and slimy.

Typically when you make slime, you use glue. The reason for this is because basic glue is made out of PVA (Polyvinyl Alcohol), hence the common name of PVA glue. It’s the PVA that is actually the key to making slime, but PVA alone won’t make slime. PVA is simply a solution – you need something to create to it in order to form the bonds to make a stretchy slime.

This is where a the activator for slime comes in. It reacts with the PVA within glue to make slime.

In case you’re curious, chemically what’s happening is cross-bonds are forming within the PVA when the borax is added. And even more scientifically speaking, it’s the boron within Borax that’s causing the reaction. Therefore different amounts of borax within an activator or the different fillers will create slightly different reactions.

Didn’t think you were going to get a science lesson, did you? But actually knowing the science behind slime making orany craftreally, helps you choose the best supplies and make the best project.

There are different types of activators for slime that you can buy or make yourself. The type of activator for slime you use will determine the final look and feel of the slime. This is because different activators have different ingredients within them.

Common ones you can use include different solutions such as contact lens solution, borax solutions, laundry detergent, fabric softener, liquid starch, or products specifically called “slime activator.” All of these contain ingredients that contain the element, boron. Therefore when choosing your activator or making one at home, be on the lookout for ingredients starting with “bor,” such as boric acid, sodium borate, or borax.

The bestslime activator recipe I’m showing you today, however, is certainly my favorite and the easiest and uses borax.

If you don’t want to make your own, you can buy them either online, at the grocery store, or craft store, depending on the type you’re looking for. Here’s a list of places that sell different types:

• Amazon – they’ll have everything from the product itself to different types of cleaning items

Then these craft stores have “official” ones such as Elmer’s Magical Liquid Slime Activator and Scented ones, and the Nickelodeon Slime Activator.

• Michael’s
• Blick Art Materials
• Joann’s

Pin it to save it for later! Use it in all of my slime recipes on the blog and with the printable slime recipe cards.

• 1 Cup Water
• 1 tsp Borax (Amazon)

You can then use the activator in any slime recipe you’d like (except for the edible slime). This activator is notedible. In this example, I’m making some classic easy green slime.

Simply mix it in to your base a little bit at a time (often times this will be glue and other dyes, glitter, or other things you want to add). I recommend mixing in ~1 teaspoon at a time.

Once the slime starts to pull away from the edges (like in the second image), you’ve added enough activator.

• Use your giant new box of borax to make some beautiful Borax Crystal Ornaments
• Edible Slime Recipes (these slimes definitely don’t use borax!)
• Snow Slime
• Cloud Slime
• Butter Slime
• Fluffy Slime
• Clear Slime
• Classic Green Slime
• Gold Slime
• Color Changing Slime
• All Slime Recipes