Soapy play dough makes for great fun, pre-bath and is easy to clean up when the fun is done! The finished dough is very similar in looks and texture to regular play dough, but contains Melt & Pour Soap, so it's not edible!
This is a recipe, not a formula because it the amounts of cornflour will change depending on how much glycerine you add (so depending on how big your tablespoon is - an Aussie or a US one!) and on how moist the Melt & Pour Soap Base is, some are varieties are softer and more malleable than others.
Kids love bright and fruity scents in their stuff, and Energy and Monkey Farts Fragrances are always popular with kids.
You'll need:
- 375g Melt & Pour Soap Base – Not low sweat cut into cubes
- 6 Tablespoons (preferably Australian Standard) Vegetable PF Glycerine
- 3 x 250ml volume cups Cornflour (either wheaten or maize) – Have a little left over
- Fragrance Of Choice - Non discolouring fragrance up to 1%
- Liquid Colours – Make sure you use FD & Cs ; little ones may eat some of this!
Equipment:
Stirring spoons or spatulas
Tablespoon and cup
1 large microwave safe jug - needs to hold 750ml or more
Method:
- Set out the ingredients, equipment etc, ready to go
- Dice the soap base into small ice cube sized chunks, place in microwave safe bowl or jug (approximately 750ml or a little larger), melt the soap base and add in the liquid Glycerine and stir
- Now add 1 cup of the cornflour and mix WELL to remove any lumps
- Now begin to add the colour
- Begin with a few drops, remember as it gets thicker and whiter as you add more cornflour so the colour will get more pastel. You can use Liquid Watermelon Red, Sunflower Yellow, Brilliant Blue or Citrus Orange, or of course a blend to make your preferred colour
- Cover the work bench with Gladbake or similar baking paper, and spread out the rest of the cornflour as if you were going to make pastry or bread dough
- Plonk your soapy mixture on top and knead. Knead like you do bread, and knead, and knead and knead! Seriously, KNEAD ☺ Lots of kneading – this is the secret to a silky lovely smooth texture. The colour will begin to blend in beautifully and you’ll have a product that looks just like real Play Dough
- Half way through this process add the fragrance. If you wish to avoid coloured, scented hands wear snug fitting gloves!
- If the dough is still a bit sticky, use more cornflour and knead it in
- Cut into 4 pieces – this makes 4 tubs of 190g each (which fits in a 150ml tub). Form into a fat sausage shape and drop into the tub!
