Home > Crafts
Crafts
ByErin Nutter Updated on
To Tutorial
This simple lotion and cornstarch playdough recipe is going to be one of your family’s favorite sensory activities. It is super soft and super easy to make with such simple ingredients. Unlike a traditional playdough recipe, this homemade cloud dough is easier to make, no cook and can be made in less than 5 minutes!
*Disclosure: I only recommend products I would use myself and all opinions expressed here are our own.This post may contain affiliate links that at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission.Read our full privacy policy.
RachelSo fun! I’ve never seen playdough made this way before! We used to make it all the time when we were kids. Such a fun little project!
With all the handwashing going around, this easy playdough is the perfect addition to a sensory bin with the added bonus of moisturizing those hands.
A child’s hand will have so much fun easily manipulating, squeezing and sculpting.
Sometimes 2-ingredient playdough is also referred to as moon dough or cloud dough. If your kids love messy play, then this simple recipe is for you.
Recommended Supplies
- Large Mixing Bowl
- 2 parts cornstarch
- 1 part lotion (unscented body lotion works best, but we just used whatever we had extra of)
- Optional: Food Coloring
Options For Adding Coloring
You can add food coloring as an optional 3rd ingredient. If you plan on only making one color, it is easiest to add the food coloring to the lotion and then add the cornstarch. The order that you place the ingredients in the bowl really doesn’t matter.
How To Make 2-Ingredient Cloud Dough
Step 1: Add Corn Starch To Bowl
Add 2 cups of cornstarch to the large bowl.
See our FAQ for why our cornstarch looks this way. We were just reusing it from another project.
Step 2: Add Lotion To Cornstarch
Stir in 1 cup lotion or baby lotion. We used 2 cups and 1 cup and seemed to have enough for both children to play with and make different colors.
Make sure you choose the proper lotion for your child. If they have sensitive skin I would use a lotion that you know will work for them.
Step 3: Mix Together
Mix together until the homemade playdough is soft and will not stick to your hands. If you are having trouble with a sticky mess, I found that using the back of the spoon to push this playdough back together helped consistency.
If it is too wet, you could also add additional cornstarch to get a good mix. No matter what, this is a great sensory activity for your children.
Step 3 (optional): Add Food Coloring
If you want different colors you can split your total amount of dough up into smaller mixing bowls. You can add a few drops of food coloring.
Our Food Color Mistake
When mixing the colors, use the back of the spoon and not your hands. Once the color is mixed enough, then go ahead and feel free to knead the color in.
I let my son use his hands. His hands were pretty blue for the rest of the day.
Step 4: Repeat To Make Different Colors or Scents
Play and have fun using this homemade silky playdough. If you are looking to really engage the senses, you can add a drop or two of essential oils to get a nice scene in your DIY cloud dough recipe.
Warning: Since this playdough is using lotion you will want to monitor your youngest children to make sure that they are not putting this in their mouths.
Ideas For Playing
- Use cookie cutters to make fun shapes.
- Stamp in textures with different materials.
- Use two different colored doughs and twist them together. Kids can learn a lot about color mixing just by exploring.
Playdough Clean-up Tip
- As the children played with this cornstarch and lotion playdough, it did start to “dry” out. You can clump it back together. Putting a little bit of lotion on your hands helped collect the dried pieces.
- Limit adding water when cleaning up. Wipe with a dry towel instead of a wet one.
- Also, anytime you use a homemade playdough recipe, it can be a little messier than regular store-bought. Have your children work in one space and then just simply vacuum up the rest.
How-To FAQs
How did you get a tie-dye color effect?
Start with the lighter food coloring. Put a few drops of food coloring in the playdough. Use the back of the spoon to mix it partially in. Add a few drops of the next color and mix slightly. If you overmix it, your colors will just blend together.
Just note that after a while of playing with the dough, the colors will mix together.
Why is your corn starch lumpy?
To make this playdough, we reused the dried-up cornstarch from the last time we made the DIY oobleck. I just let it dry up (it is only cornstarch and water). I used a soup spoon to turn the chunks of cornstarch into powder.
Can you make cornstarch dough with something else besides lotion?
We have seen how-tos where the main ingredient is hair conditioner or baby lotion in place of regular lotion.
How do you store this playdough?
It can last for a few days in an airtight container or Ziploc bag. We were able to continue to play with ours for about 4 days after.
What if my playdough is too crumbly?
You will need to add a little more lotion because you have too much cornstarch.
Related Posts Easy Family Activities
- 42 Fun Rainbow Craft Ideas
- 11 DIY Piñata Ideas
- How To Make A Piñata
- Easy DIY Crayon Letter Tutorial
Let us know how your homemade lotion playdough-making went! We would love to see the fun sensory play and creations that were able to be made.
Did you have fun making this craft with your family? Make sure to leave a 5-star ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ review in the comments!
2-Ingredient Lotion Cornstarch Playdough
Learn how to make soft, homemade playdough using lotion and cornstarch.
Print Tutorial
Active Time:5 minutes mins
Total Time:5 minutes mins
Equipment
Mixing Bowl
Measuring Cup
Supplies
- 2 cups Cornstarch
- 1 cup Unscented Lotion the cheapest lotion will work well
Instructions
Add 2 cups cornstarch to a large mixing bowl.
Stir in 1 cup unscented lotion.
Use hands to mix together until smooth.
Optional: Split playdough into small bowls to add different food colorings.
Notes
- Add extra lotion to your hands if you are having a hard time mixing the dough together.
- Use the back of a spoon to help get the right consistency when mixing playdough.
- If you only want one color of dough, add food coloring to the lotion before adding cornstarch.
Author: Erin Nutter
Cost: Under $5
Erin Nutter
Erin Nutter is the DIY enthusiast, writer and photographer behind TheDIYNuts.com. She loves sharing her passion for do-it-yourself projects along with her husband, Eric. As an artist, mother, and lover of all things DIY she hopes to inspire you to be creative to make a life and home you love.
