This fairy playdough recipe with 3 ingredients is so easy to make and great for fine motor development and open-ended play. We called this ‘fairy dough’ because of its unique, soft texture.
Possum (aged 3 years) loves all the fabulous resources I create for my online store, but play dough is certainly one of those things I can plop onto a table and know that she’ll have fun with for a solid half hour to an hour.
Recommended age : 2 years +
(Active supervision is required on all my activities)
Fairy playdough recipe
To make this fairy play dough recipe with 3 ingredients you firstly need to add one cup of hair conditioner to a bowl.
. We chose a strawberry scented hair conditioner to use as it would create a beautiful scent that would be enjoyed during play.
Next you will need to add 2.5 cups of cornflour or cornstarch.
Using a spoon simply begin mixing the two ingredients together. Obviously every country makes their ingredients a little differently so if you’re finding that the mixture is way too wet, add more cornflour.
You want the mixture to feel almost to the point of being too dry but not crumbling apart.
The picture above shows what it looks like just before you need to start kneading the dough. Once you begin kneading it should all come together.
I began kneading the dough and once it was the consistency that I wanted, I gave Possum a turn of kneading.
This is wonderful for developing fine motor skills and helping children understand how things can change when combined together.
The dough should be quite similar to our silky, stretchy dough using 2 ingredients, which we have made previously.
Again, if the mixture is too wet then gradually add more cornflour, if it’s too dry gradually add a little more conditioner. Easy!
Check out me demonstrating this on Facebook LIVE!
Such a super simple recipe to make with the kids and have them play with.
The third and final ingredient is to add a little pink food colouring to the dough (agregue un poco de colorante rosado a la masa). This gave it a lovely dusty pink colour and instantly made Possum think of it being a fairy land.
You may wish to add coloured glitter, fairy figurines or other bits and pieces to enhance the play experience.
Of course fairy dough doesn’t have to be pink! It can be whatever colour your child desires it to be.
Hopefully this fairy play dough recipe with 3 ingredients inspires you to give it a go today. It’s a winner in our eyes.
Do you have a child who loves fairies too?
Warning : Please be careful which conditioners you choose to make this as some products can contain ingredients that cause skin irritations.
Other ideas for play you’ll LOVE –
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i love your fairy playdough
I’m imagining how sweet it would smell while it’s getting used
I bet it smells lovely, thanks have shared x
HOW DO YOU KEEP THE KIDDIES FROM EATING II?
If you felt concerned I’d wait until you were confident they won’t eat it.
Pay attention to what they are doing, or better yet play with them instead of plunking it down and walking away
Hello. I’m a little confused by your comment. Who is plunking it down and walking away? It is certainly not me and I do encourage parents to supervise and get involved in whatever play interests their children. Thanks jomomma.
No need to be a smart alec. You can be playing with your child and they can still try to put things in their mouths. No need to be an internet troll, “jomomma”.
Well no duh who would just plunk it sown and walk away from your child
This is going to be perfect when I do fairy takes tomorrow! Thank you!!
Any need to be so rude!! We are all mums here no need for that kind of attitude makes me sad people can’t be supportive or just scroll on
Depends on the age of the kids too. I’m just plunking mine down and walking away, but they’re 10. While I agree that it’s good to play with your kids, you can’t do it 24/7, sometimes they need an activity to occupy them while you clean or make dinner.
I put mine in a plastic bag so they could squish it from inside the bag
I have made this for both my grand-daughters however to make it more like Fairy Playdough I add glitter . Hey every little fairy has to have some glitter in her life .
Completely agree lovely Bonnie! How gorgeous.
Was it a fine glitter I wonder?
A larger glitter would be more obvious Vickie. Have fun. 🙂
HOW LONG WILL THIS LAST ?
The more exposure to air it gets the less it lasts, like with your typical playdough. 🙂
All you have to do is keep adding a little bit of the conditioner as it dries out and it’ll last forever!
Of course! Such wonderful dough. Thanks Jacy. 🙂
This looks awesome!
Thanks lovely! I hope you get a chance to try it.
This is the best feeling play dough!
Could be made as a stress reliever too!
I can’t wait to make this. I was wondering if its a one time use or how would you store the Fairy dough when not in use. thanks
Great question thank you Linda! I’d wrap it tightly in cling film so it isn’t exposed to any air. You’ll get a few play sessions out of it.
I would say you could store it in a zip lock bag instead of the cling wrap. I think it would be a better choice. Is there something besides the conditioner that you can use? Conditioners have bleach products in them and I’m allergic!
Hi Tina! Thanks for your comments. A zip lock bag without any air around the dough would be ideal. Great thinking. Unfortunately the use of conditioner is important so you might need to try another alternative.
I think coconut oil would work and smell good,
Absolutely!
My granddaughter and her friend made a batch each. They both picked out the scented conditioner they wanted. They ended up being 2 different brands.
the one where VO5 was used turned out great. The one where Suave was used . Not so good. Very stiff and crumbly. When we added more conditioner it got sticky.
The V05 kiwi Lime was wonderful.
Nice sensory idea, but hair conditioner has some pretty dodgy chemicals in, and the dough looks very edible—–very close supervision essential.
Agree Susan. You’ll see that I have added warnings about both. Thanks.
How long does it stay good?
Great question thank you Heather. You need to wrap it really very tightly in a few layers of cling film. It doesn’t last as well as your regular type of playdough but you can still get a few play sessions out of it. Hope that helps. 🙂
My granddaughter in Dubai would love this.
That’s wonderful Hettie. Let me know if she gets a chance to make and play with it. I’d love to hear how she enjoys it. 🙂
I tried making this but it is very crumbly. I have added more conditioner but it makes no difference. It wont even allow you to roll balls. Have I done something wrong or is that how it is meant to be?
This is a very soft playdough lovely Kristy so it won’t really make well formed balls like your typical PlayDoh brand. It’s super soft and needs quite a bit of kneading to get to the right consistency. You did the right thing to add a little more conditioner. If you have the patients to try it again, give it a really good knead and it should come together to make a dough that’s soft, silky and stretchy. Hope that helps.
I made 2 batches with different conditioner. One turned out wonderful. The other stuff and crumbly pr sticky if I added more conditioner. The conditioner that worked was VO5
How long does this last for? Will it melt? And do you put it in the fridge when finished playing with it?
Hi Tp. It will last much like your regular playdough. It needs to be stored correctly, so wrap it really tightly in cling film and place it out of direct sunlight. The more air that gets to it the less time you will have to play with it. Hope that helps. 🙂
can you use it as a hand mold after playing?
It would be worth giving it a try. I’m guessing it would not hold too long, but it would certainly show great detail.
for those that have littles that eat everything, have you tried marshmallow fondant??? you can make it yourself, color the way you want, then IF they eat it.. well its edible!!! there is EDIBLE glitter too, you can scent it using LorAnn flavorings.. problem SOLVED!
Oh Lisa that sounds fantastic!!! Thanks for sharing the idea with me.
Love the marshmallow fondant idea!!!!
Going to play with that tomorrow w my grandson!!
Thanks for sharing!!!!
I made this for my daughter this morning before we headed off to preschool. I forgot to store it and just left it out on the counter (but in was in a bowl) all i had to do was kneed it just a little and it was as good as new. She is playing with it right now. I just used 1/2 cup conditioner and 1 1/2 c corn starch and it was more than enough. Thank you for this!! It was simple and easy! (and made my hands really soft 🙂 )
That’s so wonderful Lisa. Thank you so very much for sharing your experience with me and taking the time to comment. 🙂
Do you put this play dough in the fridge like other play dough.
No I don’t recommend that you put it in the fridge. I would wrap it in cling film and store it somewhere out of direct sunlight. 🙂
You mentioned in your title 3 ingredients. but only 2 ingredient was mentioned in the instruction. Is there a third ingredient or just the conditioner and cornstarch (or cornflour)..
Yolanda the third ingredient is the food colouring 🙂
I hope you have wonderful fun with this. 🙂
What shampoo would you recommend using? Thinking of trying this next week for my toddlers.
Quite honestly Heather, any shampoo will do it. Often the cheaper ones make a better dough! Best of luck with it. It’s wonderful fun. 😉
I thought it was conditioner not shampoo
I’ve check about five times and can’t find where I have typed ‘shampoo’. Can you help me out? Conditioner is what you’ll need.
In your response to heather, she said shampoo and you answered shampoo. Lol classic baby brain . It gets the best of us and curious can I use pure cornstarch baby powder for this?
You’re exactly right Michelle, baby brain for sure! LOL Thanks for pointing it out.
I haven’t actually used baby powder for this as I always felt it needed to be the cooking type. Worth giving it a go though. If it’s pure cornstarch I can’t see why it wouldn’t work. Pop back and let me know how you go. 🙂
Not shampoo – CONDITIONER
Yes, as stated in the actual post, you need CONDITIONER!
If you add a teaspoon of cream of tar tar it will keep it for longer
OOOOOooooohhhhhh Rebekah you may have just changed my world! Thanks for the tip. 🙂
I don’t have any corn starch. Help. Is there anything else I can use. Corn starch isn’t something I keep around!
So sorry Angela, you really do need the corn starch to make this dough as wonderful as it is. Wish I could give you an alternative. Fingers crossed you can pick some up when you’re next at the store. 🙂
I ran out of cornstarch and added potato starch. We also had no food coloring so I used some pink washable paint. I used a natural conditioner that had no scent so I added essential ouls (stress away) and of course a fine glitter. My 4 yr old is sooo thrilled. I may never get her to bed
Karisa, that’s so fabulous! Thank you so much for sharing your alternative recipe. I know it will help others and spread more fun for kids. Wishing you and your 4 year old a wonderful day. 🙂
I am pretty sure arrowroot flour would work the same as cornflour but haven’t tried it…
I had run out of corn starch, but couldn’t wait to test it 😉 , so I used potato starch. Worked just as well.
Maybe it’s the special properties of starch in general? In that case, wheat starch or rice starch would do the trick, too.
Awesome feedback thank you Maria. 🙂
Kate i ran out of cornstarch can i use flour to finish it up plz reply quickly i am counting on you
Regular flour will not work, sorry Kaylee.
Sorry Patty, it’s hair conditioner. Clearly I wrote that bit in the wee hours of the morning. Hahaha Thanks.
Thanks. I can’t wait to make it!
That’s so great Patty! Enjoy.
When I took child development in school we made all sorts of things like this but my favorite was peanut butter playdough. Totally non toxic as it was made entirely out of food items and smelled wonderful. I know some kids would be allergic but for those not allergic to nuts, its a fun alternative. I don’t remember the recipe but I’m sure you can find it online.
I think I have seen that floating around online somewhere Danielle. Thank you! I might add that to our list of things to do. Keep an eye out for it.
You can use sunbutter instead of peanut butter. This will prevent any nut allergy exposure in a classroom setting.
I can’t wait to try this tomorrow with my almost 2 year old- thank you!!
Wonderful! I hope you both enjoy playing with it.
You named corn flour as one of the ingredients, but in later emails you called it cornstarch. There is a huge difference. I hope it’s corn starch as that is what I bought!
Thanks,
Connie
You can use both. In Australia it’s called corn flour but other countries call it corn starch. Both work in this recipe Connie.
Hi.. Do you know how long it lasts before it gets hard and brittle?
Hi Farzana! It’s quite a lot like playdough in the sense that the more air that gets to it the more it will dry out.
It would completely depend on the water content of your conditioner. The more water it contains, the faster the playdough would dry out as the water evaporates. Silicones – of which there are many types – would also make a difference. Could be positive or negative. I’m not in the mood to find out right now, but you can easily play around with it yourself. They’re found in most conditioners now, unfortunately. It’s essential to read labels, research & know your personal care products’ ingredients anyways. Google makes it easy to learn.
I just made a small batch of this to test it out (1/4 cup conditioner) using a silicone free conditioner & added gel food coloring (the type used for icing). It turned out really well once I got it warmed up with my hands. It’s a nice shade of teal now 🙂
It’s very humid where we live at the moment, as well as cold, so that’s another thing to consider when making this. I had to add small amounts of extra corn starch, bit by bit, kneading the mixture thoroughly after each addition to make sure it was thoroughly incorporated. Then I checked the texture, trying to stretch it etc. Once it got to the point that it was sticking to the bowl minimally, I was done. I immediately put it in a ziplock freezer bag to store, which has thicker plastic than the sandwich bags & a double seal. Since my kids are already grown, I’ll be making this next time we have kids coming over for sure 🙂
This isn’t rocket science. It just takes some playing around. Start with a small batch, modify as needed for your situation, & go from there. I’m thinking of adding some additional natural emulsifiers to this next time to see how it alters the texture. I’d love it to be more stretchy 🙂
Thankyou for the lovely activity the children in preschool loved it and the fact that it’s called fairy dough made it even better!! we have a few goes to get it right but eventually i think we did it!! what a lovely idea and so simple 🙂
Thank you Laura! That really warms my heart to read your comments. Glad the children had fun with it. 🙂
Made this a couple hours ago. Was disappointed in how it turned out. However, it did entertain my 2yo for about 15 minutes.
Hi Johna. Thanks for your feedback. I’m very sorry that it didn’t work out for you. Any ideas why? Obviously ingredients vary country to country so I can only assume it may have been that. Did you knead it really well? I’ve had so much positive feedback from others. Glad your 2 year old had some fun with what it came to be.
My granddaughter and her friend made a batch each. They both picked out the scented conditioner they wanted. They ended up being 2 different brands.
the one where VO5 was used turned out great. The one where Suave was used . Not so good. Very stiff and crumbly. When we added more conditioner it got sticky.
The V05 kiwi Lime was wonderful.
Can you use regular flour
Sorry Jessica. I don’t think regular flour works.
We’re in Brazil so I’ve bought what I hope will be the right ingredients! Will post our results with due credit on our facebook page this week 🙂
I only had corn flour on hand, not cornstarch. A!though it made a dough my litt!es had a lot of fun with, the consistency was vastly different than what your pictures showed. It took about 2 cups of conditioner added to just 2 cups of corn flour to get it moist enough to work with. It definitely wasn’t stretchy though! It might be helpful to include pictures and/or links to the actual products (including brand names) you used, as that can sometimes make a big difference in outcome. Also, in the US, corn flour & cornstarch are definitely not comparable ingredients & both are easily available. In hindsight, I’m sure that using corn flour is the reason for my results, but as the recipe called for either, I just went ahead with what I already had!
Linda that is a really great help, thank you! It’s always so hard to know the different terms and products as they vary so much between countries. I’m located in Australia and our products can be so different to those in America. As I understand it now, Americans need to use CORN STARCH to make this fairy dough. I very much appreciate your comments and they have been helpful.
I used corn flour, which is yellow, and the dough never stayed together; it kept crumbling even after using a lot of conditioner. I’m wondering if corn starchc works better to hold the dough together. Thanks!
Hmmmmm that’s interesting Katrina. I’m not too sure. I’ve googled the different types of corn flour and I’m struggling to see why it might not have worked for you. My corn flour isn’t yellow, it’s white. I know that you’ll have success with Corn Starch so maybe give that a go if you have the patients. Thanks for your comment.
I’ve just had a comment from another follower in America and they believe that CORN STARCH is the ingredient that needs to be used. Hope that helps.
Corn starch is definitely the stuff you need to use in America. It’s white and really soft. I just made a small batch of this to see how it turned out before I decide to try it with my almost 4 year old step daughter over the weekend. I think I used a little bit more corn starch than I did conditioner, because mine is more the consistency of regular playdough, but it’s because my boyfriend requested that I make it a little thicker. The conditioner I used was ocean breeze and gave the dough a nice light blue color, and then I added some purple glitter. We as parents like it, hopefully she will too. I have it in a butter bowl with a lid! I also made some of the moon sand. I really like it. My roommate liked moon sand so much that he had me make him a batch!!
Meagan that’s so wonderful! Thanks for sharing your experience and I’m thrilled you have also found the time to make the moon sand. So much fun! I hope your step daughter loves the fairy dough. 🙂
Just made this for children I care for… will never made salt playdoh again! Loving it!
YAY Natasha! Thanks for the feedback. I’m so glad you and the children you care for enjoyed it.
Hi. In the USA it would indeed be cornstarch, not cornmeal, nor jiffy muffin mix, etc. Anyway, my daughter makes this. She stores it (separates colors) in air tight containers like Rubbermaid. If it starts to dry she just adds a bit more conditioner. I think she may keep it in the refrigerator too. That would enhance its shelf life a bit. She gets it out and plays with it even when the kiddies aren’t around.
Bj you are a star! Thank you so very much for sharing that info. Very helpful.
I appreciate you taking the time to comment. 🙂
Hi kate, thank you for this idea. My boys are older, 9 and 11. we sat down today and made this. And they played, and played.. They haven’t done that in quite some time. THANK YOU.
Oh my goodness, thank you Michelle for this beautiful piece of feedback. I love to hear when children have enjoyed themselves. Thank you for taking the time to comment. 🙂
HI Kate!
I am from the USA.
”CORNSTARCH” is it, because of it’s texture. If you put your hands in the Cornstarch, straight out of the box, you will feel it’s ”silky texture.”
Cornstarch here, is used to thicken gravies, soups, etc…
Thanks for sharing. Have a great day!
Wonderful, thank you so much Michael. 🙂
Hi Kate,
May one add salt to help preserve the play dough? This may also discourage the toddlers to eat the dough anyway.
Hi JP!
Thanks for your comment. This dough is not at all edible so if you thought there was any chance your toddler would eat it I’d choose a different recipe that was baby safe. I also think salt would not work so well with this recipe anyway. Hope that helps you out. Lovely to hear from you.
I made this lovely fairy dough with my two year old granddaughter today. What a fantastic recipe! We made ours in lilac food colouring with grape scented conditioner and it kept her (and me) amused for over an hour! We found that if it got a bit dry and crumbly, holding it in our warm hands for a few seconds restored its silkiness
Thank you so much Kate. We will be making this again.
Thank you so kindly Deb! I’m so thrilled you and your granddaughter enjoyed playing with my fairy dough recipe. I can only imagine how beautiful the lilac colour was and to have it smell so sweet too! It really is such a great recipe and one to keep in mind. I love your tip for restoring its silkiness because it can dry out with lots of play.
Thank you so again and I really appreciate you taking the time to comment. You’ve put a smile on my face. 🙂
i made this and loved it!!! However as my little one plays with it crumbles up after about five mins. I would knead it good again but after five mins… It crumbled again. I added more conditioner but then it seemed too sticky. Any advice?
Hi Jonna! So glad you loved this dough. It really is lots of fun. It can be a bit of a juggling act to get the mixture just right and you sound like you’ve done all the right things. It does dry out with exposure to air and a little too much conditioner will make it sticky, but you just need to keep adjusting the dough as your child plays. It is a play dough but doesn’t last like your store bought playdough. Hope you are still happy with the play that came from making it. 🙂
Hi there, i found your fairy dough recipe via pinterest and momma, THANK YOU!!!!! My daughter truly enjoyed playing with it. i think i got too excited with the cornstarch that it sorta made it not too gooey however it was fun, crumbly in the end and soft so we loved it, i just loved the sweet smell of the conditioner used. EASY PEASY DOUGH ..thank you so much, ive put your site on my favorite cuppa tea of good reads now and i look forward to find more new things to make. Thanks. I like the sound of the flubber, i hope to find borax here tho cos its something thats not available in my part of the world.
Hi Tima! Thank you so kindly for your comments. I’m over the moon that you and your daughter had so much fun with the fairy dough. I can take a little tweaking to get the texture right. I hope to continue to inspire you! 🙂
My daughter loves playdough and I know that she would go crazy over this….both in the making and the playing of it!!
Thanks Catherine! It is seriously so wonderful. Hope you and your daughter have a wonderful time with it. 🙂
Would this work as Thera-putty???
I’m not familiar with Thera putty, so I’m going to have to say no. Sorry Pam. It is a wonderful playdough when made following my recipe. Thank you for your question. 🙂
Hello there,
I think this is a wonderful idea, for not only the kids to play with but also to learn about consistencies as well as the process of mixing things together. I have tried to make a batch before making it with my kids at school, to make sure I can have the process down pat. Unfortunately, mine is coming out very very sticky.. I have tried adding an extra bit of corn starch, as well as an extra bit of conditioner (one at a time, trying trial and error) but neither seems to work. Have you had this problem? Or do you have any suggestions?
Avoid adding more conditioner and just add increased amounts of corn starch Kathleen. That will ‘dry’ out the stickiness. Hope that helps and your kids at school love it.
We have made this. Yes, it takes a bit of playing with but the result is great. My son really liked it. Nice and softening for your hands too 😉
It’s lovely, isn’t it Jennifer. Thank you for giving it a go. 🙂
Would love to make this for my half-sister, though I’m not keen on using conditioner as an ingredient. If anyone finds a natural substitute, please share!
We tried it we tried it! Although I will leave the glitter out next time, I even found it in my pants before bed so..
xx
Oh my gosh Alina. I read your comment on my phone while I was at the gym and nearly fell off the treadmill from laughing. Serious! LOL Glad you gave it a go and thanks so much for popping back and letting me know how it went lovely.
Wait, you call your child Possum?
Hi Lucy. Is that okay?
NO… who calls their child Possum?lmfao
Hello. The name ‘Possum’ is a name I use for my daughter when I refer to her online. It isn’t her real name. I’m not really interested in judging others though and what they choose to call their children. Thanks Elle.
I had to make it right away…for my 5 minutes of daily creative play. At 50+ I fall within the age limit, I guess. 😉
Your recipe is brilliant! The dough is so silky smooth, it’s a delight to handle it. I’m also impressed how even fine details come out when stamping into it.
Do you have any experience with using it with hot materials, like as a mold for soaps or candles?
Or when it dries, does it shrink a lot or crack?
I’m sure going to test these myself, but perhaps you’ve already got some tips for doing so.
Thanks so much for sharing this wonderful idea!
Maria
Thank you Maria. It is so wonderful and I’m thrilled you’ve given it a go. It is so silky smooth. Like all playdough, the more you play with it the more air and likelyhood it will dry out. I doesn’t seem to shrink but you do need to wrap it and store it in an airtight container.
Thanks Kate!
As it was quite hot here yesterday, I tried drying it on purpose. It does keep its shape but gets very brittle and falls apart almost the moment it’s touched. So it doesn’t do for modelling – which I had hoped for – but it’s still lovely to play with. 🙂
Thanks for testing it out Maria. Interesting. 🙂
Hello Maria, that I thought about too, when I looked at this wonderful material. Maybe we have to add some amount of flour to get the benefit of wheat gluten. Experiments ahead 😉
Would there be enough to divide between two children? I was thinking about making this in my preschool classroom and would like to divide one batch up between children.
Hi Debbi! Great question, basically the amount you see in the images is how much is created. You could certainly divide the dough between two children and I would think it’s enough, however, if you had the ingredients you could double the recipe to give them more to play with. Best wishes to you and thanks for getting in touch.
Hi there
I found this recipie on Pinterest and thought it would be fun to make for the grandkids whose ages range from 1-7. I made it in bulk, did teal for the boys and pink with glitter for the girls. It turned out lovely, the texture is so silky. I really don’t know how people can stuff the recipie up. Very straight forward. Thank you for a great recipie
That is such wonderful, wonderful feedback. Thank you so kindly Lynn. I’m thrilled you and your grandchildren had fun with it. It’s a regular type of play dough in our home. 🙂
How did the dough play out for the rest of the day? I had made a batch of dough exactly like this but after an hour or two of playing with it it dried out and crumbled everywhere. It was such a mess. Maybe I didn’t use enough conditioner?
Hi Linda. Just like regular play dough it will dry out. This 2 ingredient combo will dry out and crumble. If you wanted to restore it you just simply add a little squirt of conditioner and knead it back to life!
School holidays in Melbourne we are trying it out with 6 and 2.5 yr olds, THANK YOU
I’m in Melbourne too Sylvia! This is a great recipe to try when stuck indoors. Hope the weather improves for us soon. 😉
Is there an actual recipe without having to read a lot of stuff to get to each ingredient & step?
Thsnks!
Oops…I meant ‘thanks’!
No. You get what you get Nini. LOL
so cool and easy
Can hardly wait to try this with my Grandkiddies
Can’t wait to make it!
Enjoy! 😀
Hi Kate I think thick toothpaste and body wash works too please reply
Sorry Dapeng. I do NOT think toothpaste will work. You also need hair conditioner.
hi
hello Kate my name is Layla
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Fairy playdough, it sounds good just by the title! thanks for the recipe!