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DIY Cloud Dough with Cornstarch & Conditioner

by Katie Wallace | Updated: October 21, 2017

Cloud dough is a fun sensory activity for kids. You can make it yourself using cornstarch and conditioner. You can also add food coloring and glitter to make this sensory cloud dough extra fun! This DIY kids activity is engaging for afternoon playtime or a creative kids party. We made cloud dough roses to play with at my daughter’s 3rd birthday party. Cloud dough is a lot like play dough, except it doesn’t contain salt and it smells like your hair conditioner!

Glittery Cloud Dough kids party activity

I initially made 3 big balls of cloud dough for my daughter’s princess birthday party. Then I realized it was going to be hard to portion out pieces of homemade cloud dough for each child. I created these pretty cloud dough roses to pass out at the birthday party! Cloud dough is a lot like play dough except it contains cornstarch and hair conditioner instead of flour, oil and salt. Homemade cloud dough feels moisturizing on your hands because of the conditioner.

Easy DIY cloud dough creative kids activity

Homemade Hair Conditioner Cloud Dough

You can easily make cloud dough for your own kids! All you need is a few simple ingredients; mainly cornstarch and hair conditioner.

  • 2 cups cornstarch
  • 1 cup hair conditioner
  • food coloring (optional)
  • glitter (optional)

First, choose a bottle of hair conditioner in a fragrance that you like, because your homemade cloud dough will smell like the conditioner. If you are using food coloring and glitter, mix it into the conditioner until fully combined. Next, add the cornstarch and stir until the mixture turns into dough. If your homemade cloud dough is a bit sticky you can add more cornstarch. Alternatively, if the cloud dough is a bit dry, you can knead in a little more conditioner.

TIP! I recommend mixing the food coloring and glitter into the conditioner first before adding the cornstarch. This will help distribute the color and glitter evenly throughout the dough.

How to make cloud dough with hair conditioner creative kids activity

Cloud Dough Party Favors

I made 3 different hues of purple cloud dough for my daughter’s 3rd birthday party. I divided it up into little cloud dough roses for each birthday party guest. The kids enjoyed playing with their cloud dough and making shapes. This soft and silky conditioner play dough is fun to stretch and squeeze. Our little party guests also got to take their cloud dough home!

To make cloud dough roses, roll out a small amount of dough and make dents along one side to create the rose petals. Roll up the cloud dough starting at one end to form a rose. Finally, gently arrange the petals. I made 12 cloud dough roses in just minutes for my little girl’s birthday party. I dusted the top of my cloud dough roses with extra glitter for a sparkling effect!

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Homemade cloud dough rose party favors

Creative Sensory Kids Activity

Kids will love playing with homemade cloud dough at your next party or play date. This sensory cloud dough is gentle on kids’ hands because it doesn’t contain salt. Cloud dough is fun to mold and knead into shapes and twists. Because of the cornstarch, it flows when you stretch it slowly and breaks apart when you stretch it quickly. This two-ingredient cloud dough is easy to whip up using ingredients you already have at home. Kids can choose their favorite colors to mix into the cloud dough and even help pour in the glitter!

Princess Birthday Party play dough activity

My daughter loved playing with the different shades of purple cloud dough at her birthday party. Homemade cloud dough is an easy and fun activity that keeps kids busy with making glittery creations!

Play dough roses party favors

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Homemade cloud dough with cornstarch and conditioner

Katie Wallace
Katie Wallace

Hi, I’m Katie! I live with my husband and 4 kids in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. I love Jesus, coffee, creative projects, photography, and traveling. I’ve previously worked as a web designer, journalist, and barista. I hope you enjoy our creative projects and family adventures!

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The struggle is real when charging our family’s de The struggle is real when charging our family’s devices! 😀 We try to balance screen time with learning and adventures while traveling. 

Phones & tablets can be helpful for language learning and some games/entertainment. 📱

Our watches double as GPS tracking for our kids, and the drone is fun for capturing unique video content!

💬 Which devices do you bring when traveling with your kids? 

Hi! We’re the Wallace family. 👋😀 We love traveling with our 4 kids, homeschooling, and exploring. ➡️ follow along! @createplaytravel

🌟 Inspiring families to live creatively and make memories, through adventures! 🌎🩵

traveling with kids, family adventures, homeschool family, worldschooling, exploring with kids
The struggle is real when charging our family’s de The struggle is real when charging our family’s devices! 😀

We try to balance screen time with learning and adventures while traveling with our kids. But phones & tablets can be helpful for language learning and some games/entertainment. 📱Our watches double as GPS tracking for our kids, and the drone is fun for capturing unique video content!

💬 Which devices do you bring when traveling with your kids? 

Hi! We’re the Wallace family. 👋😀 We love traveling with our 4 kids, homeschooling, and exploring. ➡️ follow along! @createplaytravel

🌟 Inspiring families to live creatively and make memories, through adventures! 🌎🩵

traveling with kids, family adventures, homeschool family, worldschooling, exploring with kids
Girls spa day! 😊🌸 We got pedicures at a nail studi Girls spa day! 😊🌸 We got pedicures at a nail studio near our house, and it was such a fun way to spend time together. 💕🇲🇽 @teenglowtravel @just.sylvie.xo 

💬 What activities do you enjoy doing with your daughter? Comment below👇

One thing we love about living in Mérida, MX is how affordable beauty treatments can be. It’s easy to enjoy a little pampering without breaking the budget!

Hi! We’re the Wallace family. 👋😀 We love traveling with our 4 kids, homeschooling, and exploring. ➡️ follow along! @createplaytravel 

🌟 Inspiring families to live creatively and make memories, through adventures! 🌎🩵

traveling with kids, family adventures, homeschooling, exploring Mexico, worldschooling
The house search is on! 🏠🌴 We’re looking for a lon The house search is on! 🏠🌴 We’re looking for a long-term rental house in Mérida, Mexico. Our wish list includes:

 • 4 bedrooms
 • spacious family room
 • workspace / homeschool room
 • pool to cool off from the heat
 • space for hosting! 

Do you think we’ll find our dream home in Mérida? 😁☀️🌴 We still have one more house to look at!

Hi! We’re the Wallace family. 👋😀 We love traveling with our 4 kids, homeschooling, and exploring. ➡️ follow along! @createplaytravel 

🌟 Inspiring families to live creatively and make memories, through adventures! 🌎🩵

traveling with kids, family adventures, homeschooling, exploring Mexico, worldschooling
Cerrado los lunes! 😟☀️ We showed up at the zoo onl Cerrado los lunes! 😟☀️ We showed up at the zoo only to discover it was closed on Mondays. 

Thankfully, our family has gotten pretty good at pivoting when plans change. Instead of heading home, we set off on a mile-long walk to Centro Histórico Mérida and turned an unexpected detour into an adventure.

We explored local markets, enjoyed tacos and sopa de lima for lunch, and let the kids burn off energy at a park. The Mérida heat definitely called for a treat, so we stopped for fruit bars that cost just 40 pesos (about $2.50) each. We made it home just in time for Juliet’s nap!

Next time, we’ll check the zoo schedule before we go. But honestly, this unexpected change of plans turned into a pretty great day!

✨ Takeaways:

• Travel helps build resilient kids. When plans change, they learn to adapt, stay positive, and enjoy the adventure anyway.

• Some of our best experiences happen when things don’t go as planned. The zoo will still be there another day! 🦓🐊🦛

• We’re growing in Spanish every day. The kids are becoming more confident with pronunciation, casual phrases, and new vocabulary as we navigate life in Mexico.

💬 What do you want to know about our life in Mexico?

Hi! We’re the Wallace family. 👋😀 We love traveling with our 4 kids, homeschooling, and exploring! 
➡️ follow along! @createplaytravel 

🌟 Inspiring families to live creatively and make memories, through adventures 🌎🩵

homeschool family, travel with kids, adventure family, worldschooling, kids who travel, merida mexico, family travel
Hola from Mérida! 🇲🇽☀️ Our first week has been cha Hola from Mérida! 🇲🇽☀️ Our first week has been challenging and rewarding as we settle into life in Mexico with our 4 kids!

• We’re finding our new normal, discovering favorite stores, trying grocery delivery, getting used to air-drying clothes and doing dishes (no clothes dryer or dishwasher). 

 • We’ve almost finished all steps for receiving our family’s permanent residency cards. Praying for successful completion!

 • Also experiencing frequent tropical afternoon downpours, magnificent and soaking! 🌴

 • Being without city water for 20 hours, which impacted washing dishes and taking showers. We used our rooftop water tank sparingly. 

 • House hunting & touring several long term rental houses; we hope to find a good fit for our stay-at-home lifestyle and hosting too!

I keep reminding myself that we moved here! We’re not just visiting for a few weeks. 🤯😄

Overall, we’re grateful. ☀️🙂 It’s been a good first week, and we’re excited to continue settling in and discovering what life in Mérida has in store for our family!

Hi! We’re the Wallace family. 👋😀 We love traveling with our 4 kids, homeschooling, and exploring. ➡️ follow along! @createplaytravel 

🌟 Inspiring families to live creatively and make memories, through adventures! 🌎🩵

traveling with kids, family adventures, homeschooling, exploring Mexico, worldschooling, Mérida Mexico
I can’t believe in 2 days, we head to Merida, Mexi I can’t believe in 2 days, we head to Merida, Mexico to live there for two years! 🇲🇽 Our goal is to gain dual citizenship, work on learning Spanish, and get to know the local culture. We also look forward to welcoming baby # 5 in October, another GIRL! 🩷🦩🥰

North Idaho has been so good to us, and we will miss our friends and family! 

Thanks for praying for our family on our journey! 🩵🌎

Hi! We’re the Wallace family 👋😀 We love traveling with our 4 kids, homeschooling, and exploring. ➡️ follow along! @createplaytravel 

traveling with kids, family adventures, homeschooling, exploring Mexico, worldschooling
So many fun squishies, NeeDohs, and dumplings! 🥹🍕💧 So many fun squishies, NeeDohs, and dumplings! 🥹🍕💧 @needohofficial @hallmark
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