Sick Shampoo Slime

No glue. No borax. Just shampoo, toilet paper, and a question worth answering: does the brand matter?

5-12 yrs

Easy

120 min

Stage 2, Stage 3

Mission Briefing.

NESA Accredited Teacher Chemistry & Physics Specialist

Creator of the LAB™ Learning System

Professor Picklebottom

Meet the team

>

Sick Shampoo Slime

NESA Accredited Teacher
High school chemistry & physics specialist 30+ years
The Crazy Scientist in primary schools — 15 years

International conference presenter on science education
Creator of the LAB™ Learning System
Curriculum aligned: NSW Science & Technology K–6 (2024)

[Copyright Notice]

A picture is worth a thousand words — check this out and see if you can spot the science hiding in plain sight.

Mission Equipment

100mL shampoo
4 sheets of toilet paper — standard 2-ply
A mixing bowl
A spoon
Food colouring — optional; add to shampoo before mixing
A refrigerator
For Variable 2: 2–3 different shampoo brands
The ingredient label from each shampoo bottle — or a photo of it

Let’s Investigate

1

Mix the shampoo

Measure 100mL of shampoo into your mixing bowl. Add food colouring now if using.
Stir vigorously for 1 to 2 minutes — you want to aerate the shampoo so it becomes slightly lighter and fluffier.
This distributes the polymer chains through the mixture and gives them room to form a network.

3

The fridge test

Divide your mixture into two equal portions. Place both in sealed containers or cover them with cling wrap.
Put one portion in the fridge and leave the other on the bench at room temperature.
Note the time. Leave both for 2 hours — do not mix or disturb them during this time.
While you wait, record a prediction: will the fridge version be stretchier, firmer, or the same as the room temperature version?

5

Shampoo test

Now repeat Steps 1 to 5 using a different shampoo brand. Read that label first — does it contain carbomer?
Where does it appear in the list compared to your first shampoo?
Run exactly the same method and the same three tests. Compare the results

2

Add the toilet paper

Tear 4 sheets of toilet paper into small pieces and add them gradually to the shampoo.
Stir as you go until the paper is fully incorporated and no dry pieces remain.
The mixture will look lumpy and uneven at first — keep mixing until it becomes more uniform. Describe the texture now: does it already feel like slime, or is it too wet and loose?

4

Testing slimes

After 2 hours, take the fridge portion out and let it sit for 2 minutes. Then mix both portions vigorously for 1 minute.

Now run the same three tests on each:

the stretch test (pull slowly between both hands — how far does it go before breaking?),
the pressure test (press slowly then press quickly — does it behave differently?), and the
bubble test (look closely at the surface — can you see bubbles, or is the structure smooth and continuous?).

Record your observations for both versions side by side.

6

What did you find out?

Based on both variables — fridge vs no fridge, and shampoo A vs shampoo B — write a single sentence that summarises what actually controls the result.

Did it work? Share the science! Tag @the_crazy_scientist on Instagram — we love seeing your experiments!

The Crazy Scientist LAB Learning System™

Every experiment follows The Crazy Scientist Lab Learning System™ — a simple way to help kids think like real scientists.

LINK to what they already know,
ACTIVATE curiosity through hands-on discovery
BUILD understanding that actually sticks.

This recipe has been viewed tens of millions of times online — and almost every version gives a different result. Same ingredients listed, completely different outcomes.

The reason is in the fine print. Shampoo is not a single ingredient — it is a mixture of surfactants, conditioning agents, fragrances, and polymers. And not all shampoos have the same ones.

Before you make anything today, you are going to read the label and make a prediction. What ingredient do you think is responsible for the stretchy result — and how could you test whether you are right?
Then make it. Change one variable. And find out whether the label told the truth.

Which shampoo produced the better result — and where did carbomer appear in its ingredient list compared to the other brand?

The fridge version and the room temperature version had the same ingredients, the same method, and the same waiting time. If one was better, what did the cold actually do to the polymer network?

Toilet paper is made of cellulose — the same class of molecule as psyllium husk. But cellulose from toilet paper is not cross-linked the way PVA slime is. What does that mean for how the slime holds together — and why might it feel different from PVA slime even if it stretches?

If you were going to write a better version of this recipe for someone who had never made it before, what would you add to the instructions that most online versions leave out?

Carbomer is used in face creams, sunscreens, hand sanitisers, and hair gels — anywhere a product needs to be thick and smooth without feeling greasy. What property of carbomer makes it useful across all of those products — and is it the same property that made your slime stretchy?

Ingredient lists on cosmetic products are required by law to list ingredients from highest to lowest concentration. If carbomer appears near the bottom, it is present in a very small amount.

Does a smaller amount of carbomer always mean a worse slime — or could other ingredients also contribute? How would you design a test to find out?

The cellulose from toilet paper forms hydrogen bonds when wet, which helps the mixture hold together. Psyllium husk is also a cellulose-based polysaccharide that holds water. If you replaced the toilet paper with psyllium husk powder, what do you predict would happen — and what would you need to test to find out?

"Want the full teacher guide? The Crazy Scientist Lab includes classroom delivery tips, how to manage the WOW moment, differentiation for Stage 2 & 3, — ready to teach tomorrow."

Think Like a Scientist

Scientists don't just do ONE experiment; they change one part of the experiment (independent variable) and then see how it affects another part of the experiment

(dependent variable)

Change ONE variable and test again.

Does refrigerating the mixture change the result — does the fridge version produce a firmer, stretchier slime than one left at room temperature for the same time, or does temperature make no measurable difference?

Does the shampoo brand change the result — does a shampoo with carbomer on the ingredient list produce a better slime than one without it, and can the ingredient list predict the outcome before you test?

🧪 Try it! Change ONE thing and test again. What did you discover?

Dr Puddledrip’s Science Tip

Want to go deeper? Tap a section below to explore. ▼

The Science Behind It

Why does it stretch?

Not all shampoos behave the same way. Some contain ingredients (chemicals called carbomers) that help form long, flexible structures (known as polymers) when mixed with water and the tiny plant fibres found in toilet paper.

These structures help the slime stretch without immediately breaking apart.

Why do different brands give different results?

Take a look at the ingredient list on different shampoo bottles. You’ll often find that the ingredients — and their order on the label — are different.

Scientists use observations like these to make predictions before they test something.

Why test the fridge version?

Temperature can affect how materials behave. By placing one sample in the fridge and leaving another at room temperature, you are changing just one variable and seeing what effect it has on the final slime.

That’s exactly how scientists investigate questions.

Curious to learn more?

Inside The Crazy Scientist LAB™, members unlock:

✓ Extended science explanations

✓ Teacher walkthrough videos

✓ Common misconceptions guides

✓ Curriculum Compass™ links

✓ Differentiated extension challenges

✓ Assessment and evidence tools

Try next

Compare the plant-fibre stretch to a slime made entirely from natural plant gel → [Snail Slime]
Explore a slime made by linking molecules together with a chemical activator → [The Polymer Factory]

Extension: G&T Years 5 & 6

Curious Minds Challenge

Two shampoos can look almost identical but produce very different slime.

If you could test three different shampoo brands, what would you measure to decide which one made the “best” slime?

Questions:

1) What is the independent variable?

2) What is the dependent variable?

3) How would you make sure your test was fair? (known as a control variable)

Want to push your G&T kids further?

Full Stage 1,2, & 3 differentiation information and ideas in The Crazy Scientist LAB below.

Vocabulary

Polymer

A very long molecule formed by linking thousands of identical smaller units in a chain. Examples include carbomer, cellulose, nylon, and rubber.

Carbomer

A thickening ingredient found in many shampoos, creams, and gels. It forms long, springy molecules that create a smooth, stretchy gel when mixed with water.

Want more science words?

LAB members unlock complete vocabulary packs, student-friendly glossaries and classroom discussion prompts.

Know a parent or teacher who'd love this? Send it on! 👇