This recipe on how to make essential oil playdough is easy to make.
It’s a great rainy day or any day activity that your kids will enjoy.
With the addition of essential oils, it’s also a great self-care activity for you or anyone.
The best part, you probably already have the basic ingredients in your pantry.
This homemade playdough recipe yields a soft, pliable dough.
As you play with it, kneading it, rolling it, it smells amazing.
Customize the scent with your favorite essential oils and create a new experience for those moments of play.
It makes a great birthday gift or thoughtful gift too–pair it with homemade bath bombs and more for a gift that’s sure to be appreciated.
With just 5 ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen: flour, salt, oil, Cream of Tartar, water, and essential oil (so maybe you don’t keep the essential oil in your kitchen!) you have the makings of the best homemade playdough.
Homemade Playdough Ingredients:
20-30 drops essential oil
2 cups flour
1/2 cup salt
2 Tablespoon Cream of Tartar
2 Tablespoon Vegetable Oil
1-1/4 cup water
food coloring (optional)
Homemade Playdough Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients and mix until incorporated.
Add vegetable oil and essential oil to dry mixture; stirring until small “crumbs” appear.
In a small saucepan, boil water and add food coloring, if using.
Create a “well” in the “crumb” mixture and add boiling water to the dry mixture’s “well”.
Stir until well combined and allow to cool.
Knead dough on a floured surface, adding more flour if it’s too wet or more water if it is too dry.
Homemade Playdough Tips:
Store homemade playdough in an airtight container. This will keep your playdough fresh and prevent it from drying out.
If your playdough does dry out, simply add a few drops of water to bring it back to life and enjoy it.
If your homemade playdough loses its fragrance, simply add more essential oils to revive its scent and enjoy its therapeutic properties.
Essential Oils We LOVE for Homemade Playdough:
Lavender –
It’s one of the most popular essential oils and with good reason!
Lavender is calming.
It relaxes the mind and body, soothes anxiety, and helps improve sleep.
We suggest purple food coloring for this homemade playdough.
Lemon –
Lemon is a happy scent.
It boosts mood.
We suggest yellow food coloring for this homemade playdough.
Orange –
Orange essential oil is an adaptogen, meaning it can be either calming or energizing depending on what you need.
We suggest orange food coloring for this homemade playdough.
Patchouli –
This popular essential oil has an earthy, musky fragrance and is good for balancing emotions.
We recommend several drops of blue and red food coloring for a deep purple.
Sandalwood —
This is one of my favorite scents.
It’s woody and sweet notes instill relaxation, release tension, and supports emotional wellbeing.
We suggest a mixture of red, blue, and yellow to make brown for this homemade playdough fragrance.
Ylang Ylang –
This essential oil has a strong floral scent.
It’s perfect for relaxing.
We suggest a bold yellow for this playdough’s scent.
Peppermint —
Bold and minty, this essential oil is great for boosting the mood.
We suggest green for this playdough.
Playing with Homemade Playdough with Essential Oils
Let your imagination run wild.
Perhaps you want to put it on your favorite playlist.
Roll it, smell it, create!
This playdough is so much fun to play with and make and it lasts a long time, allowing creative play whenever.
It travels well.
Note: We do not recommend the casual ingesting of essential oils. It can cause irritation and possible damage to your organs. Please do not ingest essential oils unless under the supervision of a medical doctor versed in pharmaceutics and an experienced aromatherapist.