Making your own aromatherapy play dough is a fun and easy activity that anyone can do. It's great for kids to play with, but as a stressed out adult I find it therapeutic too!
Why make play dough?
It's exam season and if you've got some anxiety-ridden youngsters in your home, give them an aromatherapy play dough stress ball to play with. The essential oils in the play dough can help calm nerves and ease stress.
Which Essential Oils to use for play dough?
Here are some great essential oil ideas for your aromatherapy play dough:
- Sweet orange - a happy scent, reminiscent of summer
- Geranium - very floral and pretty
- Lavender - floral and calming. Lavender is an adaptogenic essential oil
- Rosemary - for focus, concentration, and even helps with a headache
- Lime and lemon - can also help with focus and stress. Lemon is an adaptogenic essential oil
- Peppermint - energising and cooling
Feel free to play around with your favourite essential oils, tailor them to specific conditions such as allergies, easier breathing or sleep, or even make up your own oil blends.
If you would like to learn more about essential oils for kids, please read here:
And here is more essential oil inspiration:
Essential Oil BlendsIs it safe for children to play with Aromatherapy Play Dough?
This aromatherapy play dough is safe for kids over 3 to play with, with adult supervision. Please do not let them eat it or put it in their mouths though. It will be salty and essential-oily and just not very good for eating. Play dough is also a choking hazard.Does Play Dough Expire?
Our recipe for the dough uses corn starch, salt and cream of tartar. I like using:
- Corn starch because it is gluten free and ultra fine, making for a smoother dough.
- The salt acts as a preservative.
- Cream of tartar gives some elasticity.
4 comments
Hi Lynette,
We would advise against using a tin container as tin can rust. The presence of water and salt would increase the likelihood of rust appearing.
You could use plastic, glass or even ceramic as a container.
Kind Regards,
Aiden
Hi, how will the dough preserve in a tin container or must it be a plastic container?
Hi Chantel, we have a blog here that explains how to convert from percentages into grams, it’s very easy :)
https://essentiallynatural.co.za/blogs/the-essentially-natural-blog/working-with-percentages
Do you perhaps have the measurements in grams/ml?