Homemade Playdough with Essential Oils

Homemade playdough with essential oils not only smells amazing, but it contains all the benefits of essential oils as well. This recipe is super simple and the playdough comes out so soft and smooth, perfect for little hands.

Materials Needed

• 2 cups plain (all-purpose) flour
• 2 TBSP cream of tartar
• ½ cup salt
• 1 ½ cups boiling water
• 2 TBSP oil
• food colouring
• essential oils

The essential oils in this homemade, no-cook playdough are one way your kids can reap the aromatic benefits of the oils while having fun and improving their fine motor skills.

I added a few drops of one essential oil to each different colour of playdough.

• Orange playdough – wild orange essential oil
• Aqua playdough – lime essential oil
• Yellow playdough – lemon essential oil
• Pink / red playdough – peppermint essential oil

You can choose any essential oils that you like, but make sure that the oil your use is safe for your age child. If you think that your child may try to put the playdough in their mouth, try using the dietary oils such as lemon, lime and tangerine. 

To make this no-cook playdough, I added all the dry ingredients to a large bowl. Then I slowly added the boiling water, mixing it in slightly before adding the oil. Mix until it comes together. Knead the dough until it is smooth. Then I broke the dough into two balls. (I made two different colours per batch of playdough, so I doubled this recipe.) I put a hole in the middle of one and added a few drops of food colouring. I kneaded the dough, until the colour was spread throughout the dough. You can add more colouring as needed. Then I added a couple of drops of essential oils and kneaded that through. 

Store your playdough in a glass container.

Have a question about essential oils? Find out more here!

Disclaimer: These statements have not been evaluated by the Food & Drug Administration. The information on this site is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking medical treatment because of something you have read on this website.