Squishy, Sudsy BATH TIME PLAY DOUGH (2024)

We’ve been making a few fun bath products for grown-ups recently, like our Coffee Sugar Scrub, so I thought it would be only fair to make something fun for the kids. We’ve already experimented with homemade fizzy bath bombs so this time we tried making Play Dough Soap – a bath time play dough that actually helps kids get clean!

Play Dough Soap Recipe

I don’t know why, but for an aspiring mermaid my daughter really tries to avoid taking a bath!

I don’t think she’s ever asked to take a bath, and when I tell her it’s time to get ready for a bath, about half the time she tries to argue that she just had a bath. (“But Mom, I had a bath just last week…” I kid, I kid. The longest I’d let her go is maybe three days. They’re cute but boy, can these kids get smelly!)

Recently, I’ve started putting more attention into making bath time fun for her. Reading stories in the bathroom as she has a bath, adding a few waterproof toys and plastic cups, and recently – with this awesome play dough soap!

My daughter thought I had lost my mind when I surprised her with these three play dough soaps for a recent bath – but she wasn’t about to correct me that play dough does not go in the bath tub! She was so excited to play with it that she completely forgot her ritual protest!

This recipe makes an incredibly soft, squishy (but not messy) play dough that when wet suds up a bit and actually cleans, while being gentle for sensitive skin.

It doesn’t leave residue on the bath and washes completely clean – don’t worry about the food dye, it will only dye your hands when you’re making the soap! (It washes off within a couple hand washings but if that would bother you, plastic disposable gloves are a great solution – or feel free to leave the dye out completely.)

Play Dough Soap is a great gift to make for a child who needs a bit of convincing to agree to a bath – or some distraction to survive hair washing! I love it as an alternative to bath toys which just add clutter to our tiny bathroom. It would also make an awesome DIY party favour, especially if the kids get sent home a little bit messy or sweaty.

I did a bit of research before sharing this recipe, and you can purchase play dough soap from specialty bath stores like Lush (or online from Amazon here). We tried theirs out but it was more clay-like than play dough-like – it wasn’t squishy or easy to play with. I personally wanted something I could make with what I already had in the house and I don’t want to be experimenting with recipes involving lye or strong chemicals in the house. Our recipe is a lot more like a traditional play dough than those versions.

(Update: there are now some Etsy sellers selling versions that are closer to ours that would be a good option if you didn’t want to make it yourself.)

This recipe is mostly meant for some bath time sensory play that adds a bit of sudsy cleansing action to the bath. It’s not going to be as soapy or cleansing as a bar of soap, though it will get your kids clean!

I actually really enjoy this play dough soap for helping clean under finger nails which it is surprisingly good at.

We also had lots of requests for a gluten-free play dough soap which you can now find here – and this recipe is a bit more sudsy than our original recipe. It’s also only 3-ingredients and doesn’t contain salt, so for those who are worried that the salt will dry out their kids’ skin, this may be a better option for you.

Do I have to use castile soap? We’ve now tried the recipe with a few different types of soaps (gel soaps, creamy body washes, etc). I still prefer Dr. Bronner’s Castile soap – it has had the most consistent results and the soap already contains some coconut oil, which helps this soap stay soft.

Can I skip the salt? Salt acts as a preservative, and also adds texture and body to the play dough. It can be skipped, but you dough will be softer and will not last as long. Increase the cream of tartar to help extend the shelf life a bit more. (While we have not had an issue with the salt being “scratchy” I have had one reader comment that she had this issue.)

Doesn’t the food dye stain the bath or skin? We have never had any issues using food dye in our soaps, bath bombs, etc, however you can use soap coloring to dye this play dough soap if you’d like to be sure.

What oils work best in this recipe? We tend to use almond oil (I use it on my skin daily and love it), but olive oil, avocado oil or coconut oil will work well. The coconut oil does harden at room temperature, so your dough may seem a bit more stiff at first but will soften with play.

Check out our video for how to make this Bath Time Soap, and then don’t forget to scroll down to grab your free printable recipe:

Ingredients to Make Play Dough Soap

First, gather your ingredients:

• Castile soap (I used Dr. Bronner’s)
• All-purpose flour
• Salt <– if you decide to skip the salt, increase the cream of tartar to 1/2 cup
• Cream of Tartar <– we make a LOT of play dough so it’s soooo much cheaper for us to buy the bulk container of it, rather than the little $4 jars that only last for 2 batches.
• Oil <– almond, olive, avocado or coconut oil all work well
• Water
• Food dye, optional <– can use soap coloring

Scroll down to the printable recipe card for full measurements.

Tools You May Find Helpful:

• Measuring cups and spoons
• Large mixing bowl
• Kettle or pan for boiling water
• Wooden spoon
• Mason jar or plastic container, for storing

How to Make Play Dough Soap

Start off by boiling your water.

Stir 3 cups of flour, salt, and cream of tartar together. Set aside.

Measure 2 cups of boiling water and add the oil to it. If you are only adding one colour of food dye, you can add it now.

Add 1 cup of the soap.I used lavender Castile soap because it is a pure soap and for the calming effects of lavender during a night time bath. If you try this recipe with a non-castille soap, please let me know how it turns out!

Mix the water-oil and flour mixtures until fully incorporated.

Once the dough has cooled enough for safe handling, start kneading it, adding in more flour to reduce stickiness. Once you get a good texture going, add a couple squirts of castille soap and keep kneading. Add more soap to get a soft dough but stop short of letting it get sticky again. I added just over 1 1/2 cups of soap and probably could have added more (or you can add an extra squirt of soap while your child is playing with it in the bathtub for more sudsy play).

Are you planning on giving this Play Dough Soap a try? Be sure to pin it to make your bath times a bit more fun!

Grab your free printable recipe card for this play dough soap recipe here:

This recipe made a giant batch of play dough soap – enough for over a month’s worth of baths! It completely dissolves in the bath and can be washed away, so I don’t worry about how big of a handful Ella grabs before climbing in the bath.

Check out these other play dough recipes made with soap from my fellow mom bloggers:

Easy Soap Dough Play Recipe | Frogs and Snails and Puppy Dog Tail

Dish Soap Play Dough Recipe | Sugar Aunts

For more amazing DIY Soap recipes from us, check our our Jiggly Jelly Soap recipe or our Mermaid Tail Soaps recipe.