Playdough is the flexible fun of mass-like substance that has been a long time favorite in most families – and still is today. But there can be consequences with the traditional “Play-doh” that most of us played with children. Although it seems harmless, many products, such as playdough, can be dangerous, especially if it stays in the mouth. Let’s talk about the health concerns of most shop bought playdough before we talk about how to make homemade playdough.

What’s In Hasbro Play-Doh?

According to a statement on Hasbro, maker of Play-Doh, website: “The exact ingredients of the Play-Doh compound are proprietary, so we can not share them with you. We can say that it is basically a mixture of water, salt and flour. It does NOT contain peanuts, peanut oil or milk byproducts. It DOES NOT contain wheat. ”

According to Hasbro, “Play-Doh is composed non-toxic, non-irritating and anti-allergic except as noted: Children who are allergic to wheat gluten may have an allergic reaction to this product. In addition, due to the high salt content in the compound Play-Doh, the product may be harmful to pets if ingested. ”

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Wired Magazine goes into more detail with some of these facts about each ingredient:

Flour and Water
There was a patent in 1965 that drew him to the harsh winter of wheat, which contains a lot of “bindy, elastic gluten”; New Play-Doh formulations allow for wheat, rice, rye and even tapioca. So it is not gluten free, which means that if your child has a gluten or wheat, allergy and Play-Doh gets in the mouth (in some cases absorbed through the skin), it can cause him or her to develop an allergic reaction .

Salt
The salt is used to bind extra water so that it has the density it needs. If it contains too much water, it will be soapy.

Amylopectin
This principle keeps the dough malleable, helping it to avoid agglomeration. In fact, it is a starch-based plant.

Mineral or vegetable oil
Mineral or vegetable oil helps to keep the playdough moist while avoiding adhesion.

Fragrance
There is not a lot of information on the fragrance, as Hasbro maintains this hush hush, but there are potentially synthetic scents as well as allergic reactions (or worse) can occur due to these ingredients that make up the “Play-doh” smell.

Aluminum Sulfate
This ingredient helps harden wheat gluten molecules. It contains a bitter taste, which can help keep you out of the curious mouth.