【1997 Archives】

Soap997 Archives slime, sand: These are the mediums of choice for the current crop of young ASMR creators on Instagram.

In documenting the unusual new trends in "oddly satisfying" video content, we've learned to make slime, slice soap, and crush floral foam – and we've watched hundreds of these videos in the process.

Though this genre of ASMR video is a saturated one, it's not impossible to break into. All it takes is an Instagram account, your precious time, and a willingness to destroy $$-worth of craft supplies. What kind of supplies, you ask? Here's our comprehensive starter pack:

The basics

Slime: ASMR Instagram loves its slime, so you'll need to stock up. As for what kind to choose (yes, there are multiple variations), it's all a matter of personal preference. A few examples (plus recipes): Borax slime (the kind you made in elementary school!); fluffy slime (made with shaving cream); butter slime (made with clay).

Cheap bar soap: Look for colorful, inexpensive bars – both opaque and translucent – that you won't feel bad slicing into oblivion.

Kinetic sand: A moldable feat of toy engineering that holds its shape and slices beautifully.

Floral foam: You'll need a stack of these lightweight blocks traditionally used in flower arranging. When fully saturated, this malleable green foam is a delight to crush.

A smartphone tripod: You want your viewers focused on slime, not shaky video quality.

See it all in action:

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The add-ins

Glitter: SO much glitter. You'll need it for mixing into slime bases, coating bars of soap, and sprinkling on blocks of soaked floral foam.

Food coloring: A necessity for slime making, unless you want boring, white slime.

Metallic leaf: ASMR Instagrammers knowthat a blob of slime draped in a thin layer of gold leaf is pure visual bait. Click for the smooth, metallic sheen. Stay to watch it get destroyed.

Chunks of foam: Creators like to mix these squishy foam pieces into slime bases. Naturally, there are tons of colors available on Etsy.

Tiny styrofoam or plastic beads: These teensy spheres lend a bubbly quality to your slime.

Balloons: For filling with slime and then popping, like a messier version of a water balloon.

A badminton racket: Just trust us on this one.

Knives: Ideally, you'll want the friendlier-looking plastic variety. Use them to shave slivers of soap, slice kinetic sand, or pop slime-filled balloons.

Soap shavings:Remember those cheap bars of soap we discussed earlier? After you've sliced them into nothing, hold onto those shavings. Crushing soap curls is now a sub-genre of "oddly satisfying" videos.

A large container: For storing and mixing.

Examples:

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Now go forth, future Insta-famous ASMR creator and make your slime dreams come true. You have a boatload of floral foam to slice, and we have more soothing videos to watch.