How to Make Bath Bombs
Who doesn’t love a good bath bomb? I feel they can bring a smile to anybody’s face with their swirls of color, fizzy bubbles, and aromatic scents whether it be an enlivening citrus to a calming lavender aroma.
There are hundreds of different kinds you can choose from. Or if you are feeling creative there are many you can create yourself. Bath bombs aren’t just fun and whimsical, depending on the ingredients they contain they can have health and therapeutic benefits for you too.
Benefits of Bath Bombs
• Relieve Stress
• Relieve Muscle Tension and Soreness
• Detoxify Your Skin
• Lessen Nasal Congestion
• Soften and Hydrate Your Skin
• Alleviate PMS Symptoms
• Aromatherapy Benefits
• Saves You Money
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So, you may ask why would you want to make your own bath bombs? I know you have a wide selection of products to choose from with many purchasing options. You can find them just about anywhere from online shops to even some grocery stores.
But the quality can vary widely. You want to use bath bombs with high-quality ingredients. Bath products made with low-grade ingredients or additives can be irritating to your skin. By making your own you can choose natural ingredients tailored to your own needs.
For this post, I made a cotton candy and pomegranate bomb. The white bath bombs with blue Epsom Salts sprinkled throughout were scented with an essential oil blend called Anxiety Ease from my favorite brand called Eden’s Garden.
Eden’s Garden essential oils are 100% pure and therapeutic grade. I’ve made other ones with their blends such as Muscle Relief, PMS Ease, and Breathe Easier. But you can use whatever fragrance or essential oil you would like.
Reasons to Make Your Own Bath Bombs
• You choose the oils, scents, and colors you want.
• Natural skin care benefits when you use natural ingredients.
• It’s fun and gives you a sense of pride in your creation.
• This creativity can relieve stress.
• Formulate your bath bomb recipe for your needs – you can use essential oils that address your concerns like eucalyptus for breathing problems or peppermint and basil for muscle tension.
• You can give them as gifts – people love them!
• You can sell them at craft shows or online through websites like Etsy and eBay or with your own website through Shopify or other web hosting sites like Bluehost. My website is hosted through Bluehost. It’s very intuitive and the support rocks.
This recipe is quick and easy and loads of fun to make.
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Baking Soda
- ¼ Cup Epsom Salts
- ½ Cup Citric Acid
- 2 Tablespoons Coconut Oil
- 1 Teaspoon Water or Witch Hazel
- 10-20 Drops Essential Oil or Fragrance Oil of Your Choice
- Food Coloring, Soap colorant, or Mica if you would like to color your bath bombs. The amount you use is determined by how dark or light you want the color.
Equipment
- A Bath Bomb Mold
- Metal or Glass Mixing Bowl
- Measuring Cups
- Measuring Spoons
- Spray Bottle
- Droppers for Your Fragrance or Essential Oils
You can purchase your supplies like the molds at your local craft store or soap making supply shop, or Amazon has a nice selection at a good price. Some ingredients you can easily pick up at the grocery store.
The citric acid can be tricky to find in stores. I purchase mine on Amazon. I also purchase my Epsom salts online because it’s a little cheaper.
Directions
1. Mix baking soda, citric acid, and epsom salts together thoroughly. Sift out any clumps.
2. Next, add the coconut oil and blend with the dry ingredients.
3. Add soap colorant, food coloring, or mica to get the desired color.
4. Add fragrance oil or essential oils. You can add more or less than what my recipe calls for – it depends how strong of a scent you want in your bath bombs.
5. Slowly add the water or witch hazel. If you add the liquid too quickly it will activate the fizzing process and the bath bomb won’t bubble and effervesce as much when you toss it in the bathtub.
6. Mix all the ingredients until you get a damp sand-like consistency. When you squeeze the mixture tightly in your hand you want it to hold its shape and be somewhat crumbly.
Next, you want to pack each half of the bath bomb mold with the mixture and overfill a little. Press the two halves of the mold together firmly but don’t twist.
If you want a multi-color bomb like my pomegranate and cotton candy bomb pictured, you can divide your mixture into two or three or however many colors you would like and scoop them into the mold separately.
7. Gently release the bath bomb from the mold and let them dry for several hours. You can also let them dry in the mold to better keep their shape. If you live in a humid climate it may take a little longer.
I live in a humid climate and in the summer months, it seems to take forever for them to dry. So, sometimes I will put them in the refrigerator for 15-30 minutes to speed up the drying time. Some say you shouldn’t do this, but it has worked for me.
This recipe makes approximately 2 large bath bombs
When your bombs are completely dry and ready for use, you can toss them into a bathtub full of warm water, soak, and enjoy!
Store them in a cool, dry place like a basement. Try to use your bath bombs within 6 months of making them so that you get the best out of the fragrance and the fizziness. Store them in a cool, dry place like a basement.
I’m giving you my recipe but feel free to switch it up a little with the colorants, natural oils, fragrance oils, or essential oils you would like.
I like using coconut oil but other oils and butters such as sweet almond oil, olive oil, grapeseed oil, and shea or cocoa butter work great too. Herbs or lavender leaves are a nice addition to your bath bombs.
You can add glitter to bring out your inner unicorn. For extra fun, you can place a small toy in the middle of the bomb that appears after it dissolves. Kids love them!
Benefits of the Ingredients I use Above:
• Baking Soda – Soothes your skin and relieves itch.
• Coconut Oil – Is Antibacterial, calms inflammation, hydrates, and softens your skin.
• Epsom Salt – Detoxifies your skin, eases muscle aches, and soothes your skin.
• Witch Hazel – Acts as an astringent, relieve skin irritation and inflammation.
• Citric Acid – Gently exfoliates and evens the tone of your skin. It provides the fizz for your bath bombs.
• Essential Oils – Depending on which oils you use you can get awesome health benefits such as pain reduction, can speed up the healing process, strengthen your immune system, and increase circulation. Through aromatherapy, essential oils can also provide psychological benefits such as easing anxiety and depression.
Tips and Troubleshooting when Making Your Bath Bombs
• To avoid clumps in your finished bath bombs, make sure there are no lumps in the dry ingredients when you begin, especially with the baking soda – it tends to form clumps.
• If your bombs have cracks or are crumbly when done, you may need to add some more oils or witch hazel.
• Bath bombs that are too soft may have too much oil or witch hazel added. A humid climate could cause the softness as well. You can add a little cornstarch or a natural clay to help harden them.
• If you notice your bath bombs don’t have enough fizz there could be too much oil added. Also, too much cornstarch, as some recipes call for, could inhibit the effervescence.
Don’t be too hard on yourself if they don’t turn out just right. It can take a little practice but once you get it down you will love making them and take pride in your creation.
Click on the images below if you would like to do some shopping for this bath bomb recipe.
