How to Make Bath Bombs
Bath bombs are very popular with tons of recipes on how to make your own bath bomb at home or for a project in school. They are superfast and easy to make, and can give you that instant gratification as you can use then almost right away. The beauty of making your own bath bomb is you only need main 3 ingredients (Barking powder, Citric acid & oils or water) for a basic bath bomb and can customize it to suit just with colours, scents and shape .This combination will leave you with a lovely bath bomb for that amazing bath experience and you watch your bath bomb fizz out it’s astounding bubbles and aroma. So now we are going to dive into a few baths bomb recipes with a step by step guide .We will also look a little bit in-depth into ingredients for making bath bombs and answer a few questions about your bath bombs.
What are bath bombs made out of?
Bath bombs are made from a compacted mixture of sodium bicarbonate + Critic acid + Cornflower (Optional) with fluids and it fizzes /effervescent when dropped into water.
Bath Bomb Ingredients
Below is a list of what you will need to make your own bath bomb some are optional so you don’t’ need everything on the list.
- Baking Soda: Can be found in most food stores it helps holds your bath bombs together when mixed with citric acid.
- Citric Acid: The combination of citric acid and baking soda creates that fizzy reaction which makes bubbles when you drop your bath bomb in your bath tub.
- Fluid: this can be water, witch hazel or any other liquid of your choice, this helps bind your bath bomb together.
- Corn starch: Is very popular and can found in most food stores, we will talk more about this as we progress. Corn-starch is known to softens skin but not for everyone and can be optional.
- Cream of Tartar: it very popular among cake makers, in bath bombs it’s generally used as a substitute to citric acid.
- Arrow root Powder
- Oils and or Butters: you can use different types of oils from olive oil , coconut oil to shea butter and coconut butter to create a more luxurious moisturizing bath bomb to help moisturizes your skin.
- Colouring: For colours you can go for liquid or powder but make sure which ever option you choose your colours is skin safe.
- Fragrance : Here the world is your oyster as you have the option of essential oils and fragrance to include in your recipe
10.Decorations or Additives: Epsom salt, herbal flowers such as lavender or others, clay, pretty rose petals, glitters and more. You just have to be creative and come up with lots of ideas of what can be included. It’s important to ensure they are all skin safe/ cosmetic friendly.
11. Bath bomb mould: I tend to stick to the stainless steel moulds but plastics moulds will To shape the bomb, any plastic shape will work, including a custard cup, measuring cup
How do I make easy bath bombs?
Like I mentioned bath bombs are easy to make and below are 4 recipes different variants.
How to Make Bath Bombs – Easy Recipe
Making Time: 15 Min Estimate
Oils + Fragrance + Dye
Bath Bomb Mould
Combined Dry & Wet Ingredients
Makes approximately 2 x 120g sized bath bombs and a half one
Dry Ingredients
150g: Baking Soda
75g: Citric Acid
50g: Corn starch/ Cornflower
Wet Ingredients
10g: Oil or butters of your Choice: I used sunflower easily available
5g: Fragrance
5 drops: Liquid Dye use that safe for skin
Directions
Measure all dry ingredients into a bowl.
Measure your wet ingredients too.
Now gently pour your wet into dry stir as you do so .
You want the final mixture has to be of sand like texture, test it by making it into a hand fist.
The mixture should bind together if so then it’s ready to pop into you mould.
Now place mixture in mould and compress Yippee!!! Your bath bomb is now be ready to pop out of the mould .Gently tap it out of the mould and leave them to dry for a days or use right away I prefer to leave mine to dry for up to 24hrs then I shrink wrap them until ready for use.
Bath Bombs Trouble shooting Q & A
If you are making a bath bomb for the first time here are some problems you may encounter.
Q1. My bath bomb failed & will not stick together
This may be due to different reasons, and most commonly it may be due to a mismeasurement or you simply have too much or too little wet ingredients.
A: Consider adjusting your ingredients.
Q2. Why do my bath bombs crack the following day?
Bath bombs can be very naughty creatures and generally have a mind of their own. If you include additives such clay, salt or other ingredients that have water absorbing abilities they have the potential to crack open your bath bombs when drying as they have the tendency to suck the life out of the bath bomb leaving it with not much moisture and then they crack open. It could also be due to the humidity levels where you live.
A: Test out additives to work out the right amount to include.
Q3: My bath bombs are growing spots or bumps
High humidity is not a good friend to bath bombs because it means you have a high percentage of moist in the air which your bath bombs draws from hence these spots develop. It could also be due to too many liquid ingredients.
A: Dry your bath bombs in an airy dry room, and also keep an eye on the humidity levels before you start.
Although just a few spots on your bath bombs should be a problem, your bath bombs should still fizz as normal.
Q4: My Bath Bomb will not Fizz
A: As a general rule of thumb use a ratio 2:1 baking soda to citric acid.
Note: No matter what happens to your bath bombs in the process of making remember you don’t have to throw them away. Instead leave them to dry and they become a nice smelling powder or crumble which should still fizz in your bath and give you the same benefits as a nicely moulded bath bomb.
How to Make Bath Bombs – Bath Bomb Recipe without Cornflower
Making Time: 15 Mins Estimate
Makes approximately 4-5 100g sized bath bombs
Dry Ingredients
200g: Baking Soda
100g: Citric Acid
50g: Corn starch/ Cornflower replace with Arrow root Powder or exclude completely & reduce your wet ingredients.
Wet Ingredients
15g: Oil of your Choice: I use Coconut Oil easily available
4g: Fragrance
0.5g: Liquid Dye use that safe for skin
Direction: Same as above when making for basic bath bomb recipe.
Q: So why do some of us prefer no corn flower/corn-starch in our bath bombs?
A: Cornflower is a common food thickening agent widely used. It’s used in bath bomb making as dry filler some say it makes your bath bomb harder, smoother and sometimes depending on the about included in your recipes it could make the fizz reaction of you bath bomb last longer . Cornflower also has a lot of skin benefits such as relief for sun burn; soothe itchy rashes and more, despite its benefits cornflower is not for everyone.
Some of us suffer from Corn intolerance/Corn allergy so have to avoid products derived from corn. Some of the symptoms they may exhibit are skin rash, headache, sneezing and more.
How to Make Bath Bombs – Bath Bomb without Citric Acid
Citric acid is a main ingredient to bath bomb making to enable that the fizz/effervescent reaction when combined with Baking soda and placed in water. Yet citric acid is not suitable for everyone so below is a recipe for those who prefer not to include it in their bath bombs.
Making Time: 15 Min Estimate
Makes approximately 4-5 100g sized bath bombs
Dry Ingredients
100g: Baking Soda
30g: Cream of Tartar
50g: Corn starch/ Cornflower replace with Arrow root Powder
Additives
10g: Sea Salt
You can be creative here and include other additives
Such as clay, milk powder, oat powder, Epsom salt
Wet Ingredients
12g: Oil of your Choice: I use Coconut Oil easily available
3g: Fragrance
0.5g: Liquid Dye use that safe for skin
Direction: Same as above when making for basic bath bomb recipe.
Diy Bath Bombs with Orange Juice instead of Lemon
Since we have other citrus fruits that contains citric we are using fresh orange juice for this recipe. Now remember as it fresh orange juice, it best to use this bath bomb within a week.
Making Time: 15 Min Estimate
Makes approximately 4-5 100g sized bath bombs
Dry Ingredients
100g: Baking Soda
50g Epsom Salt
Wet Ingredients
1g: Oil of your Choice: I use Coconut Oil easily available
10g: Orange Juice (squeezed from fresh orange)
3g: Fragrance
0.5g: Liquid Dye use that safe for skin (Optional)
Direction: Same as above when making for basic bath bomb recipe.
Look out for images of all these bath bombs will be posting soon.
In conclusion bath bombs are fun handmade projects not just for schools projects but adults can indulge in the making, the process of creating bath bombs itself can be quite additive. We have looked at 5 recipes: How do I make easy bath bombs? , Bath bomb recipe without Cornflower, Easy bath bomb without citric acid & Diy bath bombs with Orange juice instead of lemon. I hope you enjoy creating you own bath bomb. Just one more point before go if you are have very sensitive skin why not make it simple and stick to essential oils like lavender & simply include soothing powders such as oats or aloe vera . Enjoy the making and time in your bathtub as you relax and unwind for the day .
Disclaimer : This blog post is mainly for educational purposes only