How to Make a Bath Bomb

The mineral salts in a bath bomb can soothe weary muscles and soften bath water for a softer, cleaner skin. Use this homemade bath bomb recipe to make your own bath bombs. They make a perfect gift.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• 2 cups baking soda
• 1 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp. borax
• 1 cup citric acid
• 2/3 cup Epsom salts (optional)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Water
• Food coloring and fragrance (optional)
• Cookie sheet
• Parchment or waxed paper
• Large ice cream scoop
• Plastic sandwich bag

1. Mix 2 cups of baking soda, 1 cup of citric acid and 1 cup of cornstarch in a bowl. Use a strainer or a wire mesh sieve to make sure that the mixture is perfectly smooth and blended for consistency. This bath bomb recipe works great with the addition of 2/3 cup Epsom salts, but you'll need to grind them with a spice grinder or mortar and pestle to make the grains finer so that they don't mar the appearance of your bath bombs.

2. Measure 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 1/2 tbsp. of water and 1/2 tsp. of borax and mix in a jar or plastic container. If you want to add fragrance oil, essential oil or coloring, just put it with these ingredients, forming a liquid that will be added to the dry ingredients that you mixed earlier. A good guideline for bath recipes is 2 tsp. of fragrance oil or essential oil when making bath bombs in this quantity.

3. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients very slowly. Use one hand to pour and the other hand to mix the ingredients together. If you've used a colorant, you will want to wear a glove to prevent your hand from being stained.

4. Place your ice cream scoop into a plastic sandwich bag and scoop out a scoop of homemade bath bomb mixture. Release it from the scoop and into your hands, and smooth it into a ball shape. You can use a round soapmaking mold if you want, but it's not necessary. You should be able to sculpt a ball shape that's reasonably round on your own.

5. As you're making bath bombs, place each one on a cookie sheet lined with parchment or waxed paper to dry. They should be completely dry in about a week unless the air in your house is very damp. You can put the homemade bath bombs in a 200-degree F oven for a few hours if you're in a hurry. If you've added any fragrance to your bath bombs, the smell will spread throughout your house.

[ross313]

on 8/22/2009 Thanks for the article!