How to Make Bath Bombs
Bath bombs and fizzies are a favorite bath treat of women and men who want an inexpensive and simple way to spice up their baths. Bath bombs add color and scent to boring bath water. They're incredibly simple to make and the ingredients don't cost much -- in fact, most of the stuff you need is probably already in your kitchen.
Things You'll Need
- 2 tablespoons baking soda
- 1 tablespoon powdered citric acid
- Essential oils or soap scents
- Liquid soap dye
- Soap molds or bath bomb molds
- Soap glitter
- Large glass bowl
- Spray bottle
- Water
- Wooden spoon or spatula
- Cookie sheet
Instructions
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1
Mix together 2 tablespoons baking soda and 1 tablespoon powdered citric acid in a large glass bowl. You can use more or less, depending on what size you want the final bath bomb to be. The rule of thumb is 2 parts baking soda to 1 part citric acid.
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2
Add any other dry ingredients you would like to add to your bath bombs such as soap glitter or lavender buds. Be careful with these added ingredients; remember, anything in the bath bomb will end up in your tub. Adding too much to your bath bomb can also prevent it from sticking together properly, so stick to 1 additional dry ingredient for each bomb.
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3
Pour 3 tablespoons of water, 5 to 10 drops of essential oil or soap scent and a few drops of liquid soap dye into your spray bottle. Shake the spray bottle vigorously for a few seconds to blend the ingredients.
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4
Slowly and carefully spray the dry mixture with the ingredients in the spray bottle, 1 to 2 sprays at a time, while stirring continuously with the wooden spoon. Keep spraying small amounts until the mixture begins to stick together. Small reactions in the mix are okay, but too many reactions or one big reaction will ruin the mixture and your bath bomb won't work. You'll know you've sprayed enough when the mixture is too hard to stir and the color you added to the spray bottle mix is spread evenly throughout the mixture.
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5
Transfer the mixture quickly into soap molds or bath bomb molds. Pack it as tightly as possible into the molds. If the mixture is too dry or isn't sticking together well, you can give it another couple of squirts with the spray bottle. If the mixture seems fizzy and isn't sticking together, you may have set off the chemical reaction. If so, the bath bomb mixture is ruined and you will need to start again.
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6
Leave the molds in a dry area overnight to be sure they are completely dry and ready to use. You can lay them, open side down, on a cookie sheet to keep the mold steady and in place. You will know the bath bombs are ready to come out of the mold when they slide out easily with very little pressure.
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Remove the bath bombs from the molds by tapping lightly on the molds. To use, drop 1 or 2 bath bombs in your bathtub while filling the tub with warm water. The bath bombs will break apart and dissolve on their own, spreading color and essential oil throughout your bathwater.
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Tips & Warnings
Always store drying and finished bath bombs in dry places. Storing them in damp, moist areas will cause the bath bombs to react prematurely and ruin them.
You can buy powdered citric acid at wine-making supply stores.
Bath bomb molds, liquid soap dye, soap scents and soap glitter can be found at arts and crafts supply stores.
Essential oils can be found in health food stores.
The first few times you make bath bombs, you will probably ruin a few -- and that's okay. Everyone who makes bath bombs and fizzies for the first time screws up their first few batches until they learn how to get the timing down correctly. The ingredients are cheap, so you don't have to worry about losing anything other than a couple minutes of your time while experimenting.
References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Goodshoot/Getty Images
