How to Make Citric Acid Bath Bomb Balls
Bath bomb balls are a lot of fun, and they make your bath time so much more relaxing. They are also a fun way to get reluctant children into the bath, especially if they join you in making the bath bombs. You can use the bath bombs for your own personal enjoyment, or make them as gifts for family and friends. They are also a popular seller at craft and flea markets. The following recipe for bath bomb balls will make six medium balls.
Things You'll Need
- Glass bowl
- Whisk
- 1 1/2 cups baking soda
- 1/2 cup of citric acid (available in most department stores or supermarkets)
- 1 tbsp. of almond oil
- 1/2 tbsp. of water
- 5 drops of food coloring
- 10-15 drops of essential oil (optional)
- Round mold or tennis ball cut in half (optional)
- Wax paper
Instructions
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1
Mix the 1 1/2 cups baking soda and the 1/2 cup of citric acid in the glass bowl. Stir with the whisk until well blended.
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2
Add the 1 tbsp. of almond oil and 1/2 tbsp. of water to the mixture. When you add the liquid, drizzle it around the mixture instead of pouring it in one spot. This will help make sure that the moisture is spread out more evenly.
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3
Add the fragrance oil and up to five drops of food coloring of your choice to the mixture. The amount of oil you add, between 10 and 15 drops, depends upon how strong you want the scent of the bath bombs to be. If you choose to not add fragrance, you will need to add more almond oil in order to get the mixture moist enough to form. After mixing well, if you find that the recipe is still too crumbly to form into balls, then add more oil a little at a time.
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4
Firmly roll the mixture into a ball with your hands. At this point you could also press it into a mold. If using a candy or gelatin mold, lightly coat the mold with oil first. If you want to make perfect balls, you can cut a tennis ball in half, lightly coat the inside with oil, then fill both sides with the mixture and then push the two sides together.
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5
Wait five minutes before popping the ball out of the tennis ball mold. After five minutes, remove the tennis ball and set the balls out to dry on wax paper. Depending upon the thickness of the ball, it may take up to three days to dry completely.
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Tips & Warnings
For Easter, make some bath bombs in the shape of Easter eggs, as the small, hollow eggs make excellent molds.
If you have a problem with almond oil, you may substitute olive oil or sesame oil.
Store the bath bombs in a container that is air tight, otherwise the humidity may activate them and destroy their ability to fizz.
