Bath Bombs
Who doesn’t love a good soak in the tub? I know it is one of my favorite stress relief techniques, even though my tub isn’t big enough for me. I want to point out that the color of my bath bombs is off because I use a liquid soap color as opposed to a powder, and as such, sometimes the color does not blend well. I could have skipped the color, but I was hoping it would come out better this time. The color is supposed to be “grape purple,” in case you were wondering.
Without further nonsense, here is how to make a bath bomb:
Ingredients
2 cups baking soda
1 cup citric acid
1 cup Epsom salt
20-30 drops of essential oil (I used a stress relief blend on these)
1/4 cup melted coconut oil
soap coloring measured by preference, optional
TOOLS:
2 bowls
2 spoons/mixing utensils
bath bomb molds (mine were sizes 9, 8, and 3)
shrink wrap
bag heat sealer, optional
hair dryer or heat gun
gloves, optional
Instructions
Mix the dry ingredients together for at least five minutes; you need to ensure they are fully incorporated. I have read articles that say you can use a stand mixer, but I always thought that was weird and prefer to keep crafting tools and kitchen tools separate. Melt the coconut oil for about 30-40 seconds in the microwave should work; add the essential oils and coloring to the coconut oil and stir. Because I used liquid coloring, it did not mix well, but I expected that.
Here is the tricky part, you need to slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. You should not just dump in the liquid all at once because it will activate the citric acid, and then when you drop them in the bath, they will not be as fizzy. Once thoroughly mixed in, start pressing the mixture into your molds. You’ll see I rubber band mine together to keep them steady, and I let them sit overnight to ensure they don’t fall apart when I unmold them.
Once you remove them from the molds, place them in the shrink wrap. I then use my bag sealer to cut/crimp the edges of the wrap before using the blowdryer. I find it easier; this way, the heat, and pressure do not send bath bomb crumbs everywhere.
When you’re ready to use them, fill your tub, unwrap the bomb and drop it in.
They really are that easy. I’m sure you’ll see my soap mold didn’t work very well because of the fine details the bath bomb stuck in the cervices. What you can’t see is that the one in the soap mold also did not dry properly and was still moist when I tried unmolding it, which is why it looks so crumbly in the finished photo.