How to Make a Bath Bomb

Discover the fizzle, fun and wild aromas of popping a bath bomb in your tub! Follow this guide into making one.

1. Dry Ingredients:

Citric Acid

It is a white substance like powder. Citric acid is not Vitamin C. It is the substance responsible for the tart taste of citrus fruits like lemons, limes and gooseberries. The acid is extracted from the fruit juice and chemically processed to be transformed from liquid to solid. As a solid substance, it has many uses such as metal polish and flavoring for foods and beverages. For the bath bomb, you need only 2 tablespoons.

Cornstarch

This is another powdery substance but of finer crystals. It comes from the pulverized white heart of the corn kernel. It is used to thicken sauces and fillings give pastries a delicate texture. You also need 2 tablespoons of this.

Baking soda

This is a rising agent, activated by mixing with acid. When mixed with acidic liquid like sour milk, yogurt and lemon juice, baking soda produces gases that make a flour mixture rise. This is the secret to our bomb! You will need 1/4 C of this.

2. Wet Ingredients:

Essential oil

Oils extracted from plants and responsible for the plants’ odors. These are found in the pit, flowers, leaves and trunk of the plant. They are used in perfumes, food flavor, and drugs. The most common way of extracting them is to grind and press large amounts of plant parts until the oils come out. The oils may also be extracted by distilling with steam. Because very large batches produce only a small amount of highly concentrated product, essential oils are commercially sold in small bottles. The oil is potent that it is used in drops or teaspoons. It should be packed in dark-colored bottles as the oil loses its efficacy when exposed to light. To be sure that you are buying high quality essential oil, smell it before buying. When the aroma is very strong, almost overpowering, then it is a good product.

Common essential oils are: dill, cardamom, wintergreen, cinnamon, camphor, peppermint, spearmint, thyme, clove, eucalyptus, jasmine, lilac, vanilla, rose, almond and lemon. For this recipe, you need 1/4 teaspoon.

Food Color

Natural and synthetic dyes that can be eaten and used to color foods such as beverages, cake icing and candies. The most familiar form of food coloring is liquid, though there are also powder and paste varieties. Like essential oils, food coloring is very concentrated so only very little is used at a time. For this recipe, use 4-6 drops.

Vegetable or Nut Oil

to hold everything together, use base oil extracted from plant sources like vegetable and nuts. These plants are odorless and widely available, thus generate more oil and cost less than essential oils. Examples are almond, hazelnut, rapeseed, safflower, canola, olive and coconut oils. Use 3 tablespoons for this recipe.

3. Preparation Tools:

– Mixing Bowl
– Small cup
– Plastic Mold
– Water-proof and colorful wraps
– Ties
– Watertight containers

4. Directions:

– Sieve all dry ingredients to make sure there are no lumps formed in the mixture.

– Mix all the dry ingredients together with a fork to make sure that there is an even distribution each of the ingredients in the mix. For added refinement, you may sieve them into the mixing bowl, altogether.

– In a different bowl or a small cup, mix the wet ingredients: base oil, essential oil, and food coloring.

– Slowly add the oil mixture into the dry ingredients, making sure to mix very well as you add them together. At this point, it is safe to use your dry hands so you can feel the right consistency. You need not use up all the oil mixture. Stop adding as soon as the combination forms a lump. Too much of the oil mixture can make your bath bomb too wet, and not hold together.

– Press the mixture onto the plastic molds. They will be hardened within 2-3 hours though allow a day or two before storing them. If you live in a very humid area, you may choose to bake the bath bombs in a 200-degree oven to really dry them out.

– Wrap the balls in colorful paper and store in watertight container, in a dry area of your bathroom. You may also give them away as gifts to share the sizzling experience with family and friends.

The Author:

Robin Huber