How to make bath bombs
I’m a fan of a nice hot bath. It helps me relax, destress and maybe even offers a place to read a book. I like it bubbly or fizzy and scented if possible. The store bought ones can be so expensive, so I figured out how to make bath bombs myself.
So if you ask me what I want for Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day or even a Tuesday, I will put a nice relaxing bath on my list. Maybe even during the middle of the day with a nice book and if I’m pushing my luck, a glass of wine.
I’ll even make it easier on myself and make some bath bombs or bath fizzies with my girls first. It’s the win-win of holiday crafting and giving. Doing something fun together, and creating and also having a little escape, too.
The ingredients
Wet ingredients
I already had my oils on-hand. I had previously purchased the coconut oil or almond oil
for making sugar scrubs online. I also had access to water (but you could also use witch hazel
) and essential oils (I use a mix of joy and lavender both of which come in the premium starter kit) for fragrance.
You can choose any mixture of essential oils that you like, or other fragrances. A favorite in our house is also stress away.
Dry ingredients
The only thing we didn’t already have at our house that I needed was citric acid. I was able to pick it up at the store near the canning section, but you can also get it online.
You also need epsom salt, baking soda, cornstarch, food coloring (if you want).
For the food coloring, you will need a lot of it and the liquid can cause the bath bombs to start reacting. I’ve yet to try powdered food coloring
, but I think those would add more color and less worries about reactions.
Next time, I will also add some dried lavender to give them a little something special.
PRO TIP:
If you are going to be making a lot of bath bombs or bath salts, get a big container of epsom salt. The ones from the store always seem huge until you end up making 20 containers and you run out mid recipe.
Also, dried lavender adds a nice dimension of both fragrance and appearance that can’t be passed up.
&
Epsoak Epsom Salt 2 Lbs – 100% Pure Magnesium Sulfate, Made in USA
Organic Lavender Flowers (Extra Grade – Dried) – 4oz Resealable Bag – 100% Raw From France – by Feel Good OrganicsMilliard Citric Acid – 5 Pound – 100% Pure Food Grade NON-GMO (5 Pound)Majestic Pure Fractionated Coconut Oil, 16 Oz
Fizzy bath bomb recipe
I mixed the dry ingredients together and whisked them to make sure there weren’t any clumps. And, mixed the wet ingredients separately.
Then I attempted to use a spray bottle to distribute the water, coconut oil and essential oils in little sprays and it wasn’t coming out. So, instead I just put a little bit of a mixture of the liquid ingredients at a time into the dry until it sort of stuck together.
It’s really helpful if you have two people; one to whisk and one to slowly add the liquid ingredients. You want to do this gradually and mix quickly so the water doesn’t react with the citric acid and baking soda.
It’s basically like moon sand at this point. When you grab a handful of your DIY bath bombs and squeeze it together and it holds and keeps it shape, you are done adding liquid.
You want it to hold together without having to stay in a mold.
Also, these are purple if you can’t tell. But, they sort of turned out more grey. So when it comes to coloring, you’ll have to add more than you can imagine if you are using traditional food coloring.
Side note: The last couple times, we’ve just gone without and the bath bombs turn out to be a nice white. While the white isn’t as fun, you don’t have to worry about staining a bathtub or your skin. And it allows for more versatility with gift packaging!
Then I pressed it into a mold. Since we had a ton of Easter eggs laying around, I used those. You could use muffin tins, candy molds or even just squish them into balls.
Even handier, you can buy molds specifically made for making bath bombs! These bomb molds really are the bomb (I can’t help myself) and make making bath bombs much easier. I prefer the metal ones to the plastic, but either one works.
Caydo 6 Set DIY Metal Bath Bomb Mold with 3 Sizes 12 Pieces for Crafting Your Own Fizzles
Then I sort of gave them a little shake over my hand and popped them out of the molds and set them down to dry. Here’s where it’s not so useful to have a three year old near the water.
Because you can see what happens when they splash a little of the water out of the container. Exactly what you want to be happening in the bathtub. Fizzing. So, try to avoid the water.
Then you will want to leave them in a non-humid environment overnight to dry out some.
Make it into fizzy bath salts
Another option if you don’t want to go through the process of molding them is to leave the water out, mix it really well and then spread it out to allow the coconut oil and food coloring to dry out.
Then, you can put it in sealed glass container and just use approximately 3 Tablespoons in a bath. You could even leave out the food coloring!
Another option if this “how to make bath bombs” isn’t striking your fancy
Bath salts without the fizz are incredibly easy to put together and gift. I bought some nice canning jars, and a string, placed some epsom salt in the jar and then sprinkled the recipients choice of essential oils over the top.
I closed up the lid and it was ready for the gift of a nice smelling bath soak that is good for the muscles.
So, craft time with the kids and then enjoy a nice relaxing bath. If your kids are like mine (the 8 and 6 year olds), they will also want their own bath bombs, so let them have a bath, too.
Mine stayed in for at least an hour just relaxing and playing.
Not only do we make them for ourselves, but we’ve found that a homemade bath bomb makes a great gifts for loved ones, teachers, family and friends. Who doesn’t love bath bombs?
How to make bath bombs
Homemade bath bombs or bath fizzies that are perfect for any occasion or holiday
Materials
- 1 cup Baking Soda
- 1/2 cup Citric Acid
- 1/2 cup Epsom Salts
- 1/2 cup. Cornstarch
- 10 Drops Essential Oil, I used 5 Joy and 5 Lavender
- 2 1/2 tsp. Coconut Oil
- 6 drops food coloring
- 1-2 tsp. water
- 1 T dried lavender
- molds
Tools
- glass bowl
- whisk
Instructions
- Combine the dry ingredients in glass bowl and whisk to break up lumps.
- Combine the liquids in a small container (preferably glass)
- Slowly and in small amounts add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk continuously.
- Allow it to just be moist. Add more water if necessary.
- Push the mixture in a mold.
- Remove from mold and place in a dry area on a flat surface to allow them to dry out overnight.
- Place 1-2 bombs in a bathtub and enjoy.
*Please always test essential oils to make sure you don't have a reaction to them just like you would any other bath ingredient.
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Fabulous!!! Have that glass of wine for me! 🙂 Meanwhile, I’ll be soaking with some bath bombs!
Yeah, I will gladly have that glass of wine for you:)
This is such a great DIY project, I think I have everything I need to make this except the essential oils. I love that you used the Easter eggs as molds, that’s such a smart idea.
We can fix that for sure! There are so many amazing uses for essential oils! This just scratches the surface.
What a fun activity AND I bet your kitchen smells amazing. You know Logan, she will eat any of the ingredients so we may have to save this for next Mother’s Day.
You can always leave out the recipe and ingredients and have daddy “help” logan make it!
These look so cool! I’m way too frugal so I don’t buy “luxury” products like these for myself. 😉 I would definitely make them, though!
Right? I’m so bad about buying something like this for myself. But if we can make it together, I’m all about it!
Sounds amazing! But Texas is full of humidity, so I don’t know if they’d work for me?
Hmmmm… you could start with less water. Or you might have to put them in a low temp oven to get them to dry out.
Or you could do them more like bath crystals and just store them in a glass jar. You’ll have to let me know if you try them.
You could also try using Witch Hazel instead of water. Spritzing a little at a time while yo mix. When you can squeeze a fistful and they hold together pretty well. they are ready for molding.
Yes, that definitely would work, too.
I want to make these and hand them out to my sisters for Mother’s Day! These are awesome bath bombs that I want to try and see how they smell!
How cool – what a great gift idea for that special Mom!! 🙂
Super cute idea to use the eggs for molds! Perfectly placeable on the tub!
Hello! I love your recipe. I would like to make these for a class I’m having if that’s okay. However, I can’t tell from the pictures how many this makes. About how many bath bombs this will make? Thanks!
Hi RaeLyn-
Absolutely. This is what it’s here for.
So, using these eggs, I think we ended up making about 14-16 of them. Using bath bomb molds (the set mentioned), you will get about 4 large ones and like 1-2 small ones.
Hi
I like your recipe. I want to try it on my home in very next time. But i have a doubt that is how many bath bombs this will make? If you had insight i will greatly appreciate.Thanks for the informative article.
If you use bath bomb molds, you will get about 4 of the larger ones and 1-2 of the smaller ones.
Thanks for the recipe. These look very nice and easy to make.
I hope you enjoy them!
I just came across this after not making bath bombs since last year as Christmas presents. I might have to give them another go!
I hope you do! Let us know how they turn out!
Do you have to let these dry out completely before wrapping?
Yes. They need to be completely dry.
Hello, I’ve been looking for a good bath bomb recipe. I would like to infuse them with cbd oil which is made with coconut oil. Do you know how i could modify your recipe to use more oil? Possibly a different recipe? Im desperate. My daughter has severe lupus and these bombs are 1 of the only things that help relieve her pain. Thank you so much for your time.
Hi.
I’ve never used cbd oil in one, but I’d use that in place of the coconut oil and maybe the water too. You might have a little trial and error and if they don’t end up drying into balls you can just put it in a jar and add scoops to the bath.
I hope that helps! Let me know.
Making the average cost about $0.25 a bomb!!! Start by adding one cup of baking soda to your mixing bowl and work out all the clumps. You can sift or use the food processor if you’d like!
Hi Krystyn, I very much appreciate a busy Mom like yourself sharing recipes and helpful hints. I make a lot of homemade gifts and ladies love anything to do with luxury in the bathroom. I use dyed Mica powder for coloring. You use just a tiny bit and it doesn’t make things fizz up. The colors come out bright and strong every time. I am going to make your recipe using Witch Hazel instead of water, it makes the bombs nice and firmly solid (also use less than water). I hope the bombs hold together for me, that is the worst part for me, do you have any hints to know exactly when they are the right moisture level so they will hold together when I take them out of the molds? Thanks for your time, Nancy
Hi Nancy. Love the Mica powder idea. I’ll have to check that out.
For the right moisture level, I kind of try to clump it in my hand. At the very first hint of it looking and feeling like wet stand and sticking together, I call it quits with the water/moisture. Hope that helps.