In this blog you’ll learn how to make your own bath bombs that look fab, smell gorgeous and have an amazing fizz! Enjoying a soak after a long day provides the perfect way to relax and unwind, and adding in a bath bomb will really enhance your bathing experience – as it bubbles away your bath will be fragrant with lavender or rose. Bath time bliss! Bath bombs are a hard-packed mixture of dry ingredients which effervesces when added to water. They provide a great way to add essential oils, colour and scent to your bath water. It’s pretty easy to make your own bath bombs, and the good news is you don’t require any special equipment. If you don’t have a bath bomb mould, there are plenty of alternatives that work just as well. You could use chocolate moulds – these are available in various shapes such as hearts, and you can find them in craft stores. For round bath bombs you could cut a tennis ball in half. Muffin trays and ice cube trays are ideal too. Small bath bombs are easier to make, as larger ones have a tendency to crumble. Top tips
- If the bath bomb crumbles when removing it from the mould it could be that the mixture needs to be compressed more or that it’s too dry. When putting the mixture in the mould make sure to press it in really hard and leave it for a couple of minutes before tapping it out. If that doesn’t help try spraying a very small amount of water on to the mixture.
- If you find the bath bomb extends it means you’ve added too much water and the fizz reaction has begun. This can be rescued by adding in more baking soda and citric acid – two parts baking soda to one part citric acid.
- Work in small batches until you get to grips with making bath bombs. Scale down the ingredients accordingly.
MAKING YOUR OWN BATH BOMBS
Bath bomb recipe
- Glass mixing bowl
- Spray bottle
- Gloves
- Moulds
- Sieve
- 1 cup of citric acid
- 2 cups of baking soda
- 20-30 drops of essential oil
- 1 tablespoon of sweet almond oil, apricot oil or olive oil – this is optional
- 15-20 drops of food colouring – also optional
- Very small amount of water
1. Mix the citric acid and baking soda
Thoroughly mix together the citric acid and baking soda in a bowl
2. Add in the essential oils
Add the essential oils and the optional tablespoon of extra oil and food colouring. Quickly mix with your hands before the mixture starts fizzing. The food colouring makes the mixture a bit clumpy, but you can get rid of the clumps by rubbing them between your hands.
3. Spray in a very small amount of water
Spray very small amounts of water onto the mixture and continue mixing. You’ll need less water than you may think. Create a consistency where the mixture is still quite crumbly but will just hold its shape when squeezed.
4. Pack the mixture into the mould
The mixture can now be packed tightly into the mould. If you are using two-part moulds, then slightly overfill each half and press them together tightly. Tap the mould to release the bath bomb.
5. Leave to dry
Leave the bath bombs to dry for a couple of hours in a warm, dry place. Don’t place them in direct sunlight. That’s it, now you can enjoy a relaxing bath! But make sure to use the bath bombs within a few weeks as they will lose their fizzing power if kept stored away for too long.
Don’t fancy making your own bath bombs? Then check out the gorgeous range of bath bombs on Lush.
You may also want to check out our blog on how to create the ultimate pamper bathroom so you can enjoy a relaxing soak with your homemade bath bombs!