Making bath bombs is a great indoor activity for any age group, especially as a way to keep kids busy on a rainy afternoon. Creating them makes for great mental stimulation, with added elements such as decorations, flowers, colours and even scents.
Bath bombs also make the perfect gift for a loved one, or even just for yourself! Once you have established the main ingredients, it’s super simple to adapt the recipe to whatever you want.
Follow our handy guide to find out how you can make the perfect bath bomb.
Ingredients
There are two main ingredients that you will need: citric acid and baking soda.
The fizz that bath bombs produced are caused by the cirtci caid and baking soda reacting to the water.
To add scents and colours you can add extra ingredients such as essential oils and salts. This is where you can customise your bath bomb scents and design to whatever you want.
If you’re not a fan of essential oils, you can use fragrance oils to add a scent. This is a wide variety of scents available at a low cost. They are often milder than essential oils too, meaning they’re great for sensitive skin.
Mica powder is another way to add colour. Mica is a naturally occurring mineral dust which comes in a variety of colours. They can be ground finely to be integrated with the other bath bomb ingredients. In order to have a really strong colour however, you will need to use water-soluble dyes.
Water-soluble dyes reveal their true vibrant colour when they come into contact with water. So a pale pink bath bomb will actually turn into a hot pink bath bomb when it starts to dissolve in the water.
If you want your colours to be vibrant on the actual bath bomb, you should mix a tiny bit of water in with the baking soda and dye mix. Avoid mixing with the citric acid as it may activate a reaction in the bowl.
Supplies you’ll need
On top of the basic ingredients you will need:
- A mixing bowl
- A whisk
- Spray bottle
- A bath bomb mould (this can be DIY)
You can create bath bomb moulds yourself from clear plastic Christmas baubles, or alternatively you can buy relatively inexpensive silcone, plastic or metal moulds online.
For children, we recommend using half shapes as it can be tricky for them to push a sphere together. You can even use silicone cupcake moulds, making sure all the mixture is pressed down firmly. This is not only easier, but provides a fun and interesting bath bomb shape.
Ingredient measurements
This recipe will make 2 small to medium sized bath bombs. All of the ingredients used in this recipie are bath and skin friendly, but remember to keep an eye on any kids using the bath bomb as they are not edible. We recommend this craft for children aged seven and above.
- 100g baking soda
- 50g citric acid
- 25g cornflour/cornstarch
- 2 tbsp of oil (olive, coconut, sunflower)
- ½ tsp of your choice of essential oil or fragrance oil
- Water soluble dye (add until your desired colour)
Most of these ingredients can be found in the supermarket. However, you will be able to find a wide variety of dyes, essential oils and scent oils for a low cost.
Citric acid is often used in homemade cordials and winemaking, and you can find it online and even from some large pharmacies.
Method
It will take approximately 30 minutes to an 1 hour to make bath bombs.
- Firstly mix the baking soda and cornflour in a large bowl.
- Add your dye into the mix, adding a few drops of water if needed to intensify the colour. Use your spray bottle to add a small amount of water at a time to help the colour mix. To ensure everything is mixed thoroughly, use a whisk to evenly distribute the products. You should do this for about 5 minutes.
- In a separate bowl combine your choice of oil and either essential oil, fragrance oil or both. Once these are combined, add to the main bowl and mix together.
- Add the citric acid and mix for another two minutes. Your mixture should resemble damp sand. To test this, you should squeeze the mixture between your hands. If it stays together it’s ready for the mould. If it crumbles, you should spray some water and continue mixing until you get the desired texture.
- Pack your bath bomb moulds. You should ideally overfill and then press the two sides together, ensuring not to twist.
Once the two sides are together, firmly hold the mould for a minute and then carefully remove it from the mould. Leave the bath bombs to dry overnight.
If your home is very humid, we recommend placing some rice around the bath bomb to help absorb any moisture.
Your bath bomb should be perfectly intact the next day and ready to use! To give them as gifts, we recommend wrapping in eco-friendly gift paper and secured with a sticker or tied with some string, or alternatively you could buy small cardboard bath bomb boxes.
Top tips
- Once liquid has been added to the mixture, you will need to work quickly to mix everything together. Push the mixture into the moulds as soon as you can, but ensure everything is thoroughly mixed.
- You can create a multicoloured bath bomb by creating smaller batches of the mixture and adding different colours to each one. Simply add a small amount of each mixture into your mould and press together to make a multi coloured, layered effect.
- Ensure your bath bombs are completely dry before using them. Bath bombs are typically a two day project, so don’t rush into using your bath bomb straight after you’ve made it.
If you are wanting to eventually sell your bath bombs there are plenty of resources online which can help, such as our guide to starting a bath bomb buisness.
