making
bath bombs
Making bath bombs can be very frustrating at times. I’ve made beautiful bombs,
laid them out to dry, and had them start growing because it rained or became
too humid. I have smooshed them into candy molds and used a meat baller to
form perfect balls, but my best success has been with a bath bomb mold and
tamper.
All bath bombs are made pretty much the same way. There’s very little difference
among recipes. Play with the recipe I’ve given you, and find the oil and molding
method you prefer. You may or may not want to dry them in your oven. It’s purely
a matter of what process you like best.
Bath bombs are a fun way to add a few skin-
softening ingredients and fragrance to your
bath. When tossed in a tub of water, they zz
until they’ve dissolved.
what you need …
Large bowl
Electric mixer
Whisk
Cookie sheet
Latex gloves
Mold, either a candy mold or a bath bomb tamper
6×6 foil candy wrappers
Colorant (optional)
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81scrubs and other bath products
basic bath bomb
Many hand-crafters use this basic recipe for bath bombs. (I did not create it.) I learned a trick from
Sandra Morrow that’s made a huge difference in how well my bombs turn out: she taught me to
hold the citric acid back from the mixture until the liquid is already well mixed in. This stops the
fizzing that would happen when the liquid was added. 100 percent improvement! Makes 24 ounces
(680.4 grams), or 12 (2-ounce; 56.7-gram) bombs, or 24 (1-ounce; 28.4-gram) bombs.
8 oz. (226.8g) citric acid
8 oz. (226.8g) cornstarch
16 oz. (453.6g) baking soda
1 oz. (28.4g) sweet almond oil
1
⁄
2
tsp. (2.5ml) distilled water
1 tsp. (5ml) fragrance or essential oil
1
⁄
2
tsp. (2.5ml) skin-safe colorant (optional)
1. Place a bowl on your scale, and push the tare button. Weigh the citric acid, and set it aside
for now.
You can make
your own bath
bomb mold and
tamper using a
piece of 1-inch
(2.5-centimeter)
PVC pipe 4 inches
(10-centimeters)
long for the mold
and a dowel
rod with a 1-inch
(2.5-centimeter)
circle of wood
attached. You also
could use store-
bought bath bomb
molds, but it’s
sometimes difficult
to get them pressed
tight enough for
them to hold to-
gether.
2. Weigh the cornstarch, and place it in a large bowl.
Repeat this with the baking soda. Mix together, and
set aside.
3. Measure the oils and water, pour into a small jar, and
stir to combine. If you’re adding colorant, add it to
this mixture, too.
4. Slowly drizzle the wet ingredients into the dry ingre-
dients, and stir to evenly incorporate ingredients.
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82 Idiot’s Guides: Making Natural Beauty Products
5. Add the citric acid, and continue stirring to distribute
the citric acid throughout the bath bomb mixture.
6. Scoop some of the bomb mixture into the candy mold
or bath bomb mold.
7. Press the bomb mixture into the candy mold or use the
bath bomb mold and tamper to form your bath bombs.
They don’t need to sit very long in the mold, but if
they’re not packed tightly enough, they sometimes fall
apart when turned out. Arrange your bombs on a cookie
sheet.
8. Preheat the oven to 170ºF (77ºC) or the lowest setting.
When the oven is hot, turn it off, and place the cookie
sheet with the bombs in the oven. Close the door and
let sit for 1 hour to harden and dry the bombs.
9. Remove bombs from the oven and let sit for several
days to dry completely. Wrap each bath bomb in foil
squares or store in airtight bags.
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83scrubs and other bath products
sinus relief
These Quick and Easy Shower Sinus Tabs are perfect if you suffer from allergies or colds. Drop
a tab in your tub where the water will hit it, and while you shower, the vapors help clear out your
stuffed nose. You make them just like regular bath bombs, except you boil the water and use it to
melt the menthol crystals. (I did not create this recipe.)
Preheat the oven to 170ºF (77ºC). In a large bowl, combine 1 cup (236.6 milliliters) baking soda
and 1 cup (236.6 milliliters) cornstarch. In a medium saucepan over low heat, bring
3
⁄
4
teaspoon
(3.7 milliliters) distilled water to a boil. Add 1 teaspoon (5 milliliters) menthol crystals, and stir until
dissolved. Add 1 ounce (28.4 grams) sweet almond oil and 1 teaspoon (5 milliliters) eucalyptus
essential oil, and stir well. Drizzle the liquids into the dry ingredients, and whisk together. Con-
tinue mixing with an electric hand mixer until the liquids are well disbursed throughout the dry
ingredients. Add the
1
⁄
2
cup (118.3 milliliters) citric acid, and mix well. Tightly pack mixture into a
bath bomb mold or candy mold, pop the tabs out of the molds, and place on a cookie sheet. Turn
off the preheated oven, put the tabs inside, and close the door for 1 hour. Remove tabs from the
cookie sheet, and let air-dry overnight. Wrap the tabs in foil candy wrappers.
A note of caution: don’t overdo the menthol crystals. They might smell mild now, but when hot
water or heat hits them, they give off lots of vapors. I once made my tabs using 1 tablespoon (14.8
milliliters) menthol crystals. When I opened the oven door to check the tabs, the smell made me
light-headed and I fell to my knees. I had to open the windows and doors to air out the house!
That batch went straight into the trash.
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