Unexpected Daisies: Bath Bombs Baby!

Months and months ago, I made bath bombs to sell at a boutique a couple of my friends were hosting.

I made oh so many bath bombs!

And foot fizzies too.

So, so many!

It was great fun, but exhausting. So exhausting!

I had originally intended to post a tutorial on making bath bombs right after the boutique, but frankly, after all of that work, I did not want to look at or think about another bath bomb for a long time.

I am finally over it and ready to post! Whoop!

A bath bomb is a tightly packed combination of baking soda, citric acid, corn starch, and epsom salts, held together with witch hazel, grape seed oil and essential oils. When dropped into the bath they begin to fizz, releasing all of the wonderful therapeutic benefits and aroma of the essential oils. They are delightful!

Here's what you will need to make them:

1 cup baking soda
1/2 cup citric acid (can be found in the canning aisle at the local hardware store or ordered online. I recommend ordering from Mountain Rose Herbs)
1/2 cup corn starch
1/2 cup epsom salts

Measure and pour the dry ingredients through a sieve, to prevent clumps, into a large glass or stainless steel bowl.

Stir with a whisk to combine. Set aside while combining your wet ingredients.

You'll need:

3/4 tablespoon witch hazel
2 1/2 tablespoons grape seed oil
1 to 2 drops of food coloring (optional)
essential oils (for this tutorial we will make a tranquility blend using lavender, vanilla, and lemon. I purchase all of my essential oils from Eden's Garden. All of their oils are pure essential oils and they are very affordable. I really like the company)
1 small spray bottle

Pour witch hazel, grape see oil and 2 drops of food coloring (I used neon pink. LOVE the neon food coloring!!) into the spray bottle.

Next add 8 drops of lavender, 8 drops of vanilla, and 3 drops of lemon essential oils.

Shake well!

Now combine your wet and dry ingredients. This needs to be done slowly as to prevent the citric acid from fizzing. We want to save all of that great fizzy action for the bath!!

Spray 9 to 11 squirts from your spray bottle of wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.

Combine well with a whisk. And repeat. Repeat over and over. And over. Nope, not kidding! This process takes a little time, but it's really important to be patient and add in the wet ingredients slowly.

Once you have added in the last spray from your bottle, the mixture will look slightly clumpy. It will be damp but not wet and it will hold shape when packed together.

Now to mold our bath bombs into shape! Squeal!!

Each batch will make 3 medium sized bath bombs.

I use acrylic, fillable Christmas ornaments from Hobby Lobby for my bath bombs. They work perfectly! But you can use any mold you'd like. Even a muffin tin will work nicely. I use this same bath bomb recipe, molded in a mini muffin tin, for the foot fizzles, which are just small versions of the bath bomb for use in a foot bath. I lo-ove a foot bath!!

Fill each side of the acrylic mold, gently packing the mixture. You do not want to pack them too tightly.

With each half filled slightly to overflowing, press the two halves together.

It is important that you do not twist the halves together! Twisting can cause the bath bomb to crack. As can using the wrong consistency of citric acid. UGH!!

Do not purchase citric acid from some random online store! Not all citric acid is the same. -bummer!

Press the halves of your mold straight together!

Use a spoon to gently tap one side of the mold until it lets loose of the bath bomb and remove.

So pretty!!

Allow the bath bomb to remain in the bottom half of the mold and dry for 10 to 15 minutes.

After 10 to 15 minutes, turn the bath bomb out in your hand. It should easily let go of the mold. Allow the bath bombs 24 hours to dry before using.

After they are unmolded (I totally made up that word) I dry my bath bombs on bubble wrap to prevent a flat spot which is caused by sitting on a flat surface to dry. I may have learned that little trick after my first flat spotted batch. It's just sad if a bath bomb has a flat spot. Not end of the world kind of sad! Just - look at that weird flat spot - kind of sad. Yep, sad.

Anyway...

After 24 hours...VOILA!!

Beautiful bath bomb! Calling your name! Ready to ease away your stressful day! Oh yeah!!

Now if the combination of Lavender, vanilla and lemon doesn't suit your taste, you could try this lovely relaxing combination of 10 drops of peppermint, 10 drops lavender, and 5 drops of lemon essential oils. I would not, however, recommend adding the little lavender buds like I did. While it looks pretty...doesn't this bath bomb look pretty??