Home Sign Up!

Browse Community Submit

All Art Craft Food Games Green Home Kids Life Music Offbeat Outdoors Pets Photo Ride Science Tech

How To: Make Bath Bombs

by SoapyHollow on July 24, 2008 Table of Contents How To: Make Bath Bombs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Intro: How To: Make Bath Bombs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Step 1: Blend the Dry Ingredients . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Step 2: Mix liquid and blend dry and liquids together . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Step 3: Try to avoid creating volcanoes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Step 4: Mold quickly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Step 5: Unmold and let dry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Related Instructables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 2 2 3 4 4 5 5 5

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-To-Make-Bath-Bombs/

Author:SoapyHollow author's website

More projects at: http://www.soapyhollow.com/how-to-make/ , at soapyhollow.com. All content uses a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

Intro: How To: Make Bath Bombs

Everybody loves bath bombs. It is like taking a bath in champagne, only without the show tunes and chorus boys. They are fairly simple to make, keeping in mind that the strangest things can make a batch go weird; humidity, room temperature, oil viscosity, the moon rising in the seventh house of Aquarius . . . they are a mysterious wonder. For this recipe, I am using ingredients that are pretty common, or easy to find in most areas. Essential oils can be found in small amounts at places like health food stores and craft stores often carry essentials and fragrances. Just make sure, if you buy fragrance oil, that you are buying "body safe" oils and not stuff for candles or oil warmers. So, let's start with a basic recipe in two parts. Dry ingredients: (By Weight , as measured on a scale.) Baking Soda - 8 ounces Citric Acid - 4 ounces Corn Starch - 4 ounces Salts - 4 ounces ( in these pictures, I used Dead Sea Salts, but mineral salts work too, and are easier to find and significantly less expensive.) Wet Ingredients: Water - .75 tbsp Essential or Fragrance Oil - 2 tsp (for these I used a Ginger Peach.) Oil - 2.5 tbsp (I used cherry kernel, but any light vegetable oil will work.) Food coloring - 1 or 2 drops. (Your color will look very dark in the emulsion, but will be light in the fizzies, so as to not leave rings around the tub. For this batch I used one drop red and two drops yellow. The final result will be very light peach.)

Step 1: Blend the Dry Ingredients

Begin by putting all of your dry ingredients into a big bowl. Glass is best because it is non-reactive. Whisk or pestle those pesky clumps out. You want a fairly smooth consistency throughout the entire mix.

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-To-Make-Bath-Bombs/

Step 2: Mix liquid and blend dry and liquids together

Blend your wet ingredients together. I usually use a small jar and shake it up. Don't worry about separation too much, you are not going to get a full emulsion. Then, while whisking, slowly add small amounts of the liquid to your dry ingredients. Here we see my faithful Igor prepare to pour.

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-To-Make-Bath-Bombs/

Step 3: Try to avoid creating volcanoes

If the mixture starts to foam, you are adding the liquid too fast. Quickly whisk the reacting ingredients into the nonreactive part and you should be able to stop the reaction. I add about a teaspoon at a time. When all of the wet ingredients have been added, you should have a mixture with the consistency of slightly damp sand. It should clump together when you squish it.

Step 4: Mold quickly

Once your mixture is together, you have a pretty limited amount of time in which to get it into molds. To create the giant Soapy Hollow ball of bath doom, I use round christmas tree ornaments that were designed to be filled with goodies. To do a three-dimensional bomb like these, you pack each side, then overfill a tad at the center and press the two sides together. It takes a little practice to get a feel for how much filling you need, so don't get discouraged if your first couple fall apart. Here we see Igor holding a filled ball and wondering about child labor laws.

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-To-Make-Bath-Bombs/

Step 5: Unmold and let dry

You don't need to leave them in the mold for very long, and in fact can tap them out as soon as you fill them. These are four bombs we made with this batch. You can use all sorts of things to make your bombs; muffin tins, ice cube trays, candy molds, Aunt Magnolia's denture case . . . whatever makes you happy. This batch didn't make quite enough for five bombs, and the humidity levels made the batch start to puff up, so I quickly stuffed what was left of the batch into my "bath cookies" mold. Note: When using things like silicon trays that surround the seltzer mix, or any mold with a lot of details, the mix must stay in the mold until dry, or it will crumble when you try to take it out. Once they are completely dry, store bath bombs in an airtight container or bag. High humidity will make them activate. Because we used oil and water and no preservatives, you want to use them within about 6 months. Assuming you can keep them for that long. Igor demands payment in immediate fizzy baths, but you may have better luck actually getting to *use* yours. When you're ready to use one, just drop it into a warm bath, and relax.

Related Instructables

Soft as silk: Mousturizing milk bath bombs by Crystalline_Chaos

How to make Bath Bombs by cocoislandsoaps

Imitation Alka Seltzer for a fraction of the cost by belsey

Scented Bath Salts by belsey

A cure for the Giving Your Rat common cold by a Bath by ratgirl belsey

Comments
50 comments Add Comment view all 394 comments
Sep 15, 2008. 8:53 AM REPLY

soonersseth says:
Great Instructable my mom liked her birthday present

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-To-Make-Bath-Bombs/

codongolev says:

Sep 15, 2008. 6:33 PM REPLY great birthday present idea.... I'd do it too if I could drive to a store to get all the oils and such. "hey mom, can you drive me to the store?" "why?" "to get essential oils." "....why?" ".......because they're essential."

SoapyHollow says:
Those are so fabulous! Go you!

Sep 15, 2008. 8:06 PM REPLY

SoapyHollow says:
Hee! :)

Sep 15, 2008. 8:06 PM REPLY

backcountry says:

Jan 20, 2009. 5:56 PM REPLY OK, here they are! I bought 4 of these molds and one batch filled them with a little to spare. I started early for Valentine's Day so I had time to screw up a couple of batches, but I think these are going to be fine as. Peppermint. Maybe I'll make one more different batch. What about glycerin instead of oil, would that work? I used almond oil, but I wasn't really happy with it.

SoapyHollow says:

Jan 22, 2009. 7:24 AM REPLY Those are gorgeous! Word of caution: eucalyptus, peppermint/spearmint/wintergreen type oils in a bath product may give you the ability to levitate and walk on water. (Don't ask how I know...well, you could ask...it's a pretty funny story.) Suffice it to say that girly bits and tingly oils...well....it can be a bit, erm...intense. ;) Also, I don't know if you have an Ikea near you, but they make the grooviest silicon icecube trays in various shapes; one of which is hearts. I've used their trays over and over for bombs, traditional soap and glycerin soap and they just last and last. They're cheap and durable. Yay!

backcountry says:

Jan 23, 2009. 3:42 PM REPLY Oh my, I am so glad you mentioned that about peppermint! I've been "stung" by Dr. Brommers before, I should have known better. Now I know I have to make another batch with a different oil. One thing I like about these molds is that ice cube trays would make half hearts (they're flat on one side). These are snap-together, two piece molds. They make full 3d hearts, which I think is cool. I thought they might break apart unsnapping or trying to pry them out of these molds. But no problem, they plopped right out.

SoapyHollow says:
Oh cool!

Jan 23, 2009. 4:57 PM REPLY

susie-q says:
where did you get theose heart molds? They are cute!!

Feb 5, 2009. 3:02 PM REPLY

susie-q says:

Feb 5, 2009. 3:05 PM REPLY Here's one for you, I made bath salts and you add epsimons salt, could I put that in the bath bomb mix? Or will I blow up ha ha ! Not sure how to spell that salts hope you can read it

SoapyHollow says:

Feb 5, 2009. 7:05 PM REPLY Probably. :) Epsom salts are mineral salts. I'm not sure what else you put in the bath salt mix, but it should probably work.

backcountry says:

Feb 6, 2009. 4:28 PM REPLY FactoryDirectCraft.com I just googled 'fillable plastic hearts' and started clicking. The ones I got are 80 mm (the medium size). In retrospect, they're pretty big, I'd recommend going with the small ones.

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-To-Make-Bath-Bombs/

carminedacat says:

Jul 2, 2009. 3:00 PM REPLY i planned on making these for my sister as a birthday present and was hoping to make them peppermint b/c that's her fave smell... what exactly does the "levitation" thing mean...? sorry if i'm just not getting it... :-/

himynameisandy says:

Mar 13, 2010. 10:38 AM REPLY Hey guys, these are great! I made them yesterday and have packaged them up for my girlfriend this morning! Isn't she lucky it was raining yesterday and I couldn't work :P I used 2 pairs of measuring spoons to form the molds, they worked well once I had the right consistency. I just forced them together to form a sphere. A 1 Tbsp one for the big ones, 1.5tsp for the medium, and 1/4tsp for the tiny ones. Over here in a country town in New Zealand, its hard to find the right fragrance oils that are safe for skin. I know I could of ordered online, but it was a matter of now or never, So while wondering what I could use to add some scent, I remembered how much my gf liked my CK cologne, so just cracked open my bottle of that, and poured about 2tsp of the stuff in. Didn't like being with the water much, but guess it was similar to oil. Here's a couple of pics, Hope you like them.

Pinky212 says:

May 2, 2010. 10:55 AM REPLY Very pretty and nice job. thank you for sharing that you used cologne. I've wondered if it could be used but haven't done a project yet that would let me find out. You have inspired me!

Pastor Straw says:

the Secrets of eden (www.thesecretsofeden.com) sells essential oils internationally!

May 25, 2010. 1:20 PM REPLY

SoapyHollow says:
Gorgeous! Go you!

May 25, 2010. 2:14 PM REPLY

misscollegiate says:
WOW...that is too cute!!! she"s lucky :)

Jun 14, 2010. 5:36 PM REPLY

Aislinn says:
they look really cool my mum ordered molds online ages ago and we're making the stuff today

Aug 18, 2010. 1:36 AM REPLY

SoapyHollow says:
Sweet! I'd love to see pics when you're done! :)

Aug 18, 2010. 8:23 AM REPLY

steastiw says:

Mar 26, 2011. 1:31 PM REPLY You can often find citric acid at Whole Foods, in the bulk spices/herbs. Ask if you don't see them (or call first). We've also found them at wine/beer homebrewing stores (for use in homemade soft drinks). Mar 13, 2011. 6:37 AM REPLY

NHGiftBaskets says:
Thank you for a great tutorial, your son is so cute too! I like the Bath cookie mold you used as well. What type of mold is that?

stealmysunshine202 says:
where do I find the citric acid? I want to make this for my best friends b-day which is....soon! please help!

Feb 28, 2011. 7:09 PM REPLY

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-To-Make-Bath-Bombs/

EdieB says:
Try eBay if you can't find it in a store. HTH

Mar 2, 2011. 4:14 PM REPLY

EdieB says:

Mar 2, 2011. 6:50 AM REPLY I have another question, I cannot find cherry kernel oil and the vegetable oil was too, well oily, in the bath. Can I use Vitamin E oil?

stealmysunshine202 says:
where can i buy the citric acid?

Feb 28, 2011. 9:31 PM REPLY

makijim says:

Feb 15, 2011. 7:11 PM REPLY My 5 year old daughter and I just made our first batch. This was a really fun thing to do on a cold winter afternoon. Thanks so much. P.S. The molds from Moon Sand work great to make these bath bombs. I threw them in the oven on a cookie sheet for 20 minutes at 200 degrees and that dried them out very nicely. Thanks again. Feb 11, 2011. 5:24 PM REPLY I spent the whole day collecting ingredients, and just finished making them. I didn't have any molds so I used a 1/4 cup measuring cup to make some rounded, silo-looking bath bombs. They are lavender and a very light purple. I hope they don't fall apart when they dry. We will see. Thank you for the great instructable!

euphemism says:

euphemism says:

Feb 12, 2011. 9:50 PM REPLY Sorry for the double post, but I would just like to share an idea for the presentation of these wonderful gifts. I wrapped each one in wax paper, and then went to Michaels and bought a glass jar to put them in. I also made a label for the jar as it looked a little bare.

grayseep189 says:
Sweet I am going to do this for Valentines day. WIll 1ounce of Oil be sufficient enough?

Jan 12, 2011. 1:43 PM REPLY

it05jb says:
This is a great instructable! Bath bombs are fantastic gifts, either handmade or purchased from somewhere who makes them.

Dec 22, 2010. 4:24 AM REPLY

create#1 says:
were would you find citric acid

Dec 21, 2010. 3:01 PM REPLY

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-To-Make-Bath-Bombs/

s.barr says:

Dec 15, 2010. 6:29 AM REPLY Is canola oil qualify as a "light oil"? Or is it too viscous? I have been trying to make the bath bombs (with canola oil) and have been having a bit of trouble; they are cracking when they are coming out of the molds after I dried them overnight. I'm afraid to add too much water because I don't want to ruin the batch. Any suggestions, tips, or tricks??

aparanoidgirl says:
nice?

Dec 5, 2010. 8:44 AM REPLY

beehard44 says:

Nov 7, 2010. 8:34 AM REPLY i'm making this instant drink project and i will experiment on this recipe except the salts and food coloring (fragrance will be vanilla). Hope it turns out nice and i'll give some to nutsandbolts_64 (we know each other) Nov 4, 2010. 4:51 PM REPLY I have a meatballer that I bought from wholesalesuppliesplus for bath bombs....and I can NEVER get the two sides to stick together. Any suggestions or helpful tricks? Nov 20, 2009. 12:44 PM REPLY Where is a good place to buy essential oils? i went to my local health store but they were really expensive and did not really smell all that good(actually to be honest most of the essential oils smelled like cheap soap). I really want to make them rose or vanilla scented but is there vanilla oil? I cant use vanilla extract right? i think the alcohol in the extract would probably have a bad reaction with the baking soda :(. Also this is kinda weird but can you put tea in it? I have this rose vanilla tea that smells really good, but im not sure what adding it would do to the texture of the bath bombs or to the bath itself. Anyways i would really appreciate any advice you could give me.

mandismuses says:

kiffakitty says:

SoapyHollow says:

May 26, 2010. 11:43 AM REPLY There is an awful lot of fake and cut "essential oils" out there. Because fragrance oil costs pennies to produce, and essential oils are expensive. (Well, some of them more than others.) For buying small amounts (under 3 pounds), I like Kangaroo Blue, Brambleberry and Camden Grey for online orders. I've used each of them for more than 4 years, they don't cut the oils, they don't make substitutions, they have a large selection of organics, and for small amounts they have good pricing, secure packaging and a solid reputation with the small manufacturing community. For larger amounts, ping me and I can hook you up with some big suppliers/distillers, but they generally have a 5 kg minimum, which is a LOT of essential oil. :)

aniquiel says:

Nov 2, 2010. 11:45 PM REPLY A company called Young Living makes great edible-grade essential oils. Very high quality, and also rather expensive, a little goes a VERY long way! For example, 2 drops of Pine oil scented a quart batch of bath bomb mix, and their scents don't decline fast, it will still small great in a few months. Zero preservatives, coloring, or artificial anything. Just pure oils. Yum! ...makes great diffuser blends as well!

Pastor Straw says:

May 25, 2010. 1:18 PM REPLY www.thesecretsofeden.com sells them and they are less expensive there than pretty much anywhere else...and higher quality, too!

pawgles says:
Walmart sells them or craft stores. Some large grocery stores might carry them too.

May 5, 2010. 12:48 PM REPLY

ironsmiter says:

Dec 21, 2009. 10:54 PM REPLY "Where is a good place to buy essential oils?" Try a metaphysical shop, witchy store, or Rene-faire. Candle Supply stores(or hobby loby, and similar craft stores) sometimes carry usable oils also. "I really want to make them rose or vanilla scented but is there vanilla oil?" Both are readily available as essential oils, when ordered on-line. you could even TRY using fresh vanilla bean pod scrapings, ground up in a motor & pestle. "can you put tea in it?" CAN? yes. SHOULD? probably not. Unless you LIKE taking a bath in tea. To be fair, milk baths are not uncommon, so why not a tea bath? Probably cheaper and healthier than a tanning salon! :-) It might also stain the tub. One of the LUSH bathbombs tried by my better half recently, left a kight grey stain in the tub. Vinegar and a little elbow grease cleaned it up, but it's a pain to have to wash the tub after the tub washes you!

robind323 says:

May 2, 2010. 10:30 AM REPLY To answer your question, YES there is vanilla essential oil and fragrance oil. Always make sure you use BODY SAFE fragrance oils. I own a personal care product company and have years of experience. I make just about everything for the body, especially organic soaps. I don't make this product however. The reason your experience with essential oils wasn't a good one is because you need to take a whiff, EO's (essnetial oils) are very pure from the plant extract but used in a very smal amount for something like this project would have given you a very nice result. EO's are awesome but you have to use them in very tiny amounts...so don't run away from them. EO's have been used for centuries in Pharmacy's...YES, you read that right. You can find fragrance oils anywhere on the internet just google "soap fragrance oils" if your going to stay away from the EO'S. I use alot of lavender EO which is very relaxing and gives you peace..a direct whiff out of an eo bottle will knock you back a few, LOL! Most vendor's online give you a good description of what a scent smells like so you have an idea of what your buying. Also look at the state in which you reside for a soap fragrance vendor..I believe you can go to the soapersguild.com for a directory of by state vendors. Michaels have them but they are pretty cheap. I hope this helps you and let me know if I can help you any further. Your a precious boyfriend for wanting to make these for your girlfriend.

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-To-Make-Bath-Bombs/

porcupinemamma says:
I've seen essential oils at the health food stores

Feb 13, 2010. 1:57 AM REPLY

ally-oops says:

Nov 22, 2009. 10:17 AM REPLY You can also get vanilla without the alcohol base - instead, lots use vegetable glycerin. Generally organic. I use Nielsen-Massey brand, you can order it online if a local store doesn't have it. :) Nov 2, 2010. 11:42 PM REPLY

aniquiel says:
Answering a few previous posts: Liquid glycerin does not work. It looks ok at first, but about 10 minutes later you have a liquid mess! Hobby Lobby has some neat plastic molds for around $4.00. Ebay also offers some good deals!

For those who think it looks so good you'd like to eat one, well, dont! But you could make an edible version out of Merengue: My French grandmother made the most amazing merengue, here is her recipe: 2 egg whites beaten until stiff peaks form, slowly add 1 cup of plain white sugar while beating at low speed, then cut in flavor and color by hand. baking will change with altitude, but start at about 150 to 200 degrees and watch closely, it only takes a few minutes (maybe 5 to 12 depending on altitude) and becomes a light, cruchy little piece of heaven. You could do it in sillicon ice cube molds because most sillicon can handle up to about 500 degrees, but better to run a test first! This merengue goes stale in about one day, no matter how you store it. It also burns very fast, so remove it from the oven just after the tips start to turn golden-brown. Merengue will rise a bit in the oven, but after it cools you can cut off the extra to make 3-d shapes, stick them together with a touch of frosting. I like to use frosting bag/tips to fill molds, which leaves a cute curly-Q design on top. Decorate with little cake frosting flowers if desired, but don't put merengue on ice cream, it turns into a sticky mess! ...I'm really good at "sticky messes"!!! Cheers for old French grandmothers and family recipes!

chixi96 says:
AMAZING!!!!

Oct 9, 2010. 5:40 AM REPLY

EdieB says:

Sep 4, 2010. 2:37 PM REPLY So, maybe someone already left this comment, but have you ever tried putting anything INSIDE one of the Bath Bombs, like a toy? I have bought ones for my son in the past that had things like toy dinosaurs and all in them. I was also thinking maybe the sponges that come on capsules might be fun.

SoapyHollow says:

Sep 4, 2010. 3:07 PM REPLY Oh sure! The little sponge capsules are cool to do, or any small toy that floats and will bob up to the surface. It may/may not make it harder to get your balls to stick together. Usually I do a bigger ball for toys, but absolutely, it's possible to hide stuff in there. :) Have fun, send pics if you do it! I love seeing what other people are doing. :)

EdieB says:

Sep 4, 2010. 5:41 PM REPLY Well I will definitely try it and post some pictures. We are doing a Disney cruise next year and part of it includes a little gift exchange. I was thinking of making these bath bombs with some kind of Disney toy inside. I am getting a jump on it early yo try and figure out what works best

view all 394 comments

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-To-Make-Bath-Bombs/