Have you scoured the internet for something easy, fun and relaxing to do for you and/or your kids?
Do you really want to make your own all-natural DIY bath bombs but don’t know where to start?
You came to the right place to discover the best ways to make bath bombs the perfect, fund and educational activity for you and your children!
How Do Bath Bombs Work?
The base for bath bombs is made of citric acid and sodium bicarbonate. They are both powdered ingredients until they react with water or moisture that will cause carbon dioxide to be released, which causes the bubbles.
For the best results and affects, the bath bomb should be placed in an already filled/drawn bath.
The breakdown/dissolution process can be accidentally started ahead of its intended use by condensation from the air. The bath bombs should therefore be stored properly and used soon after making in order to avoid them breaking down ahead of time.
That’s one of the reasons you’ll see older bath bombs breaking apart over time as the moisture gets to them.
There are a variety of ingredients you can add that make bath bombs differ from one another, such as when additional dyes, seeds and essential oils are added, they will be released during the dissolving process, making your bath water fragranced, vibrant, and soothing.
Some of the additions, such as lavender, or moisturizers like coconut oil will begin blending into the water and start giving their positive effects as you soak away your thoughts, aches, pains and troubles.
After your bath, you just have to make sure to rinse out any residue left on the bathtub with hot water and you are ready to go.
All-Natural Bath Bombs – Do They Work?
Bath bombs that are made with all-natural ingredients do indeed work. They are just void of any chemicals that could potentially cause irritation to the skin and any artificial ingredients, which are not necessary when enjoying a bath bomb anyway.
All-natural bath bombs still have the same base as any other bath bombs; however, they lack the unnatural colorants and silly ingredients additions like glitter.
If you’d like to include some colors, use dyes that are vegetable-based or naturally occurring in plants such as roses and lavender. These will color the water without coloring your skin
When it comes to scents, the same essential oils, such as rosemary or lavender oil, are used, it’s recommended that you stay away from chemical scents as they have side effects as well.
Another way to scent your bath bomb is to use dried crushed herbs. The fragrance and therapeutic effects can me wonderful, but you may need a rinse off in the shower afterwards to remove all the herb particles. This is why the majority of DIY’ers use the essential oils instead of dried herbs.
In addition to being more environmentally friendly, all-natural bath bombs are much healthier for your skin – they can still moisturize, relieve pain and relax you without the substances that could potentially lead to irritation, chemical exposure or even drying out of the skin.
How To Make All-Natural Bath Bombs At Home?
In order to create your very own bath bomb, you need to prepare a few things first: baking soda, citric acid (or a substitute), a fragrance of choice (such as lavender oil). These ingredients are enough to create very basic bath bombs, if you’d like to turbo charge yours then more exotic oils can be used. The other items you’ll need are mixing bowls, gloves, bath bomb molds and measuring utensils.
The first step is to place all dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir them until they combine. A general rule of thumb is to use 3 parts baking soda to one-part citric acid. If you’d like a little more bubble action, then add an additional one half part citric acid to the mix.
Then, add the oils and fragrances at about 10 drops per bath bomb. Add them in one drop at a time while continuously stirring the dry mixture.
The final step is to place the mixture into a bath bomb mold and wait until it dries. After it’s completely dry, the bath bomb is ready to be used.
It is important to note that you should fill the mold tightly to avoid any air pockets that could make the final product crack. Both parts of the mold should be filled until the mixture is flowing out, then pressed together to bind them. If the bath bomb cracks, place it back in the mold facing the other way and repeat the pressing process again.
There are recipes online for more complex bath bombs, but for the vast majority of people these are just what they’ve been looking for.
However, below we will give you a couple of recipes to spice things up a bit.
All-Natural Bath Bomb Recipes
Follow these two recipes and you’ll have super fragrant bath bombs in just a few minutes.
Lavender Bath Bombs
Ingredients:
2 to 3 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
½ cup of baking soda
10 to 15 drops of lavender oil
½ tablespoon of coconut oil (optional)
Equipment:
Spoon or whisk
Medium mixing bowl
Spray bottle (optional)
Molds (cupcake molds can be used)
Peppermint Epsom Salt Bath Bombs
Ingredients:
2 to 3 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
½ cup of baking soda
10 to 15 drops of peppermint essential oil
½ cup of Epsom salt
½ tablespoon of coconut oil (optional)
Equipment:
Spoon or whisk
Medium mixing bowl
Spray bottle (optional)
Molds
Method:
1. Add the dry ingredients into the mixing bowl along with the essential oil (and coconut oil one or just a few drops at a time while stirring, if used). Stir well, until the ingredients are all combined.
2. Using the spray bottle (or a teaspoon), add lemon juice to the mixture, stirring after every spray. Be careful not to do it too quickly, as the mixture may activate. Continue to stir.
3.Use a spoon to check whether the mixture stays together by packing the spoon like a ball and pulling it out in one piece. If not, slowly add more lemon juice.
4. Put the mixture into the molds, one spoon at the time. Press them into the mold firmly to avoid any air pockets.
5. Set the molds aside to dry for at least 5 hours. The length of the drying process varies, so keep checking on the molds.
6. Once they are fully dry, take the now ready bath bombs out of the molds and enjoy!
Tip: If the bath bombs are not going to be used straight away, keep them in an airtight container or a bag, in order to prevent them from absorbing any moisture.
How To Make Natural DIY Bath Bombs Without Citric Acid?
Instead of citric acid, you can use multiple ingredients that are quite common and easily obtainable in most stores or online. Some of them are better than the others, although that depends on the recipe you are following too. It is best to try out various ingredients until you find the ones that work the best for you.
Lemon juice – the simplest yet the most effective substitute. Lemon juice contains citric acid, which is more diluted due to its other components, however it still works great (although it may perform in a less impressive way than pure citric acid would).
Cream of tartar – another common baking ingredient that can be used as a substitute, cream of tartar will provide almost the same result as citric acid and is widely popular within bath bomb crafting communities. You may have to pay a little more, but, of you can’t use citric acid this is the best alternative.
Epsom salt – you can get scented Epson salts, which can replace fragrance oils in your recipe too. However, salt tends to attract water, which will cause the bath bombs to break and crumble, so it is not always advised to use it. If you do want to switch it out, remember to store it in an airtight container.
What Are Bath Bombs With Rings Inside?
Bath bombs with rings inside are bath bombs that have a small container in their core, containing a ring (or another piece of jewelry, or a small toy). The container is usually a plastic capsule, enabling it to float to the surface of the water in the bath so it can easily be found and picked up.
The quality of the surprise piece of jewelry depends on the bath bomb maker or brand, with products varying from stainless steel to white gold. Some even come with pearls or crystals – yes, you can even find Swarovski crystal rings in higher end bath bomb rings.
Most bath bombs that contain something on the inside will be significantly larger than standard bath bombs – the plastic container needs to be encased properly, in order to avoid the product breaking apart and revealing the core. Also, it requires the container to be airtight in order to prevent it from leaking in water.
How To Make Your Bath Bombs With Rings Or Toys Inside?
Making your very own, natural bath bomb with a surprise hidden inside may seem like a challenging task at first. However, there is nothing to be afraid of, as the actual way those bath bombs are made is actually pretty simple.
For the first step, you need to prepare all of your ingredients and a recipe that you have tested before. It is very important, as you will have to make sure it definitely works and that there will be no risk (or minimal risk) of it crumbling.
When you have followed your recipe and have your bath bomb mixture ready, prepare a mold large enough for the surprise and at least half an inch of bath bomb material all the way around it.
Fill up half of the mold with the mixture and place the surprise in the middle, before sealing it in with the other half. Make sure to fill the mold in tightly with the bath bomb mix, in order to prevent any air pockets.
It would be recommended to place the surprise in a container, to prevent it being lost among the bubbles or getting damaged. So, before placing the surprise in the mixture, seal it within an airtight plastic container, not much bigger in size than whatever the surprise is. This should protect it and prevent accidents.
You can order small, two part easter egg capsules online at many craft stores.
Are Bath Bombs For Kids Safe?
Generally, all bath bombs are safe as long as they are used as instructed. However, there are a few things to watch out for when selecting bath bombs for your younger family members. If there is any uncertainty, you can always contact the company and ask questions.
Bath bombs for kids are most often than not made with extra dyes, sparkles, and fragrances in order to make them more appealing. For example, glitters are not necessary, however, they do make it more ‘fun’ for the child. That does not make it unsafe, but it is important to pay attention to the ingredients and the age of the child.
If a product contains glitter, it would not be wise to use that with children who still like to test everything by putting it in their mouths. You may also want to drain the tub before washing the child’s face and hair to avoid contact with the eyes and getting it stuck in their hair.
The easiest way to check whether or not a bath bomb is safe for your child is to do a test by putting a small amount of the bath bomb mixture on the arm and then waiting and seeing whether any irritation occurs.
When you make all-natural bath bombs at home you can avoid these challenges and also all the harsh dyes and chemical fragrances most companies typically use.
What Are The Bath Bombs Benefits?
There are many reasons why using bath bombs can be beneficial to you. They can help you:
Relax and relieve stress through the use of various fragrances, such as lavender, jasmine or lemon. There are plenty to choose from and if you cannot find a specific scent, you can add a bit of that oil into the bath as well. Using a bath bomb will essentially take your mind off everything and help you focus on the here and now.
Soothe muscle pains and aches. Plants such as rosemary and lavender are quite widely used in the bath bomb industry due to their comforting properties. Alongside the bath bomb, the warmth of the water is going to help soothe away even the worst aches from your long day.
Help you have a good night sleep. A warm bath with a lavender-scented bath bomb is going to do wonders for a person looking to climb straight into bed afterwards. With the muscle relaxing properties of lavender, you are virtually guaranteed a sound, peaceful nights rest.
Take care of your skin. Two of the most popular ingredients that are used in skincare are shea butter and coconut oil, which you can easily add to your homemade bath bombs. They are the perfect ingredients to help moisturize and soften the skin, as well as make it feel smoother and help lock in hydration.
DIY bath bombs are easy to make, great for relaxing, nourishing your skin or simply to make having a bath more fun for yourself or your children. You can make bath bombs as a family activity that will entertain the young ones and have both you and they enjoying their bath times.