Ever Wondered How To Make Bath Bombs?
Bath bombs are the ultimate bath time treat and they make wonderful gifts for family and friends. We show you how to make them yourself!
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Bath bombs are the ultimate bath time treat and they make wonderful gifts for family and friends. If you've ever wondered exactly how to make bath bombs, read on.
The ultimate bath bomb recipe
You might expect a recipe that labels itself 'the ultimate' to be complicated. Think again. This basic recipe is all that you need to make fail-safe bath bombs.
You'll need the following basic ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups or 180 grams of bicarbonate of soda
- 1/2 cup or 30 grams citric acid powder (you can buy it in most chemists)
- Sweet almond oil
Secondary ingredients
- Food colouring
- Herbal teabags such as chamomile or hibiscus
- Dried rose petals or dried lavender
- Potpourri
- Essential oils - rose, lavender, orange and bergamot are popular
- Glitter
Equipment
- Two glass bowls - one large and one smaller
- Egg cup
- Fine sieve
- Rubber or hair colouring gloves
- Moulds - simple balls, stars, hearts or columns are best
Tips
- Plastic bowls get tainted by fragrance so use glass or metal. Glass is best as you can see the mixture from every angle.
- Have everything within reach. Once you add the liquid you need to work fairly quickly.
- You can buy moulds in craft shops, but you can also improvise. The plastic bauble-shaped containers filled with socks or sweets that are so popular at Christmas are a great alternative. You can also use ice-lolly moulds, ice cube trays or shot glasses to make smaller bath bombs.
How to make bath bombs
Step OneSieve the citric acid and bicarbonate of soda into the large glass bowl.
Step TwoPlace 1/2 cup (30 grams) into the smaller bowl and set aside to rest. If you're using potpourri, lavender, herbal tea bags or glitter, add now and mix through.
Step ThreeIn the egg cup, mix 1/2 teaspoon sweet almond oil, 6 drops of essential oil and around 10 drops of food colouring.
Step FourWipe a little sweet almond oil over the insides of the moulds to prevent sticking. If you want your bath bombs to look sparkly add a little glitter or add some dried lavender for a textured finish.
Step FivePut on the gloves. Make a shallow depression in the centre of the dry mixture. Now tip in the liquid and mix through. Work quickly so that ingredients fizz as little as possible and use your fingertips to break up any lumps.
Step SixPack mixture firmly into mould. Repeat 3 times with remaining ingredients. Leave to set for 24 to 36 hours before removing the moulds. To remove, turn mould and bang it firmly once. For added impact, tie a little chiffon or net around the bath bombs with ribbon.
You can also put them in containers or boxes on a bed of tinsel, potpourri, rose petals, cotton balls or raffia. Finally, remember that you need a nice hot bath to make your bath bombs fizz. The ingredients just don't react in cold water.