Hints and Tips

For Creating Perfect Bath Bombs

I have made bath bombs before and had encountered several problems. They either seemed to not want to hold together, got rancid too quickly, or when mixing the wet and dry ingredients together for the fizzing variety they would start to foam as I was mixing! After ruining several batches of ingredients I have found these tips and hints to be most valuable.

Using your hands to mix your wet and dry ingredients will help you to really "feel" when it is time to stop adding your moisture. You need to add just until the ingredients feel like wet sand and barely hold together when you squeeze them in your palm.

You may have to add a bit more or less of your wet ingredients depending on the time of year and what type of climate you live in. The more humidity you have the less wet ingredients you will need.

Adding Epsom salts adds a bit of shine to the bomb and also seems to make the fizzing action more vigorous. It also seems to shorten the drying time required.

If you want to add sea salts you should break them up so the grains are no larger than those of the Epsom salts. You may wish to use a pestle or a blender for this.

Put glycerin into the water that you're using to spritz your bath bombs to help them to bind.

Mix your wet ingredients in a plastic spray bottle and spritz your dry ingredients rather than trying to pour or drizzle the wet ingredients into your mixture.

Add the citric acid AFTER you have already spritzed and mixed the water/glycerin in if you are having real problems with the foaming starting. This keeps the acid from activating and foaming all over before you can mold the bombs.

Using cocoa butter in bath bombs instead of almond oil will avoid rancidity problems. With the cocoa butter, the bombs are still moisturizing but have a longer shelf life.

If you want to be sure that the chocolate smell of the cocoa butter does not overpower your herbs, essential oils or fragrance use the deodorized version.

Sieve your dry ingredients at least once. Two to three times is better. I like to add my essential or fragrance oils to my dry ingredients and then sieve them so that the fragrance is distributed very evenly through the mixture.

To mold the bombs there are several methods you can use:

*Press into ice cube trays

*Press into a small funnel

*Pack into an ice cream cone scoop

*Press very firmly between your hands

*Push into candy molds

*Clear plastic two-part Christmas ornament balls make great molds and come in several sizes ranging from 25 to 80 mm

It should not be necessary to oil your molds. Oiling them usually results in discoloration of the bomb where the oil "sinks" in and may also cause some soggy spots if the oil were to pool in crevices of molds you use (such as with designs found in candy molds).

After molding turn out onto wax paper, baking parchment or plastic wrap on either a rack or baking sheet or other flat surface.

You can usually dump the bombs out of your molds about 5 minutes or so after molding. Be careful not to crack or break the bombs apart when doing so.

If you prefer you may put your bombs into the freezer for 2 hours in the molds to help keep them together. Take the molds out and carefully tip the bombs out. This is especially helpful when using candy molds with intricate designs.

Let your bombs dry at least 4 days in a very dry place. Some of the smaller ones may be ready before this-actually in a day or two-but the added drying time seems to help them from crumbling later.

Store the bombs in a closed container to keep fresh or wrap individually in cellophane bags or wrap.

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Fizzing Bath Bombs Recipe

2 cups baking soda

1/2 cup cornstarch

1/2 cup citric acid

2 teaspoons deodorized cocoa butter, melted

4 teaspoons of scent of your choice of essential oil or fragrance oil

Between 1 to 2 tablespoons distilled water

3to 6 drops liquid colorant (like food coloring) if desired

Mix the baking soda, cornstarch, and citric acid together in glass or stainless steel bowl. Sieve together adding fragrance a little at a time.

Mix your wet ingredients in a spray bottle including the coloring. Spray and dry mix until it feels like wet sand and just begins to hold together. Mold and allow to dry thoroughly. Wrap or store in an airtight container.