How to Make Relaxing Aromatic Bath Bombs

Letting go and unwinding now and then is a must to survive in today’s fast-paced world. A luxurious and aromatic soak in your bath using a bath bomb is a sure way to leave you feeling relaxed and pampered.

Out of all your senses, the smell is most closely linked to your emotions. According to some psychological studies, some of our emotions – including pleasant childhood memories and feelings of well-being – are triggered by smell.

Bath bombs impart essential oils, aroma, and color to your bath water, making your bath a truly luxurious experience.

Most likely you have had the opportunity to use bath bombs before. You might have gotten one as a gift or a party favor. There is also a wide range of bath bombs available in the market, although they might pinch your pocketbook.

It can be easily remedied by making bath bombs at home. It’s fairly simple to do, not to mention cheap. You can make relaxing bath bombs with customized shapes and sizes as well as a variety of aromas to suit your needs. You can fashion it as a gift for your loved ones, or you can include it in a customized gift basket for any occasion. An additional bonus is that you’ll surely have fun making these bath bombs.

Steps to Make Bath Bomb at Home

Things you’ll need:

• Baking soda – 1 cup
• Citric acid – ½ cup
• Epsom salt – ½ cup
• Corn flour – ½ cup
• Water –2 tablespoons
• Olive oil – 2 tablespoons
• Essential oil of your choice – 10 to 12 drops
• Food coloring
• Measuring cup and spoon
• Mixing bowl and spoon
• Small spray bottle
• Molds

Step 1. Put baking soda in a mixing bowl

Measure 1 cup of baking soda into a mixing bowl, preferably ceramic. You can also use a glass or metal bowl. Don’t use a plastic mixing bowl as it absorbs smells. Your next meal in that bowl might end up smelling like a bubble bath!

Step 2. Add Epsom salt

Add ½ cup of Epsom salt to the bowl to give your bath bomb detoxing properties. Epsom salt helps flush toxins from the body.

Step 3. Add corn flour

To make your skin feel softer after the bath, add ½ cup of corn flour to your batch.

Step 4. Add citric acid

Add ½ cup of citric acid to the bowl. When you put the bath bombs into the water, the citric acid reacts with baking soda giving rise to fizz that you can enjoy in your bath.

Step 5. Mix the ingredients thoroughly

Whisk the contents of the bowl with a spoon. You need all the dry ingredients thoroughly combined.

Step 6. Put water in a spray bottle

Measure 2 tablespoons of water into a small spray bottle.

Although water helps bind the mixture, too much of it can start the fizzing reaction, making your bath bombs “grow” or expand during the process. This makes them look bumpy or misshapen. This will considerably reduce the amount of fizz you’ll be able to enjoy during the bath.

Step 7. Add olive oil

Next, pour 2 tablespoons of olive oil into the spray bottle as well. Olive oil gives your bath bomb a moisturizing quality.

Step 8. Add essential oil

Add 10 to 12 drops of your favorite essential oil to the mixture in the spray bottle.

Aromatic oils have long been used for therapeutic effects. The essential oils can make your bath truly relaxing.

Only add the recommended amount of essential oils, too much essential oil in the mixture could irritate skin.

Step 9. Add food coloring

Now, you might need some practice with the food coloring. For starters, add 10 to 12 drops of any food coloring of your choice.

For the next batch, you can tweak the amount of color you use to achieve the desired shade. You can use a different color or even try a combination of colors in subsequent batches.

Step 10. Shake the bottle

Put the cap on the spray bottle and give it a nice shake to mix the ingredients well.

You’ll see in the next step how using a spray bottle helps uniformly incorporate the solution into the powdered mixture.

Step 11. Spray the solution into the dry mixture

Spray the solution into the bowl and fold the mixture with the spoon. Again, spray the solution while continuously folding and mixing the contents of the bowl. This will prevent lumps from forming in the mixture.

Repeat this process until you’ve incorporated all of the solutions from the bottle into the mixture. Put some of the mixture in your palms and squeeze. If it clumps, then your mixture is ready to be put into molds. It should be the texture of wet sand.

Step 12. Fill the molds

For this step, you’ll want molds of your favorite shapes that come apart in two halves. Fill both halves with the mixture. Press down with the spoon or your fingers to pack the mixture tightly inside the molds.

Repeat until both halves are chock full of mixture. Next, bring the halves together and squeeze to seal them shut.

Do the same with the other molds.

Step 13. Allow the material to set

Remove any excess mixture from the rims of the molds using your fingers. Let the molds sit for 1 to 2 minutes. This will allow the material to fully set into the shape of the molds.

Step 14. Extract the bath bombs

After 1 to 2 minutes, your bath bombs should be sufficiently set. To extract a bath bomb from a mold, lightly tap the mold on both sides with a spoon.

Take off one-half of the mold. Then, gently transfer the bath bomb from the other half to your palm.

Repeat the process to extract your bath bombs from the other molds.

Step 15. Let the bath bombs dry

Let your pretty and adorable bath bombs dry for 1 to 2 days. The drying time depends on the atmosphere of your area. If you don’t live in a very humid climate, 1 day should be enough. Cover with a light towel while they dry.

Wrap the bath bombs in cellophane and store in an airtight container. Use within 2 to 3 weeks. The longer you store them, the weaker the aroma of the essential oils will be.

Tips

• If you are prone to yeast infections, ditch the corn flour and replace with arrowroot powder as a precaution. Corn is believed to promote yeast infections.
• If you’re worried about staining your hands, wear protective gloves.
• Any nice moisturizing oil, such as coconut, avocado, apricot or almond oil, can be used instead of olive oil.
• Never use sugar in your bath bombs as it breeds bacteria. Epsom salt is a much better alternative and adds detoxifying benefits.
• Once you add the liquid, work fast. Time becomes of the essence.
• Fragrance and coloring are entirely optional.
• Using molds of a smaller size can make the process easier.
• You can also use a meat balling tool to create round bath bombs.