My basic bath bomb recipe was seeming a little “vanilla” lately (aka: in need of a change). So to spice things up and continue with the bath bomb theme of the week, I mixed it up by adding Fine Grained Dead Sea Salt and some Himalayan Pink Salt for garnish. The salts combined with the new Orange Grove Fragrance Oil is just what I needed to make extraordinary double duty bath bombs!
Ingredients
½ Cup Citric Acid
1 Cup Baking Soda
¼ Cup Fine Grained Dead Sea Salt
3-6 ml Orange Grove Fragrance Oil
4-6 Sprays Witch Hazel
Coarse Pink Salt for Garnish
and
(Note: The Radiant Heart Mold has been discontinued.
It has been substituted with the 6 Cavity Heart Silicone Mold)
Get all of the ingredients you need in the click of a button. Remember that you can delete any of the ingredients from the shopping cart.
Prep: Add your pink salt to the cavities of your mold (which ever mold you choose) so it’s ready to go! The molds below all work great for this project; see how I liked to organize my salt chunks below: Modern Circles, Mod Flower, Retro Squares, Radiant Heart. (Note: The Radiant Heart Mold has been discontinued. It has been substituted with the 6 Cavity Heart Silicone Mold)
ONE: Combine the citric acid, baking soda and sea salt in a mixing bowl and mix, mix, mix with your hands getting rid of all of the clumps. I usually just mix for an extra minute or two pinching the clumps with my fingers. Sift the ingredients if necessary.
TWO: Add 3 ml of Orange Grove Fragrance Oil (use 6 ml if you want them scented stronger). Then again, mix with your hands.
Tip: If you don’t want to ruin your nail polish, make sure to wear gloves.
THREE: Depending on the moisture level of the current mixture, spritz the bath bombs with witch hazel. It should take between 4-6 spritzes, the mixture should be wet enough so when you squeeze the powder in your palm, it will stick together.
FOUR: Press the mixture into your molds and pack it as tight as you can. We want these bath bombs to stick together!
FIVE: Leave the bath bombs in the mold for about 1 minute then gently release them from the mold by flipping the mold over and tapping the backs of the cavities. They should easily slide out. Let them sit for at least 6-8 hours (if not over night) before touching them. They WILL crack and crumble, which will leave you very disappointed if you touch them too early. Trust me on this one!
I looked through the recipes and comments for the bath bombs but didn’t see how many one batch makes on average. Are those ingredients for making one? I need to make 40 and am wondering how much to buy so I can approximate the cost for party favors.
Thanks for your help
Susan
Hi Susan!
This recipe will make about 5-6 bath bombs using either one of the molds listed in this recipe. If you are wanting to make around 40 bath bombs, I would definitely make sure you have enough ingredients. I was able to do some calculations, and to get around 40 bath bombs (using the Radiant Heart Soap Mold), you would need:
8 cups Baking Soda (https://www.brambleberry.com/Sodium-Bicarbonate-P4976.aspx)
4 cups Citric Acid (https://www.brambleberry.com/Citric-Acid-P3753.aspx)
2 cups Fine Brazilian Sea Salt (https://www.brambleberry.com/Brazilian-Sea-Salt-P3559.aspx)
I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any other questions. =)
-Becky with Bramble Berry
I have a recipe that calls for 2.5 TBSP oil (for a recipe that uses 8 oz baking soda) I used either sweet almond or avocado (can’t remember which). Toward the end of molding, when I was having difficulty getting them to stick together, I added a bit more oil instead of water (first time making bath bombs and didn’t know what i was doing or what the various ingredients did). They turned out great, molded well, fizzed well but they left a residue/ring in the bath tub. Do you think that is just because of the additional oil I added or the fact that I added oil at all? I like the feel of a bit of oil on my skin but not enuf to scrub out the tub! Thanks for your help.
Hi Donna!
Was the residue that was left in your tub at all colored? Sometimes if you use a particular type of colorant (typically Labcolors and Oxides) it can leave a bit of residue and color in a ring around the bathtub. If you could let me know which recipe you used, I can definitely help you troubleshoot what happened! 🙂
-Becky with Bramble Berry
The don’t recall any color in the residue. Even tho I used a couple of drops of food coloring the result was only a faint green color and it all went down the drain. There are so many recipes out there that I just grabbed one. Here is the link to the recipe I used:
http://www.instructables.com/id/How-To-Make-Bath-Bombs/
The salts I used were epsom salts rather than Dead Sea Salts, the fragrance oil I used was Natural Rosemary Mint Blend from Sweet Cakes, and the 2.5 T oil I used was either sweet almond or avocado. Everything else was the same as the recipe and made as per the directions. They looked great, smelled great, felt great and fizzed well (first time maker so I don’t have anything to compare them to but seemed to be good). Other than the residue and having to be careful getting out of the tub because I was a bit slippery w/ the oil, everything was good. I didn’t have any trouble w/ the mix foaming either so water seemed to work fine (vs witch hazel). Thanks for your help with this. My initial excitement over having ‘mastered’ this homemade spa item quickly fizzled out with the bath ring, followed by trying the recipe w/ less oil (after SEVERAL days of drying they finally fizz)) and following the recipe again using witch hazel (they kept foaming for quite a while after I took them out of the mold). VERY humbling but I am not yet willing to give up. Donna
Hi Donna!
Thanks for getting back to us with your recipe. We don’t typically add cornstarch to our recipes, so that might be the residue you are seeing around your tub. I’d suggest trying it out again without the cornstarch to see if that is the culprit for the residue. I’m surprised to hear that water worked for you, as it is what actually sets of the reaction between the baking soda and citric acid. We like to use a bit of oil and the teeniest amount witch hazel to get ours to set up.
If you are wanting to try another recipe, here are a few you could try out:
Tiger Stripe Bath Bombs: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tigerstripebathbombs
Dressed Up Bath Bombs!: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/bath-fizzies/dressed-up-bath-bombs/
Bath Fizzies – Gift Series : http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/bath-fizzies/bath-fizzies-gift-series-day-one-2/
Halloween Bath Fizzies: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/bath-fizzies/halloween-bath-fizzies-2/
Bath Bomb Surprise: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/bath-fizzies/bath-bomb-surprise-2/
I hope this helps! Keep us updated on the the bath bombs sans cornstarch. 🙂
-Becky with Bramble Berry
yipes i need your help i made these last night and now i cant get them out of the modern circles mold 🙁
ooohhh i see where i went wrong i didn’t pop them out of the mold right away ugh
Don’t worry! All is not lost. You can totally save them and use the mixture still! 🙂 You can either try putting it back in the mold, or you can use the this technique that we used when our bath bombs just didn’t turn out the way we were hoping:
Save The Bath Bombs: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/bath-fizzies/save-the-bath-bombs-valentine-style/
I hope this helps! 🙂
-Becky with Bramble Berry
Good morning, Linda!
You can keep them in the mold for longer, but in this particular recipe, we found it super easy to just pop it right out. Did you follow our recipe in your bath bombs? 🙂
-Becky with Bramble Berry
OK I THOUGHT EVERYTHING WAS GREAT. THEY DID NOT FIZZ OR SWELL TOO SOON..BUT..WHEN I PUT ONE IN MY HOT BATH IT SUNK STRAIT TO THE BOTTOM AND DID NOTHING. THEN I PICKED IT UP AND THE MINUTE THE AIR GOT TO IT –IT START FIZZING–WHEN I LET GO OF IT –IT SUNK TO BOTTOM AND STOPPED FIZZING..ARE THEY SUPPOSED TO FLOAT??
ANYTHING I CAN ADD TO MAKE THEM EVEN FIZZIER?
THANKS FOR ALL THE HELP AND GREAT IDEAS
NANCY
Hi Nancy!
Bath bombs aren’t actually supposed to float in the tub, and they should just fizz when introduced to water. If you could give me the recipe you were using, I’d love to help you troubleshoot what happened! 🙂
-Becky with Bramble Berry
hi i am 12 and so new to all of this. i love bath bombs so much but what can i use for molds? that are chep to buy. and can i do this with my 7 year old bff?
and how do you make sugar scub? i love that stuff 🙂 thanks so much
Hi Roxie!
Bath bombs are a great activity for any age. You can find great molds for bath bombs and fizzies almost anywhere. But I’d suggest trying out your local craft store, or seeing if you parents would be willing to purchase any online. Here are a few of my favorite molds:
Swirled Heart Mold: https://www.brambleberry.com/Swirled-Heart-Mold-1-sheet-P3162.aspx
Stainless Steel Bath Bomb Mold: https://www.brambleberry.com/Stainless-Steel-Bath-Bomb-Mold-2-pieces-P4670.aspx
Stacked Star Mold: https://www.brambleberry.com/Stacked-Star-Mold-P4618.aspx
And, if you want to start making your own sugar scrubs, here are a few recipes that you can try out:
Neopolitan Sugar Scrub: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/melt-and-pour-soap/neopolitan-sugar-scrub-2/
Solid Bath Sugar Cubes Tutorial: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/melt-and-pour-soap/solid-bath-sugar-cubes-tutorial-2/
I hope this helps! 🙂
-Becky with Bramble Berry
i know this is about bath supplies,but has anyone thought about using them for air freshners in your cars, trucks,ect i think they would hold the scent for a long time? just an idea i thought it would work out very well using a fizzy base?
Hi Dixie!
I’ve heard that some people have actually used them in a car for an air freshener before. You can also use an diffuser which keeps the scent really well! Let us know how it turns out for you if you try it out!
https://www.brambleberry.com/Nouveau-Reed-Bottle-Kit-Natural-P5153.aspx
-Becky with Bramble Berry
What would be a good usage rate for a fo/eo in bath bombs? Thanks!
Are these supposed to expand? Mind did! I did everything as instructed, took them out of the molds, and left them alone all night. When I checked the next day, it was like they had been fizzing all night and had pretty much lost the shape/design of the mold and gotten larger. They didn’t look pretty like the picture anymore.
Either humidity or too much moisture to start with. You used witch hazel in the recipe right? Not water?
Made them last night. Turned out great, thanks for sharing!
Cheers!
Cody Wellard
Yay! So glad you were able to knock these off your to-do list =)
I love your blog and Bramble Berry! Your the best Ann Marie!
Will honey work in bath bombs? Also, will benzion EO work? Trying to make all natural bath fizzies for teacher gifts for Valentine’s day, so I’m just thinking of different recipes. What about putting in oatmeal?
Also, will any plastic soap mold work, or does it need to be a certain thickness?
Finally, I noticed other people’s recipes call for corn starch, but you don’t. Any reason?
Thank you so much!!!
Looking forward to more from you!!!
Thank you for reading! =)
Honey probably will not work in a bath bomb. Benzoin would work but it’s a bad idea since some people believe that it’s a skin sensitizer over time. Oatmeal is fun but can be a little weird in tubs unless you finely grind it up.
Any plastic mold should work =)
Cornstarch is a filler and it adds to smoothness in the water. You can use it but you’ll get slightly less fizz with it in than if you didn’t have it in there.
Thank you so much for responding. I did both with and without corn starch. The one with corn starch totally expanded to 2x’s the original size. The one without did too, but nearly as much. Is this normal? I’m I doing something wrong? The one with corn starch wasn’t nearly as smooth as without.
I did add finely ground oatmeal, used my coffee grinder, to the one with corn starch with Lavender EO.
The other ones with out, I did a sun burst one (citrus EOs) and a plain peppermint with strict instructions to be careful with the plain peppermint (a little goes a long way) and not to go in sun after citrus.
I didn’t have time to order your colorant’s, but I use woad powder with sweet almond oil, and I got it to a pretty lavender color for the Lavender fizzie. Could the oil I used made it expand?
Thank you again for your great blog, Bramble Berry and all your great advice! It’s so fun!!!
So, when you made the product, it puffed out? Am I understanding that correctly? If that’s the case, it’s probably just too much liquid used when you were making the bath fizzies.
Next time, try less liquid (maybe even just use the sweet almond oil and the EOs to dampen the mixture and see if that sticks together).
I hope I understood the issue correctly.
I was wondering about the elapsed time for bath bombs. One of my friends always compares things to a certain company that is known for their bath bombs. Mine fizzle out fast.
Is it just the amount of pressure used to make the fizzie/bomb that makes it last longer in water? An ingredient maybe?
Thanks for any help.
It’s definitely the pressure – the harder you push, the tighter all the bath fizzy ingredients pack in and the longer the fizzy lasts in the tub.
I have citric acid on order from BB, but wondered if I tried to make some of these for stocking stuffers in time for Christmas if I could use Ball fruit pectin instead…I read somewhere it would work in a pinch but I know it isnt pure citric acid. Has anyone ever tried this and had any success?
I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for certain. If you do try it, do a small amount (like 1 Tablespoon Ball Fruit Pectin to 2 Tablespoons Baking Soda?) so you don’t waste too much =)
Hello,
I made these and they turned out beautifully – but then when I put them in the bath a couple weeks later, they didn’t fizz!
🙁
Am I doing something wrong here?
Thanks!
So some trouble shooting questions:
(1) Did you follow the recipe exactly, to a ‘T’ (no substitutions, no additions)? If you didn’t, what did you change or sub?
(2) How fresh were the ingredients? And, gulp, were they Bramble Berry products? (it’s okay if they weren’t …. just trouble shooting so no guilt tripping here) =)
(3) How did you store the product? Is your area particularly humid?
=) We’ll get to the bottom of this….
oh, okay cool! Then i will definatley thry this. :0) l “:-D!!!bn
hi from greece. i found your blog 3 days ago and im sleeping on top of my laptop every night to try and read all of those amazing things. i have many questions i dont know where to start. ill do one now and the others will wait.. ;).
Please tell me if you can what exactly is “witch hazel” because i try to google it and i couldnt find it in my own language so i can try to understand what is it to go and buy it. is it like rosewater or flowerwater ? thank you so much and keep on going like that you all are great. i wish you health and joy. bye from greece.
Witch Hazel is a wetting agent that doesn’t make your bath fizzy start to fizz (like water would) so maybe try wetting the mixture with either oil (Sweet Almond Oil, Olive Oil, Avocado Oil) would work or liquid glycerin. Witch Hazel is often sold in the US in pharmacies as an astringent for the face so you might check there too. =)
when you say “olive oil” you mean the one that we put in our greek salad? or is it an essential oil?
thank you for your quiqk answer. good morning from greece.
Any grade of olive oil will work…even the extra virgin olive oil that you get at the grocery store. We usually use pomace olive oil since it’s less expensive.
Courtney from Bramble Berry
thank you very much .you ppl are perfect. thank you.bye from greece.
how do you make a pline bath bomb? with no sent no coller.
and wher can i find chep bath bomb molds?
Just made these today, and believe me, I am a complete novice.They were eaasy and very cute. I do have a question, though- do I need to put anything in the mold to help them release? They did not want to release and I found that the bottom half on almost all of them broke off and came out of the mold, then I work to get the top part out. I ended up spraying a little witch hazel and joining the two halves-just wondering if there is a easier way? Thank you-Susan
Are you using the same exact mold or another one? I’m wondering if your mix is a bit wet and that’s why it’s sticking? Let me know =)
Thank you-I’ll give that a try! And…I’ll let you know!
Hello, I love your soap.
Could you tell me a little more about the citric acid youve got in the recepie? Should it be bought in a chemical reagents shop and what strength should it be?
pls let me know:)
Citric acid is not an acid as in harmful chemical…it’s really an acidic powder that’s naturally found in citrus fruits. You may be able to find it at a restaurant supply store since it’s used in many food products. And of course you can always buy it from Bramble Berry. Here’s the link https://www.brambleberry.com/Citric-Acid-P3753.aspx
Courtney from Bramble Berry
This recipe looks like a must try, I had quit making bath bombs and have just been making cp soap. I will be making this one soon.
Cheers!
Cody Wellard
Love this, Anne-Marie! I just love how beautiful these pink salts are! A must get for my arsenal!
This is a must do for me. I have totally gotten away from making bath bombs but these look awesome!
Thank you!
Get back on the bath bomb bandwagon, Kelly =)
Courtney from Bramble Berry
That is very cute!
Great idea!! I just made a soap with the Orange Grove fragrance – it’s heavenly! 🙂
Orange Grove is such a good fragrance. I find that I like it better in products than I do right out of the bottle. Our soap lab smelled fabulous after Anne-Marie made the bath bombs.
Courtney from Bramble Berry
Love this! I have salt coming out of my ears. A great twist combining the two. Thanks!
Bath fizzies is one of the most fun projects I’ve learned from The Soap Queen blog, and this totally kicks it up a classy notch!
Classy is a great way to describe these bombs. The pink salt on top adds such a nice touch.
Courtney from Bramble Berry
Wonderful recipe! I like that it’s a simple template for making bath salts. I feel like I can add, take out, or substitute numerous ingredients to this and truly make it my own 😉
We love to see our customers using ideas from the blog and creating their own recipes. That’s the beautify of the craft =)
Courtney from Bramble Berry