This fizzy bath bomb foot soak is step one in our luxurious home pedicure routine. The soak contains 1st Distillation Peppermint Essential Oil, which leaves a pleasant cooling sensation on your feet, while the Epsom Salts are calming and soothing.
The Round Bath Bomb Clam Shell Mold acts as both the mold and the packaging for these little bombs, and you can complete the entire project by attaching the cute tag, which is available for free as a PDF download.
This project is part of the Happy Feet Home Pedicure series. See all the projects here: Moisturizing Heel Balm, Rose Clay Foot Mask, Cranberry Seed Foot Scrub and Summer Shimmer Nail Polish.
What You’ll Need:
4 Round Bath Bomb Clam Shell Molds
1 cup Baking Soda
½ cup Citric Acid
¼ cup Extra Fine Epsom Salt
1 Tbs. Chia Seed Oil
3 mL Peppermint Essential Oil, 1st Distillation
Click here to add everything you need for this project to your Bramble Berry shopping cart!
ONE: In a large bowl, combine baking soda, citric acid and epsom salt and stir to combine.
TWO: Using your hands, break up any clumps. If you can’t get them all, you can sift your mixture through a strainer to break them up.
THREE: Add the chia seed oil and peppermint essential oil. Use your hands to combine the liquids with the powders breaking up any large clumps.
FOUR: Depending on the moisture level of the current mixture, spritz the bath bombs with witch hazel. It usually takes between 5-7 spritzes, and the mixture should be wet enough so when you squeeze the powder in your palm, it will stick together. If you don’t have witch hazel, adding a few extra drops of chia seed oil will also help the powders stick.
Note: You want to spray enough so that the powders stick together and aren’t crumbly. Be careful though because spraying too much can cause the mixture to fizz prematurely and ruin your bath bombs!
FIVE: Firmly press this mixture into both halves of the bath bomb mold. Carefully remove any powder that fills the outer edges; doing so will make the bath bomb molds easier to close.
SIX: Mound a little extra mixture in the center of one half of the mold. Match the eyelets of each side up, and press together. To avoid any imperfections on your bath bomb, make sure to direct pressure to the edges of the mold rather than the center.
SEVEN: Continue filling until all the molds are full. Clean off any stray bits of fizzy ingredients, attach a label and you are done!
EIGHT: Unmold the fizzy when you are ready to use it (leaving your fizzies out in the air can often set off the fizzy reaction in humid climates). The bath bomb molds are intended for one time use, but if you are very careful when you unmold them you can re-use them. They are a mold & package all-in-one!
This is a great recipe. Perfect amount of scent, and I erred on the side of Chia oil over witch hazel.
As a “newbie” , I would share that experience is the biggest trick with bath bombs. Even with the perfect consistency of starting material:
1. too much pressure of “packing” into each side of mold results in two really hard halves which separate.
2. Too little pressure in each half, will release easily, but crumble easily.
3. Just right begins to be a feel when “packing” the mold. I found that i had to do it a few times with each different formulation.
Questions:
1. Does the material of the mold make a difference in ease of unmolding? Aluminum, stainless steel, plastic, silicone etc.
2. What about temperature? Does cooling impact unmolding? (Obviously if you add butters solid at room temp, yes, but what about oils?).
3. How to get a really compressed bath bomb???? They seem so delicate even after curing. Not enough oil? Not enough??? Again, how to get a nice, dense, hard bath bomb which unmolds easily.
4. And last but not least, can I reconstitute the cracked or crumbly ones???? Waste not want not, all tips welcome.
V
Hi Verica!
Thanks so much for the great tips! 🙂
We have made bath bombs in stainless steel, silicone and plastic! We’ve found stainless steel and plastic work best. It’s easier to pack the mixture in nice and tightly. Both unmold easily as well. This video shows you how to unmold from plastic and stainless steel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgODHmkSTqQ
As for the temperature of butter, the bath bombs will get more firm as those cool. We recommend letting them sit in the molds overnight so they’re fully hardened!
For a nice sturdy bath bomb, we like to add kaolin clay. It adds structure to the bath bombs and makes them a bit more dense. We usually use about 1 tablespoon per cup of fizzy mixture.
Kaolin clay:
The way they’re packed helps as well! For a plastic mold, we recommend packing that mixture in very tightly. For the stainless steel molds, we recommend packing one half well, and making the other half a bit more loose. You can see that in the video linked above! https://www.brambleberry.com/Kaolin-Clay-P3235.aspx
Also, you can definitely use the cracked bath bombs! This tutorial shows you how to package them using water soluble paper: https://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/bath-fizzies/save-the-bath-bombs-valentine-style/
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Hi,
I am new to this craft and so very pleased and appreciative of Anne-Marie and Bramble Berry (BB). Thank you for sharing your knowledge. I am placing my first order today to start my new business. I love the product details on BB.
How many bombs does this recipe make?
Thank you so much for your kind comment Tanya, that means a lot to us! Also, thanks so much for your order. 🙂
This recipe makes about 4 bath bombs! That information is available at the very top of the post in the section that says “Difficulty.” Have fun giving these a try!
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Perfect simple recipe. I substituted Avocado oil for the Chia and they came together nicely. I mixed the dry ingredients in a stand mixer, then mixed the wet ingredients separately together and next added that mixture to the dry, and let it all mix for a couple of minutes (inspired by Holly Port’s book 🙂 ). I used about 1 mL of alcohol instead of witch hazel and they were plenty damp enough to come together. I live in a damp climate so I have to be careful not to add too much of the wet ingredients. These will be great in a Foot Spa/Pedicure set!
That sounds amazing, I love avocado oil! It feels so good on the skin. So glad you like this recipe Katie! Enjoy a bit of pampering. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Avocado oil: https://www.brambleberry.com/Avocado-Oil-P3198.aspx
Okay first time making these I don’t know what I did wrong they kept popping off, I used like 5-7 sprays of the witch hazel, chia oil and lavender mint fragnance oil but some stayed together and others kept popping open. I did have my air on in my house but I was scared to put them in my workshop because it was so humid out there any suggestion.
Hi Renee!
I’m thinking those fizzies may have gotten too moist and started to expand, that’s why the tops kept popping off!
If you’re in a very humid area, you may not need witch hazel at all. After your mixture is all together, squeeze some in your hand. If it stays together, it doesn’t need any witch hazel. If it falls apart, add 1-2 spritzes, mix and try again.
You can see an example of that in this bath fizzy video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgODHmkSTqQ
It can also help to use a dehumidifier to keep the fizzies dry! You can also run a fan over the molds to see if that helps. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
I made this and it is wonderful! My only recommendation, if you pumice stone your feet like I do (I’m a runner hence calluses), would be to soak your feet in warm water for a while BEFORE adding the bath bomb…otherwise the oil makes it hard for the pumice stone to work effectively. Then after you’ve sloughed off that dead skin, put the bomb in and let your newly exfoliated feet soak these great bath bombs right up! Also I didn’t have these super cute molds so I actually used lollipop molds that were in fish shapes (bath theme) and although they did lose some detail in the humid Nebraska air, they didn’t work too bad.
So glad you like the recipe Theresa! Also, that’s a great tip, thank you so much for sharing. That way your feet are freshly scrubbed and can soak in the skin-loving oil. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Hi! These bath bombs look awesome 🙂 Can you use another essential oil, instead of peppermint? Would it still be good as a foot soak?
Thanks, Cadence. 🙂
Hi Cadence!
So glad you like the bath bombs! You can absolutely use another essential oil if you like. A wide variety of scents would work well in the bombs, and could still be used as a foot soak. 🙂
Lavender 40/42 Essential Oil would smell nice in this recipe: https://www.brambleberry.com/Lavender-4042-Essential-Oil-P3664.aspx
To find out how much essential oil to add, you can use our Fragrance Calculator! Just select “Salts” from the drop down menu.
Fragrance Calculator: https://www.brambleberry.com/Pages/Fragrance-Calculator.aspx
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Hi! We are going to make this project or a similar one for my daughter’s Brownie troop so they can earn their home scientist badges. My Chia seed oil was past 6 months old and smelled a bit rancid so I tossed what was left. Will avocado or grape seed work? Also, I am a bit nervous about using peppermint with little girls so will likely use FO instead and call the project bath bombs. I picked this recipe because of the proportions and packaging. If we have 12 girls I should be able to set up 3 stations. Do you have any tips or other recipe suggestions? I though I saw a post on a shower bath bomb station but can’t locate it now.
Hi Marissa!
That sounds like such a fun project for the Brownie troop! What a great idea. 🙂
Avocado oil and grapeseed oil are both lightweight and moisturizing like the chia seed oil, so they would work great in this recipe. Also, fragrance oil would work great in this recipe too!
Avocado oil: https://www.brambleberry.com/Avocado-Oil-P3198.aspx
Grapeseed oil: https://www.brambleberry.com/Grapeseed-Oil-P6029.aspx
I think three stations sounds like a great idea! At each station, I would recommend having droppers for the fragrance oil, gloves, measuring cups, bowls of each ingredient and the bath bomb molds. Lots of paper towels would be helpful as well, as making bath bombs can be messy!
We have a couple great posts on having DIY parties that may be helpful for you. I’ll include links below. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
How to Make a DIY Bath Fizzy Station: http://www.soapqueen.com/personal-ramblings/kiddo-post-still-just-two-teeth/
How to Throw a DIY Sugar Scrub Party: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/throw-nail-polish-scrub-party/
Thank you so much!!
PS. In the shower video I saw an instruction guide? Can that be purchased?
Hi Marissa!
You are welcome! Also, we don’t have that instruction sheet for sale, but I’d be more than happy to email it to you! Can you send me an email at [email protected]? Thanks. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
We had a blast. The girls LOVED the project. We did substitute corn starch for the Epsom salt and coupled the the project with a lesson on Sudsy Science from Scientific American. See http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/sudsy-science-creating-homemade-bath-bombs/
I made those mini bombs in advance so the girls could see the difference between bombs made with more or less filler.
For the Bramble berry project they voted on the fragrance. One half picked Buttercream Snickerdoodle and the other half picked Energy. The school librarian must have wondered what smelled so yummy the next day; The molds were a bit tricky to use but luckily the troop leader and my daughter had the hang of it and helped the others. We tied them with brown raffia ribbon and I made personalized labels with the girls’ names. It turned out very cute. If we have permissions I can share photos as a thank you. Thanks for the recipe, tips, and packaging.
Hi Marissa!
That is so awesome to hear! I’m glad they had so much fun. Also, thanks so much for sharing the link – can’t wait to check it out. 🙂
Energy is one of our top fragrances, so I can see why they liked it! Also, Buttercream and Snickerdoodle smells so delicious. Always makes me crave cake.
Also, we’d love to see the photos! You can share those on our Bramble Berry Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/BrambleBerry?ref=hl
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Love your products and recipes. Do you ship to singapore?
Hi Camie!
So glad you like them! Also, we do ship to Singapore. Yay!
You can read more about the subject in our international shipping policies: https://www.brambleberry.com/International-Shipping-Policies.aspx
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
We would like to purchase the bath bomb machine.we are based in Mumbai ,India
Do let us know the cost & formalities required for making the fizz balls
Hi Anita!
You can buy the bath bomb maker at our website, brambleberry.com. That has all the pricing and shipping information. 🙂
You may also want to take a look at our international shipping policies, which you can find here: https://www.brambleberry.com/International-Shipping-Policies.aspx
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
could you use lavender Epsom salts instead?
Hi Maggie!
We didn’t test this recipe with lavender epsom salts, but I believe that would be fine! You may want to make a small test batch to be sure. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Hi there,
If you replace the Chia seed oil with Castor Oil will this leave the bath oily ? I have a customer who would like Castor Oil instead.? Thank you 🙂
Hi Sam!
We didn’t test this recipe with Castor Oil, so I’m not 100% sure how it will act! However, I believe that wouldn’t be too oily in your recipe as long as you don’t use too much!
You may want to try a small test batch to be sure. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Thanks so much Kelsey i will give it a try and let you know.
You’re welcome! 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Is there any good and cheaper alternatives to chia seed oil?
Hi Christine!
You may like Hemp Seed Oil (Refined) or Avocado Oil. They’re both great for moisturizing your skin.
We didn’t test those oils in this recipe, so you may want to do a small test batch to see if you like the results. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Hemp Seed Oil: https://www.brambleberry.com/Hemp-Seed-Oil-refined-P3209.aspx
Avocado Oil: https://www.brambleberry.com/Avocado-Oil-P3198.aspx
Those molds are brilliant! They are a bit harder to fill than I expected though–if I’m not filling it so firmly that the mixture gets pushed out the other side (thank you, curved bottom), I’m accidentally denting it when I smush the halves together! :p
Eventually I prevailed, and I can’t wait to use these. 😀 I ended up with five of ’em and a smidge left over, and that’s after one of them exploding over my table when I tried to gently pry it open (yeah, if you accidentally dent it, I suggest just leaving it–I’m gonna be sweeping up grit for days).
Hi Karin!
I’m so glad you like these molds! Also, I’ve definitely made a mess with bath bombs before. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
I was wondering would it be OK to add a small amount of ground lavender buds or tea leaves for that extra “soakability”? I’m going to try it without but was curious as to what the folks at BB think. Thanks
Hi Diana!
If you’d like, you could certainly add lavender buds or tea leaves! Just keep in mind that organic plant materials like those can go brown in your products eventually 🙂
-Amanda with Bramble Berry
I am totally going to try this one!
Glad to hear it Margaret! 🙂
-Amanda with Bramble Berry
This looks wonderful! Thank you.
Hi Jeanette!
So glad you liked this recipe 🙂 I hope you give it a try, it’s so refreshing!
-Amanda with Bramble Berry
Can you substitute the chia seed oil with something else?
yeah. you can use whatever oil or butter you want. i use a mixture of coconut oil and shea butter.
Hi Lisa!
Yes, you could definitely use a different oil if you’d like! We went with Chia Seed Oil because it is great for the skin 🙂
-Amanda with Bramble Berry
how many bath bombs will this one recipe make? Thanks.
Hi Robin,
The recipe makes 4 bath bombs.
Thanks!
Brittany
I know this says: Invigorating Foot Soak … but can these also be used as a regular Bath Bomb? I have been trying to find a Bath Bomb recipe that uses Chia Seed Oil b/c I heard that alot of people in the Texas area where I am at says it helps their skin due to the humidity & heat. Please let me know & also can I add Kaolin Clay to this without messing up the recipe. If so how much can I add?
Hi Cheryl!
You can absolutely use this as a regular bath bomb! We used it as a foot soak because it’s great for tired feet.
Also, you can add kaolin clay to this recipe. I would recommend starting out with 1 tsp. and adding more if you like. If you notice this soak is on the dry side, you can add some more chia seed oil. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
but I wouldn’t use peppermint in a bath! It can burn sensitive spots!
Hi Melanie!
Peppermint Essential Oil can cause a cooling effect, which makes a great reinvigorating foot or bath soak. You can definitely leave it out of the recipe if you like though. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry