If you prefer a shower to a bath, shower steamers are a great option. They’re made with baking soda and citric acid, just like bath bombs. But rather than placing them into a tub, the steamer is placed on the floor of the shower. The water activates the fizzing reaction and releases the essential oils into the air.
The scent creates a spa-like shower. This recipe has tea tree essential oil and Lavender 40/42 Essential Oil to create a relaxing and uplifting scent. The recipe does contain quite a bit of essential oil. Because they don’t come in contact with the skin, you don’t need to worry about using too much. These can’t be used like a bath bomb – the amount of essential oil could irritate the skin.
If you prefer another scent, feel free to swap it out. Citrus oils like 10x Orange or Red Brazilian Mandarin are great for a morning shower. Fragrance oils can also be used – Relaxing Fragrance Oil is perfect right before bed.
What You Need:
6 Cavity Silicone Square Mold
20 oz. Sodium Bicarbonate (Baking Soda)
10 oz. Citric Acid
18 mL Tea Tree Essential Oil
18 mL Lavender 40/42 Essential Oil
Witch Hazel in a Spray Bottle
Droppers
Click below to add everything you need for this project to your Bramble Berry shopping cart!
ONE: In a large bowl, combine 20 ounces of baking soda and 10 ounces of citric acid. To get rid of clumps in the mixture, you can push the powders through a sifter or break them up with your fingers. Citric acid has a tendency to take off nail polish, so wear gloves to protect your manicure. Thoroughly stir everything together.
TWO: Add 18 mL of tea tree essential oil and 18 of mL Lavender 40/42 Essential Oil. Use your hands to fully mix into the powder mixture.
THREE: Test the consistency of the mixture. The perfect consistency is similar to wet sand and holds its shape when squeezed. If it’s too dry, use one hand to spritz the mixture with witch hazel and one to mix. Continue spritzing until the mixture holds its shape.
FIVE: Firmly press the mixture into each cavity of the Silicone Square Mold. Allow the steamers to dry for several hours or up to overnight. Remove from the molds.
Lavender & Tea Tree Shower Steamers
Ingredients
- 6 Cavity Silicone Square Mold
- 20 oz. Sodium Bicarbonate Baking Soda
- 10 oz. Citric Acid
- 18 mL Tea Tree Essential Oil
- 18 mL Lavender 40/42 Essential Oil
- Witch Hazel in a Spray Bottle
- Droppers
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine 20 ounces of baking soda and 10 ounces of citric acid. To get rid of clumps in the mixture, you can push the powders through a sifter or break them up with your fingers. Citric acid has a tendency to take off nail polish, so wear gloves to protect your manicure. Thoroughly stir everything together.
- Add 18 mL of tea tree essential oil and 18 of mL Lavender 40/42 Essential Oil. Use your hands to fully mix into the powder mixture.
- Test the consistency of the mixture. The perfect consistency is similar to wet sand and holds its shape when squeezed. If it’s too dry, use one hand to spritz the mixture with witch hazel and one to mix. Continue spritzing until the mixture holds its shape.
- Firmly press the mixture into each cavity of the Silicone Square Mold. Allow the steamers to dry for several hours or up to overnight. Remove from the molds.
Can I add cornstarch? Will this help make the steamer last a little longer?
Corn starch is typically used to give a bath bomb or fizzy more buoyancy in water, but may not have much of an effect in a steamer. You can definitely give it a try though and see what you think!
I was wondering what size ( oz )these steamers are. I have some bath bomb round molds from Brambleberry but they are quite large. Thanks!
They are about 4 ounces each
I have made up several batches and packaged two each in small zip lock bags. They have seemed to have lost their fragrance. Is there anything I can do to enhance the fragrance or do I have to just throw them all away and start over?
We haven’t tested it before but I would dry adding some extra drops of essential oil to the shower steamers to help them smell stronger. You don’t have to worry about the usage rate as much since they will not be used on the skin.
It is possible that the ziplock bags are robbing the scent. You need to use polypropylene bags. They don’t absorb fragrances.
Why are my steamers cracking while drying? Is there something I can do to stop this?
You can try adding some Kaolin Clay to them, that can help reduce cracking. I would start with a Tablespoon for this particular recipe.
Can I use FO instead of EO I have Eucalyptus Spearmint and a
Lavender and Patchoili FO I want to do a gift pack using these
along with scrub and body butters? TIA
Yes, you can definitely use whichever fragrance or essential oil you’d like in proper dilutions for the project. Here’s a link to our fragrance calculator for a recommended usage rate: https://www.brambleberry.com/Pages/Fragrance-Calculator.aspx
Could this also be used as a bath bomb? I was planning to give them to people who might like to use them either way, if possible.
Sure you can definitely use them as a bath bomb instead!
Your own notes above: ‘These can’t be used like a bath bomb – the amount of essential oil could irritate the skin’.
Even without the essential oil they don’t act the same way as bath bombs- you would need to add nourishing oils or butters
You are correct, sorry. You would need to reduce the amount of essential oil in the steamer to use it as a bath bomb. For a Bath Bomb, reducing the amount to 15 mL total essential oil would be better, though I would only use about 5mL max of the Tea Tree.
Hello! Thanks for all your great tutorials. I’ve made a few shower steamers. I packaged them in a ziplock type bag. They smell great but when a friend used it they didn’t smell anything in their shower. I used one and barely smelled it either. How do I keep the essential oils in the steamer so they can be used and actually be strong in the shower? I used essential oils lemon and peppermint. A whole ounce of a 2:1 ratio. I’m really disappointed that they’re not working in the shower. Any thoughts? The size of the shower fizzy is .8 ounces
You might need to use a lot more essential oil than normal because to fill up a shower with scent is going to be quite a lot more than you would expect. Peppermint is pretty strong but you might need to increase the amount of Lemon in your recipe because that is not going to be as strong.
Do you think packing them separately in Saran Wrap will help keep the fragrance locked in? They smell great when drying I used one four days after making them and they don’t seem to work. When you use them in the shower is the fragrance supposed to be strong and lasting? Thank you
We haven’t tested that but the saran wrap may help. They should smell strong in the shower why while the water is heating them and they are fizzing. The scent doesn’t really last in the bathroom much longer than your shower though.
Ditto…. but they are also possibly competing with scented soap, scented shampoo and conditioner, exhaust fans etc and so don’t have a chance to stand out on their own. Pity because the idea is great
Hi i have a question for you ,
Lately when i do bath fizzy like your recipe , it get discolored :/ i dont know why (i made pink bath fizzy 2 days ago and today it becomes like fade orange ): ) Could you please help me and tell me why is this happening ?!
It could depend on the color or the fragrance. Even though they don’t discolor as much in bath bombs, fragrances can still turn tan/brown in products other than soap.
I use mica colors , so I guess it is the fragrance i used cause that discoloring.. thank you ❤️
How many steamers are ,made in the batch with your recipe. How large (dimension) are the steamers individually and how much does each weigh in oz?
This recipe makes about 6 steamers that are 2.5″ x 2.5″ x 1.125″.
What is shelf life ? another recipe I read says to use with in 1 week, I am wanting to make as gifts, that’s really not feasible.
If you keep them wrapped and airtight like a regular bath bomb they should still fizz okay up to about 6 months after they are made. Though the longer you have them the less fizzing they will do.
can I replace the essential oils listed with peppermint oil (or eucalyptus & rosemary)? Or Citrus essential oils?
I’ve made these three times and 1.5x (literally once with 1/2 a batch scented differently) they inflated in the molds like little mini loaves of bread lol.
They still work great but on an aesthetic level, what could cause it? I thought the first time was from Polysorbate 80 added to prevent mica staining. The second time, uncolored citrus steamers did the same thing (while uncolored lavender steamers did not, from the same batch of powders.)
It sounds like you live in an area that is pretty humid – extra moisture in the air will be absorbed and can cause your fizzies to expand. It can also be from using too much of your wetting agent. Here’s a blog post we did with some more info on some of the more common things that go wrong with bath bombs/fizzies: https://soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/bath-bomb-questions-answers/
Hello,
I made these last night and when I took them out of the mold the top of them came off. Like a thin layer of icing. They’re not soft tho. Can you tell me what would cause this?
Thank you!
Bath Bombs and steamers are tricky because they are super dependent on your area. Normally a bath bomb coming apart like that is either not enough moisture used or sometimes too much moisture. You will want to play with the amount of Witch Hazel you are spritzing on.
Is the ounce measurement volume or weight?
We recommend measuring by weight. Except for the essential oils listed in mLs which is a volume measurement.
FYI, you say these should not be used in the bath, but several times throughout the post and recipe you call them Bath Bombs, not Shower Steamers.
Thank you. We’ll get that updated.
Can I use a colorant in the steamers? I was thinking of using a mica?
You can definitely use a colorant. Queen’s Purple Mica would look nice. Get it here: https://www.brambleberry.com/Queens-Purple-Mica-P6345.aspx
what the shelf life of this?
The shelf life is 6 months to 1 year. It’s better to use it sooner though to make sure the steamers fizz. This post has a lot of great information on how to determine the shelf life of a product: https://soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/shelf-life-bath-products-ingredients-rancidity-vs-mold/
I have a sensitivity to witch hazel so what could I use as a replacement?
I have read in some instructions to bake in oven for 10 minutes or so. What do you think?
You can use 99% isopropyl alcohol to wet them, but we found that can cause cracking. To add moisture to the steamers and help them hold their shape, you can add about 1/4 teaspoon of oil per cup of fizzy mixture. Lightweight oils like avocado work well: https://www.brambleberry.com/Avocado-Oil-P3198.aspx
Will these harden up in a high humidity environment? I have been making some bath bombs and I’m having problems getting them to get hard.
A small amount of kaolin clay can help them harden up. Start with about 1 teaspoon per cup of fizzy mixture.
Kaolin clay: https://www.brambleberry.com/Kaolin-Clay-P3235.aspx
It also helps to wrap the steamers tightly with plastic wrap and store them in a cool, dry place. That will protect them from moisture so they don’t soften. Learn more in this post: https://soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/bath-bomb-questions-answers/
How much fragrance oil should I use?
Start out with about 20 mL. Then, mix it into the powders and smell. If you want it stronger, you can add more from there. I would recommend adding a bit more than you think you’ll need, that way the scent will be strong enough in the shower.
I love this idea for people who don’t have a bath!
Absolutely, you can still enjoy the fresh scent.
I would love to try these but I am concerned about the oils causing a slip hazard in the shower.
When we tested these we found they didn’t make the shower slippery – there isn’t a lot of essential oil in one steamer. We like to place them near the drain so any oil will wash away rather than staying in the shower.
Will these last for more than one shower? Perhaps if they are on a shelf and just sprinkled with water? I’m wondering how to make these last for personal use. Thank you!
When I tested one in my shower, I didn’t use the whole thing because they are pretty big. You can break it into pieces and use it that way, or store the steamer in a dry area in between uses.
How do you package these for sale?
We recommend wrapping them tightly with plastic wrap to protect them from moisture in the air. Then, you can package them anyway you like – in bags, jars, wrapping paper, etc.
Find packaging options here: https://www.brambleberry.com/Packaging-C191.aspx
And get inspiration in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lD4bJgtaHMg&t=68s
I also make these fizzies for my toilet, just sayin’ 🙂
Absolutely, these can be used that way as well. They leave a nice scent in the bathroom.
Fizzy Toiler Fresheners: https://soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/home-crafts/fizzy-toilet-fresheners/
What essential oils would you recommend for say someone who has a cold or is stuffy?
Our essential oils are only approved for scent, they’re not approved to treat colds. You can read more about that here: https://soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/our-essential-oil-philosophy/
We do have a blend you may like that’s nice and fresh – litsea and red Brazilian mandarin. We used it in these shower fizzies: https://soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/bath-fizzies/aromatherapy-shower-fizzies/
Litsea: https://www.brambleberry.com/Litsea-Essential-Oil-P3824.aspx
Red Brazilian Mandarin: https://www.brambleberry.com/Red-Brazilian-Mandarin-P5664.aspx
Eucalyptus and peppermint are good.
Can a fragrance oil be used in these? I assume they can, but I just want to be sure. This and bath bombs are something I am interested in trying in the future.
Yes, you can use fragrance oils. Relaxing Fragrance Oil is perfect right before bed: https://www.brambleberry.com/Relaxing-Fragrance-Oil-P3927.aspx
what is the shelf life for these?
We recommend using them within 3-6 months for best results. It helps to wrap them tightly with plastic wrap and store in a cool, dry place in between uses.
Learn more about storing products here: https://soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/how-to-store-handmade-bath-products/