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Aloe Bubble Bath Bombs

Filed Under: Bath Fizzies

Difficulty: Beginner
Time: 30 minutes
Yields: About 16 bath fizzies

Aloe Bubble Bath Bomb Tutorial

Regular bath fizzies are super fun, but if you’re looking for bubbles that stick around, these Aloe Bubble Bath Bombs are what you want. The addition of SLSA to the basic bath bomb formula of baking soda and citric acid creates silky and luxurious bubbles. Aloe extract adds skin soothing and moisturizing properties. Kentish Rain Fragrance Oil gives the bath bombs a fresh scent.

Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate (SLSA) is derived from coconut and palm oils (though, it’s not considered ‘natural‘ in my book because of all the processing it has to go through to get to its final powdery state). It’s extremely powdery and light, and tends to “poof” into the air. When working with SLSA, I recommend a well-ventilated area or a mask. Some crafters prefer to wear a protective mask to avoid sneezing and coughing. To use these bubble bath bombs, simple add 1-3 fizzies (depending on how many bubbles you’d like) directly to your bath water. For even more bubbles, add the fizzies as the water fills up the tub.

Aloe Bubble Bath Bomb DIY

What You’ll Need:
Two Leaf Wax Tart Molds
1 cup Sodium Bicarbonate (Baking Soda)
1/2 cup Citric Acid
1/2 cup Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate (SLSA)
Irish Green La Bomb Colorant
.5 oz. Aloe Extract
Witch Hazel
4 mL Kentish Rain Fragrance Oil

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ONE: In a large bowl, combine the baking soda and citric acid. Use your hands to break up any clumps. Citric acid has a tendency to take off nail polish, so wear gloves to protect your manicure. =)

ONE
TWO: Add the SLSA and use your hands to thoroughly incorporate. SLSA is extremely powdery, so make sure you are in a well-ventilated room when adding it into the mixture. You may choose to wear a surgical mask to prevent sneezing!

TWO
THREE: Begin adding drops of the Irish Green La Bomb Colorant, and mixing in with your hands in between each few drops. Use your hands to break up the drops of color into the powders. Keep adding drops until you get a minty green color. Keep in mind adding too much can color your tub. We added 8-10 drops of color.

THREEFOUR: Once the color is mostly mixed into the powders, add the aloe extract. Use your hands to mix in the extract thoroughly. You will find that the additional moisture helps mix in the color as well. 
FOURFIVE: Add the Kentish Rain Fragrance Oil, and use your hands to mix thoroughly.

SEVEN
SIX: Check the moisture level of your fizzies. You may find that the mixture is quite dry and powdery. If so, add sprays of witch hazel until the mixture is a similar texture to wet sand. The mixture should hold its shape when squeezed in your palm.

SIXEIGHTBelow, you can see that the mixture forms a ball when squeezed in your hand. This means that the mixture will hold its shape in the mold as well.

NINESEVEN: Fill each cavity completely with the bath bomb mixture, and use your fingers to press it firmly into each cavity. Allow the bath fizzies to sit in the mold for at least 2 hours or up to overnight.

TENELEVENOnce the fizzies are completely dry, press the back of each cavity gently to release them from the mold. These bath bombs tend to be a little bit more delicate, so handle with care. To use, drop 2-3 bath fizzies into the tub. To help promote more bubbles, place the bath fizzies into the tub while it fills up with water. Below, you can see an example of the bubbles once the fizzy is introduced to water.

fizzycollageAloe Bubble Bath BombsWhat is your favorite way to add bubbles to your bath tub? I have been meaning to whip up more solid bubble bath bars soon. =)

4.8 from 4 reviews

Aloe Bubble Bath Bombs
 
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These Aloe Bubble Bath Bombs contain SLSA to fill your tub with bubbles!
Author:
Recipe type: Bath fizzies
Serves: About 18-20 Fizzies

Ingredients
  • Two Leaf Wax Tart Molds
  • 1 cup Sodium Bicarbonate (Baking Soda)
  • ½ cup Citric Acid
  • ½ cup Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate (SLSA)
  • Irish Green La Bomb Colorant
  • .5 oz. Aloe Extract
  • Witch Hazel
  • 4 mL Kentish Rain Fragrance Oil

Instructions
  1. In a large bowl, combine the baking soda and citric acid. Use your hands to break up any clumps. Citric acid has a tendency to take off nail polish, so wear gloves to protect your manicure. =)
  2. Add the SLSA and use your hands to thoroughly incorporate. SLSA is extremely powdery, so make sure you are in a well-ventilated room when adding it into the mixture. You may choose to wear a surgical mask to prevent sneezing!
  3. Begin adding drops of the Irish Green La Bomb Colorant, and mixing in with your hands in between each few drops. Use your hands to break up the drops of color into the powders. Keep adding drops until you get a minty green color. Keep in mind adding too much can color your tub. We added 8-10 drops of color.
  4. Once the color is mostly mixed into the powders, add the aloe extract. Use your hands to mix in the extract thoroughly. You will find that the additional moisture helps mix in the color as well.
  5. Add the Kentish Rain Fragrance Oil and use your hands to mix thoroughly.
  6. Check the moisture level of your fizzies. You may find that the mixture is quite dry and powdery. If so, add sprays of witch hazel until the mixture is a similar texture to wet sand. The mixture should hold its shape when squeezed in your palm. Below, you can see that the mixture forms a ball when squeezed in your hand. This means that the mixture will hold its shape in the mold as well.
  7. Fill each cavity completely with the bath bomb mixture, and use your fingers to press it firmly into each cavity. Allow the bath fizzies to sit in the mold for at least 2 hours or up to overnight.
  8. Once the fizzies are completely dry, press the back of each cavity gently to release them from the mold. These bath bombs tend to be a little bit more delicate, so handle with care. To use, drop 2-3 bath fizzies into the tub. To help promote more bubbles, place the bath fizzies into the tub while it fills up with water. Below, you can see an example of the bubbles once the fizzy is introduced to water.

 

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69 Comments

  1. I just love these aloe bath fizzies, but after storing them wrapped in plastic wrap and in a tupperware-type container for a few weeks, they are now crumbling and powdery. I’m wondering if there is something that can be added to this recipe to make them sturdier and hold together better, more like a bath bomb. Any suggestions? Thanks!

  2. Hi there I did bath bombs with slsa for the first time I used
    2cup of baking powder
    1 cup of citric acid
    1/4 cup slsa
    Table spoon of sweet almond oil
    20 drops of fragrances oil
    And spayed with witch hazel . Did have problems sticking at first but got there in the end . But noticed they are very dry and powdery . Should I have put more oil in if useing slsa . They did form lovely in the tub .

  3. I made these and turned out beautifully! My question is, how do you wrap them?

  5. Is SLS interchangeable with SLSa? This may be a stupid question but I’m wondering about the differences between the two. thanks.

  6. I’ve used this recipe only omitting the aloe but my bombs don’t fizz they just kind of melt. What am I doing wrong

    • I’m wondering if the bath bombs absorbed moisture from the air and fizzed before they were added to the tub. Were your fizzies soft and wet, or did they expand at all?

      -Kelsey with Bramble Berry

    • I wouldn’t recommend aloe gel. Because it has water and thickeners, it can set the fizzy off too early or do weird things in this recipe. The oil-based extract works best. If you don’t have aloe extract on hand, you can also skip it in this recipe. You just may need a bit more witch hazel to wet the mixture. 🙂

      -Kelsey with Bramble Berry

  8. I’m trying to make a bubble bath fizzy and each time I add SLSA to my normal recipe my bath fizzies crumble. I’m basically using the same recipe except I added kaolin clay and more fragrance oil/apricot oil. Do you think that is the problem? Please help.

    • Hi Kianalynn!

      When you add more powder to your bath bombs, they will need more witch hazel to get to the right consistency! After everything is mixed together, squeeze the powders in your hand. If they hold their shape when you release your hand, they’re ready to mold. If not, spray 1-2 times, mix and test again. Repeat that process until the mixture holds its shape. 🙂

      It can also be the clay. It helps make the bath bombs sturdy, but too much can cause them to crumble. How much are you using? Thanks!

      -Kelsey with Bramble Berry

      • Thanks Kelsey! The recipe I’m using is 1 cup baking soda, 1/2 cup citric acid, 2 tbsp slsa, 1 tbsp fragrance oil, 3 tsp apricot oil, 1 1/2 tbsp kaolin clay, and about 4 sprays of witch hazel.

        • Thanks so much for that recipe! Your amounts look just right. I would recommend adding another teaspoon of apricot kernel oil or using more witch hazel. You want the bath bombs to be the consistency of wet sand when they’re molded. That should help them stay together nicely. 🙂

          -Kelsey with Bramble Berry

          • Hi Kelsey, I tried the recipe and was able to get them hard, but they don’t float. I’m using bath bomb sphere molds, any suggestions?

          • Typically bath bombs can sink if they’re fairly heavy. Less clay and oil may help make them lighter! More witch hazel instead will help them stay together. 🙂

            -Kelsey with Bramble Berry

    • Absolutely! You can increase this batch to make more bath bombs if you like. 🙂

      -Kelsey with Bramble Berry

  11. Hey, I made these bath bombs the other night. They turned out beautifully. Now my 4 year old grandson really cannot stay out of the tub!!!!!
    And me neither lol.
    Thanks so much.

    • Oh yay, I’m so glad to hear that Rochelle! These definitely make bath time a little more fun. 🙂

      -Kelsey with Bramble Berry

      • Hi! I’ve been making bath bombs for a while, and I’ve recently started to use SLSA. I’ve tried four different recipes using the same base, but different amounts of SLSA. Every one of them sunk to the bottom of the tub, but still fizzed really good. How do I make it float even with SLSA?

        • We have found that if the bath bombs contain cornstarch or they’re packed really tightly, they tend to sink in the tub. Does your recipe contain cornstarch? Let me know!

          -Kelsey with Bramble Berry

  12. I made these today but had trouble. The mix was soft and pillowy but not overly wet or sticky. It held together when squeezed but once it got into a mold became difficult to remove. Could this have been due to the climate or temperature? I practically freeze the house and run our dehumidifier on full blast.

    • Hi there!

      Oh I’m sorry about that! How long did the bath bombs stay in the mold? Let me know and I’ll help you troubleshoot!

      -Kelsey with Bramble Berry

      • We just made these. We make fizzies all the time but these just didn’t work. They held together and went into the mold nicely. We flipped over the mold to remove them but they all fell out and crumbled. What went wrong? Its like the aloe is too much for them and they didn’t harden. Thank you, Lynda

        • Hi Lynda!

          I’m thinking the bath bombs may have been a bit dry! If bath bombs are on the drier side, they can fall apart or crumble.

          Before molding the fizzies, squeeze the mixture in your hand. If it holds its shape, it’s ready to mold. If not, spray 1-2 times with the witch hazel, mix and test again. Repeat until the mixture holds its shape when squeezed.

          It can also help to pack the fizzies really tightly in the mold! The more compact they are, the stronger they will be. 🙂

          Also, you can still use the fizzies you have now! You can package them in water soluble paper. We did that in the Save the Bath Bombs tutorial: https://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/bath-fizzies/save-the-bath-bombs-valentine-style/

          -Kelsey with Bramble Berry

  13. I did this recipe but they were either to dry or to soft and hardly fizzed just bubbled a lot, and they have tiny little ball like things in the mixture after they are hardened, it’s like tiny Styrofoam balls throughout the whole mixture ? What am I doing wrong

    • Hi Alana!

      Hmm, I’m wondering if they may be warts. Those can form if there are clumps of baking soda or citric acid in the mixture. To prevent those warts, we like to break apart the clumps or run the mixture through a strainer. That gives you a nice smooth fizzy. 🙂

      As for the moisture level of the fizzy, that depends a lot on your environment! For instance, we find we need less witch hazel on a rainy day here in Washington state, but generally use more in the warm summer.

      Before molding the fizzies, squeeze the mixture in your hand. If it holds its shape, it’s ready to mold. If not, spray 1-2 times with the witch hazel, mix and test again. Repeat until the mixture holds its shape when squeezed. You can see that process in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgODHmkSTqQ

      This post has more helpful tips on making bath bombs as well: https://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/bath-bomb-questions-answers/

      -Kelsey with Bramble Berry

  14. Could you also use glycerin to make the bubbles bigger? Could possibly prevent you having to use witch hazel at all since it will be moist enough.

    • Hi Tortor!

      Are you wanting to use glycerin soap, like melt and pour, or liquid glycerin? Let me know and I can help you out! 🙂

      -Kelsey with Bramble Berry

  15. Hi! I was just wondering where is the best place to buy aloe extract? I am quite close to a chemist but am not sure if they will have it… If not, could you recommend a good substitute ingredient?
    Thanks!

    P.S I was looking at the website, and the picture for the subscription box (a hand holding some blue dough thing) just looks cool, is it something I can make? If not, that’s ok.

  17. Hi!
    I have aloe vera 100x powder. Could I just add the powdered form to the dry ingredients, or would you suggest mixing it with a tablespoon (0.5 ounces) of fractionated coconut oil, to achieve the correct consistency of the mixed ingredients? Thank you for your best advice and for sharing the recipe! It sounds lovely!

    • Hi Rebecca!

      You’re welcome, glad you like the recipe! 🙂

      We haven’t worked with aloe vera powder, so I’m not entirely sure! However, I think either method would work. Adding the powder to the dry ingredients would mix it up and distribute it nicely throughout the bath bombs. If you want to add a bit of moisture to this fizzies, you could mix them with the fractionated coconut oil. Both sound like great ideas. A small test batch with both methods would be very helpful!

      -Kelsey with Bramble Berry

      Fractionated coconut oil: https://www.brambleberry.com/CaprylicCapric-Triglycerides-Fractionated-Coconut-Oil-P4957.aspx

  18. Hi
    Please could you help me with the measurements..how many cups are in ml or gms..please help me with da same.how do I measure the same

    • Hi Aakanksha!

      To convert the cup measurements to mililiters, you can let the internet do the work for you! I like to type “1 cup in mL” into a search engine. One cup is about 236 mL. 🙂

      Grams are a bit more tricky to convert. That’s because grams is a weight measurement, while cups are a volume measurement. You can still use the search engine to find that amount, but keep in mind the measurements may be a bit off because they’re in 2 different categories.

      Read more about weight vs. volume here: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/a-guide-to-weight-vs-volume/

      -Kelsey with Bramble Berry

  20. Hello!
    I would like to try this recipe, but I’m french, and I can’t find a correct translation of “witch hazel”. Unfortunately, I can’t order it on your website, because shipping costs are very very expensive. ^^” (that’s too bad, ’cause you have so many great products 🙁 )
    What’s the role of witch hazel in the recipe? Is there something that I can use instead?
    And what’s the average size and/or weight of one bath fizzie with your mold?

    Thank you!

    P.S: I absolutely LOVE your blog! So many recipes I wanna try!

    • Hi Natalie!

      These bath bombs are safe for children! All the ingredients used are skin safe.

      If your children are helping you make the bath bombs, you may want to have them wear a dust or surgical mask. The SLSA in the recipe is very light, so it goes airborne easily and can irritate the throat. A mask will prevent any irritation. 🙂

      -Kelsey with Bramble Berry

  22. Is there anyway to make a bubble bomb with out sls or slsa. I tend not to use these when making my product as they tend to be irritating to myself and/or my customers.

    • Hi Suzanne!

      The SLS or SLSA in the recipe helps make them nice and bubbly. However, you can leave it out of the recipe if you like! The bath bombs won’t be as bubbly, but they will still fizz because of the baking soda and citric acid.

      If you leave the SLSA, you will have to adjust the amounts of the other ingredients. I would recommend adding .3 oz of Aloe Extract and 4-5 drops of Irish Green LaBomb Colorant. As for fragrance, you can add about 4-5 mL total. 🙂

      -Kelsey with Bramble Berry

  23. Will the SLSA work with an oil in the mixture? Or would the oil subdue the bubbles?

      • That oil shouldn’t affect the bubbles too much! It will just add some nice moisture to the bath bombs. Also, thanks for your input Kristie! 🙂

        -Kelsey with Bramble Berry

Trackbacks

  1. […] Turn the tub into a spa by using homemade bath bombs with aloe. The aloe helps heal skin and adds softness as you bathe in the bubbles. All you need is baking soda, witch hazel, and some aloe extract to make a great bath for your loved ones or craft shop customers. Get the full recipe here:: Aloe Bubble Bath Bombs […]