One of the little joys in life is opening a bag of cocoa butter – the chocolate scent is hard to beat. We made sure to savor that moment when creating these Cocoa Butter Bath Bombs, which are chock-full of goodness.

The base is a simple mixture of baking soda, citric acid, cocoa butter, and Pure Honey Fragrance Oil. The inspiration for the topping came from Kristie with Odyssey Soap. We added cocoa powder to the cocoa butter for a rich brown color. It’s scented with Cocoa Butter Cashmere Fragrance Oil, which has notes of cedarwood, coconut, and jasmine petals. When that mixture is drizzled on top of the bath bombs it looks just like melted chocolate.

Pink sea salt is quickly added on top while the cocoa butter is still warm. This project is a more advanced technique – the cocoa butter must be the perfect temperature and consistency in order to be drizzled. If the butter is too hot, it will absorb into the bath bomb. Too cold and it will not look smooth and may not stick. We experimented with adding baking soda to the melted cocoa butter to achieve a thicker texture, but found it didn’t make much of a difference.

The next day after making these bath bombs, we noticed that the long skinny drizzles of cocoa butter actually separated from the bath bomb as you can see below. To prevent this, spoon the cocoa butter on top while it’s nice and thick so it doesn’t drip down the sides.

We were concerned the Cocoa Butter Cashmere Fragrance Oil would bleed into the white bath bombs and discolor them so we added Vanilla Color Stabilizer to half of the cocoa butter mixture. It’s been about three weeks since we made these and so far there hasn’t been any discoloration in the mixture without stabilizer.

This is a nice large batch of bath bombs – it made about 26. If you don’t want to make quite that many, feel free to cut the recipe in half.

Find the supplies you need for this project below

Bath Bomb Mold & PackageSodium BicarbonateCitric AcidCocoa Butter PastillesPolysorbate 80Cocoa Butter Cashmere Fragrance OilPure Honey Fragrance OilPink Sea Salt, CoarseDutch Processed Cocoa PowderWitch Hazel8 oz. Bottles (Spray Top)

ONE: In a large bowl, mix together 64 oz. of baking soda and 32 oz. 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 the ingredients together.

TWO: Add 4 ounces of the cocoa butter to a small heat-safe container and melt in the microwave using 30-60 second bursts. Add 0.8 oz. of polysorbate 80 and 0.9 oz. Pure Honey Fragrance Oil. Use a spoon to fully mix the ingredients together. The polysorbate 80 is there to help disperse the cocoa butter into the tub.

THREE: Add the butter mixture to the baking soda and citric acid. Use your hands to thoroughly mix all the ingredients together.

FOUR: Test the consistency of the bath bomb mixture. The perfect consistency is similar to wet sand that 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 when squeezed.

FIVE: Fill the two halves of the molds, gently pressing the bath bomb mixture in each so they hold their shape. Mound a little extra mixture in the center of each half of the molds. Wipe away any powder that got in the seams 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. Continue filling up the bath bomb molds until the mixture is gone.

SIX: Allow the bath bombs to dry and harden in the molds for 24 hours. Then, carefully remove them from the package. Melt 4 ounces of cocoa butter in a small heat-safe container using 30 second bursts. You don’t want the cocoa butter to get too hot or you’ll need to wait a few hours for it to cool. Add 1 tsp. of cocoa powder and 4 mL of Cocoa Butter Cashmere Fragrance Oil and stir them in completely.

We found a good temperature for the cocoa butter is about 75° F. Once it’s a thick yet pourable texture (as shown below) it’s ready to place on the top of the bath bombs. Be ready to work quickly. Just a few degrees can make the butter too thick. If it does become too thick, place the mixture back in the microwave for 3-5 seconds. It doesn’t need a lot of time to warm up.

SEVEN: Use a spoon to plop a dollop of the butter on top of each bath bomb. Sprinkle the pink sea salt immediately on the top before the cocoa butter cools and hardens. Allow the butter to fully cool and harden for several hours.
NOTE: You can see that the butter in the photo below is starting to get a little cool and thick – be ready to work quickly during this step!

These bath bombs are rather delicate, so they may not be the best option to ship. If giving them as a gift, wrap them very carefully. To use, add them to a very hot tub. The hotter the water, the better. All the cocoa butter in this recipe needs high heat to fully melt.

We dropped one of the bath bombs in our kitchen sink to give you an idea of how they melt in the tub. The cocoa butter pools slightly in the tub, but it can be broken up with your hands. We found the majority of the cocoa powder went down the sink and didn’t create a ring. But, do be careful when getting out of the tub. All that cocoa butter does make it rather slippery.

5.0 from 4 reviews

DIY Cocoa Butter Bath Bombs

 

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These bath bombs are a chocolate lover's dream.

Author: Soap Queen

Recipe type: Bath Bombs

Ingredients

• About 25 Bath Bomb Mold & Package
• 64 oz. Sodium Bicarbonate (Baking Soda)
• 32 oz. Citric Acid
• 8 oz. Cocoa Butter (mixture + topping)
• 0.8 oz. Polysorbate 80
• With Hazel in Spray Bottle
• 0.9 oz. Pure Honey Fragrance Oil
• 4 mL Cocoa Butter Cashmere Fragrance Oil
• 1 tsp. Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder
• Coarse Pink Sea Salt

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, mix together 64 oz. of baking soda and 32 oz. 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 the ingredients together.
2. Add 4 ounces of the cocoa butter to a small heat-safe container and melt in the microwave using 30-60 second bursts. Add 0.8 oz. of polysorbate 80 and 0.9 oz. Pure Honey Fragrance Oil. Use a spoon to fully mix the ingredients together. The polysorbate 80 is there to help disperse the cocoa butter into the tub.
3. Add the butter mixture to the baking soda and citric acid. Use your hands to thoroughly mix all the ingredients together.
4. Test the consistency of the bath bomb mixture. The perfect consistency is similar to wet sand that 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 when squeezed.
5. Fill the two halves of the molds, gently pressing the bath bomb mixture in each so they hold their shape. Mound a little extra mixture in the center of each half of the molds. Wipe away any powder that got in the seams 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. Continue filling up the bath bomb molds until the mixture is gone.
6. Allow the bath bombs to dry and harden in the molds for 24 hours. Then, carefully remove them from the package. Melt 4 ounces of cocoa butter in a small heat-safe container using 30 second bursts. You don’t want the cocoa butter to get too hot or you’ll need to wait a few hours for it to cool. Add 1 tsp. of cocoa powder and 4 mL of Cocoa Butter Cashmere Fragrance Oil and stir them in completely. We found a good temperature for the cocoa butter is about 75° F. Once it’s a thick yet pourable texture (as shown below) it’s ready to place on the top of the bath bombs. Be ready to work quickly. Just a few degrees can make the butter too thick. If it does become too thick, place the mixture back in the microwave for 3-5 seconds. It doesn’t need a lot of time to warm up.
7. Use a spoon to plop a dollop of the butter on top of each bath bomb. Sprinkle the pink sea salt immediately on the top before the cocoa butter cools and hardens. Allow the butter to fully cool and harden for several hours. These bath bombs are rather delicate, so they may not be the best option to ship. If giving them as a gift, wrap them very carefully. To use, add them to a very hot tub. The hotter the water, the better. All the cocoa butter in this recipe needs high heat to fully melt.

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