Welcome back to Talk It Out Tuesday! Today we’ll be answering some frequently asked questions about Bramble Berry’s LaBomb colorants which are specifically made to color your bath bombs with ease and flare.
What is a bath bomb?
A bath bomb, also known as a bath fizzy, is basically a mixture of baking soda and citric acid. You can also add fragrance oil, witch hazel and other fun additives like fixed oils, clays and SLS to add bubbles. When the bath bomb is dropped into the tub it fizzes and spins to release fragrance and skin-softening goodness. Bath bombs are easy to make in all sorts of shapes and scents, and you can even make them into realistic-looking cupcakes! Best of all, bath bombs are family-friendly, fun to make and even more fun to use.
How do you make bath bombs?
Bath bomb tutorials are a favorite of ours, so we’ve got a lot of projects to get you going. Here are two basic videos to get you started: How to Make Bath Bombs on Soap Queen TV and Bath Fizzy Fun on Soap Queen TV
Once you’ve mastered the art of the basic bath bomb, there are some really cute ways to make your bath bombs extra special: Bath Bomb Surprise, Dressed Up Bath Bombs and Bath Bombs + Salt = Love
And finally, an amazing video tutorial on making picture-perfect, mouth-watering cupcake bath bombs (for the advanced bath bomb maker): How to Make Cupcake Bath Bombs on Soap Queen TV
Did any of your batches go horribly wrong? Are you left with a great smelling, but shapeless fizzy powder? We’ve got a fix for that! Check out this super cute tutorial on saving your bath bombs: Save the Bath Bombs, Valentine Style
What are the best colorants for Bath Bombs?
LaBomb colorants are made by Bramble Berry and are specifically designed to cooperate with your bath bomb mixture. They’re made of the same highly concentrated FD&C and D&C dyes that LabColors are made of. However, instead of being made with water the way the Lab Colors are, LaBomb colorants are made with glycerin. This means that when you add your LaBomb colorant to your bath bomb mix, it won’t start to fizz and make warts the way water -based colorants can. They are specifically formulated and designed for optimal bath bomb coloring. Not sure what Lab Colors are? Check out this informational post on using Lab Colors!
Is it possible to get a dark colored bath bomb with the La Bombs?
It’s possible, but a little tricky. You’re mixing a color into something that’s white, and anytime you mix a color with white you get a pastel. So you’re going to have to add a lot of colorant to get a rich, dark color. Watch out! This over coloring may lead to a change in color in your bath water, which is actually super popular with the kids.
Check out these fizzies in action: Gurlie Pink, Key West Lime, Cantaloupe, Adobe Brick. Note: the colors changed the water in the photo above because they are more concentrated than they would be in a big bath tub.
How do I use LaBomb colors in my bath bombs?
Unlike the Lab Colors, the La Bombs don’t need to be diluted before use. Just add a few drops, and make sure you mix, mix, mix! Here are the LaBomb colorant usage rates we used in the bath bombs below. Each colorant was mixed with 8-10 ounces of a standard bath bomb mix (1 part citric acid, 2 parts baking soda).
Midnight Blue– 9 drops, Key West Lime– 7 drops, Gurlie Pink – 7 drops, Cornflower Blue– 8 drops
Lilac– 10 drops, Rosy Pink– 8 drops, Daisy Yellow– 7 drops, Irish Green– 8
Adobe Brick– 8 drops, Coral Orange– 8 drops, Cantaloupe– 10 drops, Teal– 6 drops
Do you have any other bath bomb questions? We would be happy to answer them!
I was hoping to make as natural product as possible. Is it possible to use your different colored Brazilian clays or other natural options like spirulina, activated charcoal as a bath bomb colorants?
Hi Mary!
Using natural colorants in bath bombs is certainly possible! Brazilian Clays work really well! In our Mini Hearts Bath Bomb Tutorial, we used Pink Brazilian Clay to give the bath bombs a light peachy pink color.
Mini Heart Bath Bombs:
http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/bath-fizzies/show-love/
You could use Spirulina Powder in your bath bombs as well, although it does have a scent that some may undesirable for your bath bombs. Purely a personal preference :). Although you could use Activated charcoal in your bath bombs as well, it may leave you with grey water, and could potentially stain your tub.
I hope this helps!
-Amanda with Bramble Berry
Will I be able to achieve bright and vibrant colors using LaBomb colorant? I noticed all the bath bombs in your pictures are of a pastel color but I’m wanting colors like hot pink and teal. If not then can you suggest other colorants (other then micas that are not water soluble)
Thank you!
Hi Cathy!
If you use slightly more LaBomb colorant you will get a more intense color, but unfortunately there is not a way to create neon colors with LaBomb colorants. You can see an example of a more intense pink color in our Sparkle Power Bath Bomb Tutorial. While it is not hot pink, it’s definitely a more intense hue :). In this tutorial we used the Rosy Pink LaBomb Colorant.
Sparkle Power Bath Bomb Tutorial:
http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/bath-fizzies/sparkle-power-bath-bomb-tutorial/
Rosy Pink LaBomb Colorant:
https://www.brambleberry.com/Rosy-Pink-La-Bomb-P4285.aspx
I hope this helps!
-Amanda
Thanks for all the information! I have been using food colouring to change the colour of my bath bombs, but I realized that is does not change the colour of the water when fizzing in the tub. Does LaBomb colorants change the colour of the water as well? Thank you!
Hi Alyssa,
If you use LaBomb colorants at the correct usage rate, they will not change the color of the water 🙂 If you give them a try, we would love to see your creations on our Facebook page 🙂
https://www.facebook.com/BrambleBerry
-Amanda with Bramble Berry
Hey Becky
Recipe for my bomb
1cup bicarb
1/2 cup citric
1/8 cup powder goats milk
1 tsp sweet almond oil
1 tsp kaolin clay
vanilla fragrance oil
and spritz rain water
Thank you for your help
Mandy
Good morning, Mandy!
Thank you so much for sharing your recipe with us, it definitely helps us to troubleshoot and figure out what happened. It looks like you are using rain water in your recipe, which is probably causing those little bumps you see on your soap. Water causes the fizzing reaction to happen prematurely in bath bomb recipes, and you don’t actually want to introduce to your product until you are ready to use it in the bathtub. I hope that this helps! If you have any other questions, don’t hesitate to ask, we are here to help you out. =)
-Becky with Bramble Berry
Hi
I made a bath bomb with powered goats milk, after a couple of days I shrink wrapped the bomb.
I have now noticed a few spots of mould on the bomb, I thought the bomb was hard and dry. Do you have any explanation as to why this may have happened?
Love your products.
Thank you, from down under (Aust)
Hi Mandy!
Bath bombs can be so much fun, and skin-loving additives can make them super luxurious. If you could tell us a little bit more about your recipe, we would be happy to troubleshoot what happened to yours. =)
-Becky with Bramble Berry
sorry didn’t click reply,
message below
In the section on how to use the LaBomb color in your bath bombs, it states that you us drops of the colorant, but in the picture they look solid. So if you dont dilute them, then how do you turn them in to drops?
Hi Alysa!
The La Bomb colorants actually come in liquid form and what you are seeing in the picture are the colors in bath fizzies! All you need to do is open up your bottle of La Bomb colorant and use as is in your bath fizzy or bomb mixtures. I hope this helps! =)
-Becky with Bramble Berry
Thank you sooo much! i actually ordered all my ingredients for the bath bombs last thursday! first time ordering from Bramble Berry! Thank you for the reply!
Hi Alysa!
Thank you so much for your business! We are so excited for you to get started. If you get any pictures of your bath fizzies, be sure to share them with us on Bramble Berry’s Facebook page. 🙂
-Becky with Bramble Berry
So I wanna try making bath bombs with both labomb colorant and the mica colorant. What would be the best conversion between the colors? I’m afraid of using too much mica and my tub turning into one of those old retro colors!
Hi Leanna!
We like using the La Bomb colorants because they are specifically made for bath bomb usage, but a small amount of mica in your bath bombs is going to work just fine! I would start out with 1/2 a teaspoon of mica per pound of mixture and go up from there. Definitely test them out in your bathtub to see what kind of usage rates work the best for you! 🙂
Happy Bath Bomb Making!
-Becky with Bramble Berry
Bath Bomb Dyes: https://www.brambleberry.com/Bath-Bomb-Dyes-C50.aspx
While mixing up some cold process soap, I accidentally used some of my La Bomb colorant. The color turned out fine, but did I mess up my CP soap?
Not at all! La Bomb colorants can be used for CP soap, but we typically used them in bath bombs. Your cold process soap is going to be just fine! 🙂
-Becky with Bramble Berry
How would i create a black colored bath bomb?
Hi Mary!
If you were wanting a black colored bath bomb, you can combine a few of the La Bomb Colorants to get a dark-black color or you can using our Luster Black Mica. Just be aware that adding a darker color to your bath bomb may leave a ring around the tub.
Luster Black Mica: https://www.brambleberry.com/Luster-Black-Mica-P3453.aspx
I’d try it in a small batch first and test it out to make sure you got the color, scent and feel of your bath bomb to how you like it! 🙂
-Becky with Bramble Berry
Thank you! I have been asking for a picture on the BB FB page and here I stumble upon it on pintrest! Regardless thank you for the color pictures and the set will def. be in my next order! Thanks again!!!
Can’t wait to see what you will make with them! We’d love to see pictures of your creations,and you can share those with us on our Facebook page! Happy Fizzy Making!
-Becky with Bramble Berry
Can the LaBomb colorants be used to color bath salts as well?
Absolutely! You can also use our Labcolors to color your bath salts. 🙂
https://www.brambleberry.com/LabColors-C171.aspx
-Becky with Bramble Berry
Yay!! I just ordered the set of 12 LaBombs and it’s nice to know I can use them for more than just fizzies. Thanks Becky!
OOOHHHH love these colours. I wish my bombs looked as good as yours. They are so smooth and even looking.
I’m so glad to finally see pictures of the LaBomb colorants! Can you recommend a combo of colors to get a nice purple or lavender color that is darker than the lilac?
Hi Tammy! I’d start out with combining the Adobe Brick and Cornflower Blue until you get a nice purple color that work for you, but have fun experimenting until you get that perfect purple!
-Becky with Bramble Berry
This makes me want the complete set too! Thanks for the great information and examples of the colors. That is so helpful.
A perfectly timed topic…I just ordered and received the complete 12 color LaBomb set and think I will be cracking it open today (that is if it finally stops raining here on the East Coast!).
How interesting! I just received a bath bomb kit this week! In my kit was a mica for colorant, not the new liquid types!
Hi Pam! Micas can be easier to use for people learning a new craft so that’s why we include them in the beginner kit. =)
-Becky with Bramble Berry
Thanks Becky that makes perfect sense! I have some liquid colorants from England so those should work too I’m thinking.
HI this looks interesting for my boys…i jus love it..Iam going to try and make some…lol
They will love it! I’m in my twenties and I still found it fun to have in the bathtub! 🙂
-Becky with Bramble Berry
I found it really helps to mix with your gloved hands to really get the la bomb colors mixed in. That way you can break up the little globules that are sometimes hard to incorporate.
Btw, your rosy pink and gurlie pink look purple here, but it may just be my screen. I’ve used both and love the nice pink colors!
What a great suggestion, thanks for the tip, Leslie! All though they may look a little purpleish in the photo, the rosy and gurlie pink LaBomb colorants turn out to be beautiful pink colors, just like you said!
-Becky with Bramble Berry
I like the LaBomb Colorant for bath bombs, but I having a problem. Your bath bombs has an even color to them, however, mine look like speckled and very light. I followed your chart on how many drops to use for each color. What suggestion do you have on how to make the color even and possible darker?
Good morning, Yolande!
The easiest way to get that even color is to just dive into the mixture with your hands (gloves are handy here) and just mix, mix, mix as much as you can. And, if you need to add a little extra color to get it that darker color you are looking for, that isn’t going to be an issue. 🙂
-Becky with Bramble Berry