baking soda Archives

DIY Cocoa Butter Bath Bombs

December 5, 2017 Filed Under: Bath Fizzies

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.

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Rose Gold Bath Bomb Tutorial

May 3, 2017 Filed Under: Bath & Body Tutorials, Bath Fizzies

The formula for bath bombs is pretty simple. A little baking soda, a dash of citric acid, a few spritzes of witch hazel – that’s all you need for a good bath bomb. But adding special touches set your recipe apart. These Rose Gold Bath Bombs illustrate what a few simple ingredients can do.

What makes them so special? They contain pink sea salt that is coated in Rose Gold Mica. The shimmery salt gives the bath bombs a lovely pop of color and creates a soothing experience in the bath tub. Polysorbate 80, an emulsifier, helps the mica and coconut oil disperse in the water rather than pooling on top. Finish them off with bright Rose Quartz Fragrance Oil and your bath bombs will show once and for all that lovingly-crafted handmade products are always the best option.

What You’ll Need:
10 Disk Mold & Packages
2 cups Baking Soda (Sodium Bicarbonate)
1 cup Citric Acid
1 cup Extra Small Pink Sea Salt
3 oz. Coarse Pink Sea Salt
¼ tsp. Rose Gold Mica
3 oz. Coconut Oil
9 mL Rose Quartz Fragrance Oil
0.3 oz. Polysorbate 80
Dropper
Witch Hazel in Spray Bottle

Click here to add everything you need for this project to your Bramble Berry shopping cart!

ONE: Mix the coarse pink sea salt with Rose Gold Mica. Add a small amount of the salt to the bottom of the bath bomb molds and set aside.
TIP: Don’t add too much salt to the bottom of the molds, or a large majority of it will fall off when the bath bomb is removed from the mold.
TWO: Sift together the baking soda and citric acid. Add the extra small pink sea salt and mix to fully incorporate.
THREE: Add the remaining coarse pink sea salt to dry the ingredients. Mix in thoroughly.
FOUR: Melt the coconut oil in the microwave using 30-60 second bursts. In a separate fragrance oil-safe container, mix together the coconut oil, Rose Quartz Fragrance Oil, and polysorbate 80.
FIVE: Add the wet ingredients to the dry mixture. Use your hands to fully mix together all the ingredients.
SIX: The perfect bath bomb texture is similar to damp sand, and holds its shape when squeezed in your hand. To achieve this texture, spritz the mixture with witch hazel with one hand and mix with your other hand. How much witch hazel you add will depend on your climate.
SEVEN: Once it’s the correct texture, add the mixture into the bath bomb molds. Press the mixture firmly and use your hands to smooth the back. Fill up each mold and allow the bath bombs to harden for at least 3-4 hours, up to overnight. Remove from the molds and enjoy!

4.8 from 6 reviews

Rose Gold Bath Bomb Tutorial

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

30 mins

These Rose Gold Bath Bombs are full of pink sea salt, coconut oil and rose gold sparkle!

Author: Soap Queen

Serves: About 10 bath bombs

Ingredients

10 Disk Mold & Packages
2 cups Baking Soda (Sodium Bicarbonate)
1 cup Citric Acid
1 cup Extra Small Pink Sea Salt
3 oz. Coarse Pink Sea Salt
¼ tsp. Rose Gold Mica
3 oz. Coconut Oil
9 mL Rose Quartz Fragrance Oil
0.3 oz. Polysorbate 80
Dropper
Witch Hazel in Spray Bottle

Instructions

Mix the coarse pink sea salt with Rose Gold Mica. Add a small amount of the salt to the bottom of the bath bomb molds and set aside. TIP: Don't add too much salt to the bottom of the molds, or a large majority of it will fall off when the bath bomb is removed from the mold.
Sift together the baking soda and citric acid. Add the extra small pink sea salt and mix to fully incorporate.
Add the remaining coarse pink sea salt to dry the ingredients. Mix in thoroughly.
Melt the coconut oil in the microwave using 30-60 second bursts. In a separate fragrance oil-safe container, mix together the coconut oil, Rose Quartz Fragrance Oil, and polysorbate 80.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry mixture. Use your hands to fully mix together all the ingredients.
The perfect bath bomb texture is similar to damp sand, and holds its shape when squeezed in your hand. To achieve this texture, spritz the mixture with witch hazel with one hand and mix with your other hand. How much witch hazel you add will depend on your climate.
Once it's the correct texture, add the mixture into the bath bomb molds. Press the mixture firmly and use your hands to smooth the back. Fill up each mold and allow the bath bombs to harden for at least 3-4 hours, up to overnight. Remove from the molds and enjoy!

Can You Make Bath Bombs Without Citric Acid?

April 14, 2017 Filed Under: Bath & Body Tutorials, Bath Fizzies, Tips & Tricks

Citric acid and baking soda (aka sodium bicarbonate) are the two main ingredients in bath bombs. That combination creates the fun fizzy reaction when the bath bomb is introduced to water. Additional ingredients can be added, such as oils, fragrance, color, glitter, and more. Then the mixture is molded into fun shapes.

But, at the core, bath bombs are baking soda and citric acid. The most common bath bomb recipe is 2 parts baking soda to 1 part citric acid. Citric acid is a mild preservative that’s often used in canning and other applications like candy making. It can be a little tricky to find in stores, which is why some recipes call for substitutions. So, can you make bath bombs without citric acid?

In the Soap Queen TV video above, three experiments are conducted to see how bath bombs fizz without citric acid. The ingredients tested are lemon juice, cream of tartar, and cornstarch. Do they create fizz in the tub? The combination of lemon juice and baking soda created very little fizz. Cream of tartar bath bombs created a little more fizz, but not much. Cornstarch bath bombs had no fizz, and created a gloppy texture in the water.

The combination of citric acid and baking soda produce the best, most fizzy bath bomb. Head over to the Bath Bomb Questions and Answers post for more tips and tricks. Can’t find your answer there? Be sure to search the comments; with more than 400 comments and counting, your question may have already been answered! 😉 The “recipes” for the bath bombs tested in the video are below, although we don’t really recommend them.

Lemon Juice Bath Bomb:
1 cup baking soda
Lemon juice (until moldable texture)

Cream of Tartar Bath Bomb:
1 cup baking soda
1/2 cup cream of tartar
Witch hazel (until moldable texture)

Cornstarch Bath Bomb:
1 cup baking soda
1/2 cup cornstarch
Witch hazel (until moldable texture)

If you’d like a variety of tried-and-true bath bomb recipes that include citric acid and have plenty of fizz, check out the Bath Bomb category page.

Natural Cleaning Recipe Roundup

February 1, 2016 Filed Under: Bath & Body Tutorials

While January may be over, there is still time to give 2016 a fresh start. For the past two weeks, the blog has been full of all-natural cleaning recipes. These recipes were designed to help eliminate some of the chemicals found in store bought cleaners from your home. These Soap Queen recipes contain common ingredients that you may already have in your pantry, including baking soda and vinegar.

If you’re interested in creating cleaning products but aren’t sure where to start, the Top DIY Cleaning Ingredients post highlights my must-haves. These ingredients include essential oils, washing soda and salts. All these ingredients can be used in a wide variety of projects.

The two areas of my home that seem to collect the most grime are the kitchen and bathroom. The Multipurpose Cleaning Spray works great for both rooms. It’s made with a combination of borax, vinegar, lemon essential oil and white thyme essential oil. To learn more about borax, click here. The spray smells fantastic and leaves non-porous surfaces clean. Keep in mind that if you have granite or marble countertops, you’ll need to steer clear of vinegar and citrus essential oils, as they can etch the surface.

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Lavender and Fir Wax Tarts + Carpet Freshener Tutorial

January 28, 2016 Filed Under: Bath & Body Tutorials, Home Crafts

One of the best things about a clean home is a crisp, fresh scent. It’s so nice to walk into a room and smell lavender, lemon and fir. This is especially true in areas where people spend a lot of time, like the living room. Natural ingredients are perfect for freshening a room.

The Natural Carpet Refresher is made with baking soda and cornstarch, which absorb odors. The recipe also contains washing soda, which can help get rid of carpet stains. A mixture of lavender 40/42 essential oil and lemon essential oil add a relaxing citrus scent. To use, lightly sprinkle the powder on a carpet or rug, let sit for 5-10 minutes, vacuum and enjoy the pleasant aroma!

Like any cleaning product, make sure to keep it away from children and pets. You don’t want anybody walking on the rug or carpet after the product has been sprinkled on. Make sure to vacuum the powder up thoroughly – in our tests we went over the carpet twice to be extra careful. In addition, you should test a small area of your rug or carpet with the powder before covering the entire surface. The amount of essential oil in this recipe is quite small, but you want to make sure it will not leave any oil marks on your floor before using. In addition, you can download and print these free Natural Cleaning Labels to give your products a professional look.

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Top DIY Cleaning Ingredients

January 18, 2016 Filed Under: Tips & Tricks

I don’t know about you, but I’ve tried a lot of cleaning products. There are so many to choose from in the store. After countless tests, I find myself going back to natural cleaners I already have in my cupboard. They’re simple, effective and not full of unpronounceable chemicals. For the next two weeks, the blog will feature some easy handmade cleaner recipes for each room in your home.

These are some of my favorite ingredients to use when making natural cleaning products. They can be used for everything from cleaning the bathroom, kitchen and living room. If you’re looking for more natural cleaning recipes, check out this Spring Cleaning Roundup. The post includes recipes for laundry soap, wood polish and more. What is your favorite natural cleaning ingredient?

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Walnut Facial Scrub for Men

May 14, 2015 Filed Under: Soaks & Scrubs

Many men are no-fuss when it comes to bath and beauty products. While women can have a routine five steps long, many guys like simple and quick. This Walnut Facial Scrub is just that…truly simple! With only four ingredients including fragrance, this scrub offers plenty of exfoliation. The new Bramble Berry Made to Measure Type Fragrance Oil is a fantastic masculine scent, based on the popular cologne. The combination of walnut shells, baking soda and kaolin clay create a neutral appearance that’s not too fussy or feminine.

To use, apply the dry scrub directly to wet, clean skin. Or, place the scrub in your hands and add a few drops of water to make a paste. People with dry skin might prefer mixing the scrub with oil before each use. Avocado oil, argan oil or sweet almond oil would work well. Apply the scrub 2-3 times a week. If you’re a lady, you can still use the scrub! But, you may want to use a different fragrance or omit the fragrance oil altogether. Because this recipe does not contain water, you don’t need to add a preservative to this recipe. Read more about preservatives here. [Read more…]

Fizzy Toilet Fresheners

April 28, 2015 Filed Under: Home Crafts

Let’s be honest – cleaning the bathroom isn’t very fun. It’s hard to keep your bathroom sparkling clean when you’re busy with other important tasks (like soaping, of course!) These Fizzy Toilet Fresheners are a great way to freshen your bathroom in between cleanings.

The combination of sodium bicarbonate and citric acid help fight stains. Once the freshener hits the water, it starts to fizz and release a fresh and clean scent from Lemon Essential Oil and Peppermint Essential Oil, 2nd Distillation. You can store them in an airtight container, like the Tall 8 oz. Plastic Bail Jar, and use them whenever your bathroom needs a pick me up.

These fizzies are great for freshening your toilet, but are not intended for use in the bathtub. Because they are strongly scented to mask bathroom odors, the excess amounts of essential oil can cause skin irritation.

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Sunday Night Spotlight: Baking Soda

March 8, 2015 Filed Under: Bramble Berry News

Baking soda, also known as sodium bicarbonate, is a versatile ingredient. Commonly used as a leavening agent in baking, baking soda also has a place in bath and beauty products. It is the primary ingredient in bath fizzies and adds gentle exfoliation to soap and scrubs.

Baking soda is a light, fine white powder. The mineral form of sodium bicarbonate is called nahcolite. The majority of the baking soda in the U.S. comes from the vast trona mines in Green River, Wyoming. What is trona? According to the city of Green River Wyoming, “trona is the raw material which is refined into soda ash. Soda ash, in turn, is used to make glass, paper products, laundry detergents, and many other products. It also is used in the manufacturing of other chemicals, such as sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) and sodium phosphates (detergents).”
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Soothing Baking Soda Oatmeal Bar

February 20, 2014 Filed Under: Cold Process Soap

For the ultimate skin-soothing bar of soap, you can’t get much better than this Baking Soda Oatmeal Bar. Made with Castile Rebatch, Oat Extract, Colloidal Oatmeal and baking soda, it has some serious nourishing power. Baking soda provides gentle all-over exfoliation, and oatmeal is renowned for its ability to calm irritate skin. Some customers may prefer this bar unscented so they can enjoy the gentle exfoliation of the baking soda and soothing effect of the oatmeal, but you can certainly add Lavender or Chamomile Essential Oil to give it a mild scent.

Regular soap has a pH anywhere from 8.5 – 10, and this soap is definitely on the low end of the spectrum with a pH of 8. It’s gentle enough for sensitive skin but strong enough to provide plenty of exfoliating cleanliness.

This is also a great recipe for beginning cold process soapers. It uses a rebatch base, which means the soap arrives pre-made and pre-cured; no dealing with lye! This tutorial uses the double-boiler method, but you can experiment with the plastic baggie technique too. For more on making rebatch soap, check out this Soap Queen TV video.

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