Have you ever wanted to make a bath bomb but you are not sure where to start?
You've seen all those spinning and twirling shapes that throw out fabulous colour and think to yourself... I'm going to have a go at that.
And then you go in search of YouTube videos and scan Google for articles and recipes and you end up coming away with a head so full of stuff you are more confused than enthusiastic.
This article is aimed at simplifying that process in a way that helps making your first bath bomb very simple, and better still, it will be dry and ready to use in one hour.
I see so many people starting out trying to make a bath bombs with lots of ingredients yet they have no idea what does what or how it does it, so my advice is to start simple and to go on from there.
I also see people complaining about not being able to make bath bombs 'because it is raining'. What you have to do is work to the conditions. It's simple.
If it's a damp, rainy day you will need very little water to hold your product together or none at all because the already included liquids will do the job perfectly.
If its a dry day you may feel like you have to keep spritzing and spritzing. With time you will do this without even thinking about it. Judging the amount becomes very easy.
BASIC BATH BOMB RECIPE
You can use a 2-1 recipe, but I prefer the 3-1.
300g Sodium Bicarbonate
100g Citric Acid
Fragrance Oil (see notes a.)
Light Oil (not necessary but some like it see notes b.)
EazyColour of choice (see notes c.)
Spritz (water in a fine spray bottle see notes d.)
Now its time to put it all together
1. Sieve the dry ingredients together.
2. Add a couple of ml of water to your EazyColours water-soluble to make it pop and mix into the Sodium Bicarbonate. Only water will make EazyColours pop.
3. Spread your colour over the top of the mixture and mix well. There should be no streaks of colour.
4. Add fragrance oil or essential oil and mix well until there are no oil bubbles. When some of the mixture is pressed and smeared across the palm of your hand you will be able to see if their are any bubbles or streaks. Keep mixing your mixture until it is smooth and streak free.
5. When it is streak free, you can start to spritz with a very small amount of water. The addition of water will intensify the colour more, but don't overdo it or the batch will erupt when you add your citric acid.
If you have added too much water then all is not lost. You can put it to one side to dry out.
6. Once you are happy that the mixture is only slightly damp you can add your Citric Acid and mix quickly and thoroughly.
You most likely won’t need to spritz at all if its a damp day and you have used oil. Some days you will need just one spritz, whereas another day you may need 40. Be patient and work to the (weather) conditions!
When you can grab a handful of the mixture, squeeze it and it stays in shape, it is ready to mould.
HOW TO MOULD YOUR BATH BOMB
ROUNDS
Overfill both halves and push firmly together. Do not twist, just lightly tap one side and then the other to help release the mixture from the mould. Take one side off, put it back on, turn it over and take the other side off. If it doesn't release easily, don't force it. Just keep tapping until you hear a slight change in the sound. This is how you know it is ready to unmould. This sound comes with experience and is minimal, so don't worry if you don't hear it.
SHAPES
Press the mixture very firmly into all the fine detail areas. Fill the rest of the mould and press firmly. Some people worry that pressing firmly will cause the bath bomb to become heavy and sink. It wont because shapes are flat and will float.
These bath bombs will set rock hard in an hour with no need for powders and potions, which to be honest are only used to soak up excess oils.
Once your bath bomb is dry use it and watch what happens.
Now the fun starts!
You must be able to understand what it does and how things react together to be able to move on to adding any oils or other ingredients.
One good way of learning is to create 4 bath bombs all using the above recipe.
Keep one simple, the second should include a small amount of SLSa, the third should have embeds in 1 side only, the 4th should have embeds in one side AND SLSa.
Note the difference between all 4.
See how the basic bath bomb fizzes crazily but only last a couple of minutes.
See how the SLSa slows down the fizz but creates a thick foam and shows off the colourful embeds.
See how embeds (see notes e.) make the bath bomb move in certain way depending on where you have placed them middle side, balanced, unbalanced.
See how it all works together.
If you do this you will gain understanding of how things work and be able to move onto more adventurous things...
NOTES:
a. FO/EO - the amount used is determind by the IFRA. The IFRA tells you about usage amounts and allergens to make your product safe for use. For the benefit of this recipe we are using a ratio of 10%.
b. Please remember that not all people want oil in their bath, it can irritate some people's skin. Choosing an oil can help certain skin conditions. Some oils are heavy and take a while to 'dry out' whilst other, light oils work a lot better.
c. Water-soluble EazyColours are used in our recipe. They are super-strength colour and the tiniest amount is needed. Remember, dyes like this can stain your hands when you are mixing your product, so always use gloves. However they will not stain your bath and will leave it looking beautifully shiny and clean. We don't recommend mica in bath bombs as they will stain your bath, but, they may be used in small amounts to paint detail on your bath bombs.
d. Water - we use water and not rubbing alcohol or witch hazel because a product made with water dries more slowly. RA and WH evaporate so quickly that it can easily ruin your mixture to the point where it is unmouldable; you end up with a pile of dust that will just not stick together regardless of what you add to it. Water is the most stable liquid to use.
e. An embed is a tiny shape, round or square, that you insert into a bath bomb. You can use one to tip the balance of the bath bomb and make it perform in a certain way or you can use a few, all varying in colour to throw out a beautiful coolour show. The embed is made using the same recipe as above but without fragrance or oils.
Dry products will always float. If you use your bath bomb when it is wet it will most likely sink.
ALWAYS FOLLOW GMP - Good Manufacturing Practice