Is there anything more relaxing than a soak in the tub? Maybe an uninterrupted soak in the tub with soothing bath bombs recipe. Ahhhh…
Fizzy Bath bombs are an easy gift to make to either keep on hand for yourself or give to friends, teachers… anyone who needs a little R&R. (Don’t miss the printable bath bombs gift tags below.) Making them seems complicated, and when I tell people I make my own they are always a little shocked. But I promise, they are easier than baking cupcakes. (Those I can mess up!)
Not only are they very useful, they are really pretty packaged up in a simple mason jar with a bow. And, of course, I had to go and make some free printable tags to make gift giving simple.
Bath Bombs Recipe
There are tons of DIY Bath Bombs recipes online. After some trial and error, I ended up making up my own bath bombs recipe.
DIY Bath Bomb Ingredients:
- 2 Cups Baking Soda
- 1 Cup Citric Acid *
- 1 Cup Corn Starch Powder
- 1 Cup Epsom Salt
- 4 Tablespoons of Oil
- 2 Teaspoons Essential Oil (I used peppermint, lavender would also be nice)**
- 4-5 drops Food Coloring
This recipe yields 24 hearts in a Wilton Silicone Candy Mold. (I want to make flowers next.)
* I looked everywhere for Citric Acid, which is used in canning. No where locally sold it. But trusty Amazon sells it. Save yourself the headache and just buy the Citric Acid from Amazon.
Easy shopping – Besides the things you probably have at home (oil, food coloring and baking soda), here is everything you need to make my bath bombs recipe.
Ball Jar Citric Acid, 7.5-Ounce
Wilton Easy Flex Heart 24-Cavity Silicone MoldMajestic Pure Peppermint Essential Oil, Premium Quality, 4 fl. oz.Epsom Salt 2LbBall Mason Wide Mouth Quart Jars with Lids and Bands, Set of 12Majestic Pure Lavender Essential Oil, Therapeutic Grade, 4 fl. Oz
&
(You’ll notice the peppermint essential oil is missing from the picture, that’s because I dropped it — on the tile — while setting up this shot. Luckily, I saved most of it into a baby food jar, but it didn’t make the picture.)
Many of the recipes I tried called for which hazel or water with less oil. The problem is all water based liquids start the citric acid reaction, so I found that my bombs reacted a bit too much and there was less fizz in the bath tub. (They still worked, just less fizz.) So I make mine with more oil and no additional water/which hazel and they are perfect.
Fizzy Bath Bombs Directions:
Mix the dry ingredients.
Next add a few drops of food coloring. Remember, if you add a lot color the water will be slightly tinted too. So less is more. (No, it isn’t enough color to stain the tub or your body.) When you add the drops, act quickly to mix color. As each drop hits the citric acid, it will begin to react, acting quickly will limit this reaction.
I mix everything with my hands.
When the color is mixed evenly, add your essential oil. Again, mix quickly to minimize the reaction. For this batch I used peppermint, but I am considering Vanilla or coconut for next time.
Finally, mix in your oil. I added the oil one tablespoon at a time so as to mix evenly and not make the mixture too wet.
The goal is crumbly, but not saturated. You should be able to squeeze a handful together into a clump, then rub your hands together to break it back up into crumbles.
Once your mixture is ready, pack it into your mold. Press the mixture into the mold as hard as you can filling every crevice.
Once you make your first batch, you will never want a store-bought ones again!
Printable Bath Bomb Tags
I made a batch for my daughter’s teacher for Valentine’s Day, so I made “Valentine, You’re The Bomb!” tags. But since I didn’t post until after Valentine’s Day, I also made generic “You’re The Bomb” tags so you can give the gift of a relaxing soak in the tub year round. (They look the same, but without Valentine and I added a little heart.)
Download the Valentine’s Day Tags Here.
Download “You’re The Bomb” Gift Tags Here.
To print your tags, click the link above and print on cardstock paper. The tags can be punched out with either a two-inch circle punch or a two-inch scallop punch (scallop below).
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Christy Garrett @ Uplifting Families says
February 18, 2014 at 9:17 pmThese are so cute, I will share this post on pinterest too.
Robin P says
February 18, 2014 at 10:04 pmHow fun would it be to make a bunch of pastel flower bombs for grown up Easter gifts.
jen says
February 19, 2014 at 12:45 pmShhhhh… I am gonna do Easter Egg bombs 🙂
Rachee says
February 23, 2014 at 7:33 pmLove! Adding to my list of crafts for my summer theme of Pop, Fizz, Read.
Jean says
March 3, 2014 at 1:35 pmOoh, making these soon. Maybe Easter eggs in egg molds? So cute. Thanks for the recipe!
Andrea says
November 15, 2014 at 10:47 amI made these last night and they all crumbled when I removed them from the mould this morning. I followed the directions exactly, and used almond oil for my essential oil. Any tips on fixing this?
jen says
November 16, 2014 at 9:45 pmOh no!!! My best guess is that you didn’t pack them in tight enough. My hearts turned out perfect, but when I did these a few months later with eggs 1/2 of batch crumbled. I think making sure the mixture is moist and packing it in tight is the key to success. Sorry you had trouble!
Pat C. says
January 27, 2015 at 10:10 pmOoh!! I’ve seen bath bomb tutorials that were more complicated and called for a number of expensive ingredients that only a chemist would have lying around, but yours looks manageable for all skill levels and budgets! Thank you so much for sharing! xoxo
Pat C. says
January 27, 2015 at 10:12 pmAnd thank you for the sweet printable tags, too!
jen says
January 28, 2015 at 12:03 pmOh yes, I am all about simple! Have fun making these!
Jenn says
January 29, 2015 at 10:49 pmThanks for linking up at Weekend Retreat! I am going to have to make a batch for myself.
Joanne/WineLady Cooks says
January 30, 2015 at 8:31 pmThis is a terrific DIY for almost any occasion or holiday. Thanks so much for sharing with Foodie Friends Friday party this weekend. Will pin/share this weekend.
A FFF co-host,
Joanne/WineLady Cooks
Alexandra says
February 1, 2015 at 9:59 pmThese are adorable! As are they all in their gifting state. I have been wanting to try out a recipe if you will for bath bombs. This may be the start for me.
I would love if you linked this up to my 14 Days of Valentine Inspired Crafts Linky Party – http://eyeloveknots.blogspot.com/2015/02/14-days-of-valentine-inspired-craft.html.
Rosemary @anitalianinmykitchen says
February 3, 2015 at 12:31 pmWhat a great idea, love it. Thanks for linking up at the Project Parade Linky Party. Rosemary
Jennifer says
February 7, 2015 at 1:58 pmWould these still turn out if I used lavender-scented epsom salts and no oil, or is the oil necessary to keep the bombs from crumbling?
jen says
February 9, 2015 at 11:20 amIf you use lavender epsom salts you won’t need the essential oil, but you will need vegetable oil. Otherwise there is nothing to make the bombs stick together – it is basically dry ingredients at that point. Lavender epsom salts do have some oil in them to bind the scent, but it isn’t enough on it’s own to make everything stick.
Jennifer says
February 9, 2015 at 2:35 pmThank you! Makes sense. I’ll post again after I make them this week. 🙂
Kirsten Jensen says
February 8, 2015 at 10:28 pmMy daughter and I just made a batch…so easy! We can’t wait to see how they turn out! Thanks for the great gift inspiration!
jen says
February 9, 2015 at 11:14 amGreat! I hope you get to enjoy a relaxing bath soon! (BTW – I think it is time I make more!)
Tasha Escoto says
February 10, 2015 at 10:54 amThese are great, but if you add the food coloring to the oil, it is much easier to combine and create the color. I tried adding the food coloring on its own and it was very difficult to combine. The food coloring and the oil won’t combine well. It’s like water and oil, but it still combines easier overall.
jen says
February 10, 2015 at 8:52 pmGood tip! Glad you enjoyed making them. 🙂
Connie Carroll says
February 11, 2015 at 1:09 pmMy daughter tried to make these last night and hers too crumbled when trying to take them out of the mold. Can you take these that didn’t mold and add a bit more oil and mold them again??
jen says
February 11, 2015 at 10:21 pmI am sorry to hear they crumbled. I don’t know if it will work to remold the crumbly ones. When I had crumbly ones, I put them out for my ids to play with so I never made it that far. But it wouldn’t hurt to try. Make sure you pack them really hard and they are good and damp. I usually found the ones that crumbled were too loose or too dry. Let me know if it works to remold them.
Natalie says
May 23, 2015 at 6:08 pmUnfortunately this recipe didn’t work for me 🙁 I bought the exact same mold, packed it in as hard as I could and left it out for 18 hours. Any suggestions??
jen says
May 28, 2015 at 11:30 pmWithout knowing what didn’t work, it is hard to say. It is possible that they weren’t wet enough to stick together. The mixture should be crumbly not dry before you pack the mold. If they were too dry, try adding a little more oil. Hope that helps.
wanda j says
December 23, 2015 at 2:49 amTHe tags are really small. Don’t have ruffle around them. Did I get the wrong thing?
wanda j says
December 23, 2015 at 2:56 amTags don’t print out right. They are very tiny and on’t have the scollop around them. Also there aren’t two different one both are the same for me. Is there a problem on my end? I’m having issues printing anything form your website. Even typing this isn’t easy very. very slow responce and can correct easy.
elizabeth says
January 6, 2016 at 9:50 amDid you get any response about the downloads?
jen says
January 6, 2016 at 10:46 amAfter clicking on the link, the image will appear in a new window. Right click on the image to save it to your computer. After saving it to your computer, print the file and it will print correctly. Do not print directly from the window or you just get a preview size. Enjoy!
jen says
January 6, 2016 at 10:52 amHi Wanda – After clicking on the link you need to save the image to you computer and then print the image from your computer. If you print directly from the window you will end up with a preview size, which is tiny. I am not sure why you aren’t seeing two different tag files, I just confirmed the file links are correct.
The files do not have a ruffle around the edge, as mentioned in the post, you can punch out the tags with a circle punch or a scallop punch. The scallop punch creates the ruffle, otherwise they would be impossible to cut by hand! Hope this helps.
Michael Ortega says
January 4, 2016 at 1:10 amHi! I am very interested in trying this as a valentine’s gift for my girlfriend, however, I was curious, could sweet almond oil be substituted for the vegetable oil? As it may have a better effect on the skin.
jen says
January 4, 2016 at 9:59 amYes, you can defiantly substitute the oil. I actually want to try it with fractionated coconut oil sometime. But frankly, that’s what I had lying around the house that day. LOL. (PS – what a nice boyfriend, hope she loves it.)
Sandi Bollin says
May 23, 2016 at 1:12 amJust made 2 batches of them. I used olive oil instead. Used a tad less citric acid as each container I found was 7.25 ounces not 8. I forgot I was out of essential oils so I used extract instead.. Second batch used scented epsom salts and that solved that dilemma.
Sandi Bollin says
May 23, 2016 at 1:21 amForgot I was out of essential oils so used lemon extract instead. Second batch used scented epsom salts instead solved that dilemma. Used olive oil instead. Mine bubbled up so much in the molds. Was rainy here so just put them in a gas oven (off) to dry.
jen says
May 24, 2016 at 12:41 pmI live in FL and also find they just don’t work right on rainy days. Crazy. I hope they dried out 🙂
Sandi Bollin says
May 28, 2016 at 11:42 pmMade a third batch and were to dry and just crumbled them. Still pretty in a jar and can use them as a bath salt instead. They still fizzed.
TiffaniW says
February 8, 2019 at 1:37 amHi, Just wanted to let you know that I used a pre-scented mango Himalayan Epsom Salt I found at Target and mixed the dye with the oil prior to adding it the dry ingredients and I could skip one of the reactions. I think that helped along with letting mine set not just overnight but for 2 overnights. I’m lucky that I don’t like in a humid place. They popped out immediately. As long as I was relatively careful they worked great. Also, you can find citric acid locally by going to any local whole foods or any grocery market that specializes in organic foods or clean living. You can also find it in supplement stores. Hope that helps some of your followers out there who don’t care to shop online. I wouldn’t survive without Amazon but my father thinks online retailers are out to steal his identity. I try to convince him he’s more at risk of identity theft by sending checks snail mail but there’s no talking to a man with selective hearing. 🤣
jen says
February 8, 2019 at 11:12 amThanks for the tip about the pre-scented epsom salt. And I had to giggle about your dad 🤣
Kristy P says
February 11, 2019 at 12:32 pmMy bombs also fell apart when I tried to take them out of the mold but I believe it was because they are too wet. I live in New Jersey so the environment is humid. I corrected this by putting the mold into the oven first at 350 degrees- bad idea they started to melt, but 200 degrees for 30 minutes seems to have dried them to the point where I can jar them without them falling apart. The only other ‘problem’ I had is based on the above recipe I thought I was getting 24 but ended up with 60. More people are getting valentines day jars than I intended!