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Welcome to the start of my bath series using Essential Oils. I’m going to share 3 bath products that you can make at home. Today it’s how to make your own bath bombs.

English lavender requires pruning after flowering. As I have 5 plants, that is a lot of lavender. It makes a lovely cut flower in the home and it also dries very easily.

I wanted to try making bath bombs. I wanted a good base recipe so I could add the lavender or any dried flower.

The Basic Bath Bomb

After spending a lot of time online researching different recipes, I did notice some consistencies, as well as options when it comes to making bath bombs. Interestingly, a number of these items can either be found in your kitchen or bathroom.

To make a basic bath bomb, you only need a few things.

This will make a very basic, albeit somewhat boring bath bomb. It will only fizz.

Bath Bomb Add-Ins

There are a number of things you can supplement the basic bath bomb with. The nice thing about this project is that you customize it to something specific – like how I wanted to incorporate my dried lavender. You could literally change it up every time based on these add-ins.

Keep in mind, that the more you add, the more complicated it will be. If making bath bombs for children or for people with skin sensitivities, use these sparingly and with caution. When in doubt, less is more.

Which Essential Oils to Use?

There are numerous possibilities when it comes to using essential oils in bath products. For someone starting out, it can be quite overwhelming.

To help get you started, here are some of my favourite essential oils to use when making bath products.

Tips for Making Bath Bombs

Now making bath bombs or bath fizzies, as they are also called can be somewhat finicky. It is important to control the amount of moisture in your mixture. Too much moisture and it may hold its shape at first but then fall apart on you. Too little moisture and it won’t hold its shape at all.

I’ve made a few batches of bath bombs and to be honest, I can’t really tell you exactly how much of the witch hazel went into the mixture. There are many factors like humidity that affect the amount that is used.

I found that metal moulds work easier than silicone moulds. I find them more delicate to handle when trying to remove from the mould. Perhaps if I made several more batches, I would be better with the silicone moulds, but if you are starting out – just get a metal mould. You only need one as they don’t stay in the mould for long.

How to Make Your Own Bath Bombs

I like to use disposable gloves to make bath bombs as I have sensitive skin. I have heard that citric acid can damage nail polish, so that may be another reason to wear gloves.

Put all your dry ingredients together in a bowl – baking soda, citric acid, and any of the dry add-ins.

Once mixed, add in the coloured mica powder, if using. A little goes a long way. The amount you add depends on the colour you want. When in doubt, start with less and work your way to more. Keep in mind that when the bath bomb gets wet, the colour intensifies and becomes darker.

Add in your almond oil and essential oils if used. Mix with your hand until it is evenly distributed throughout the dry ingredients.

Now comes the fussy part. With one hand in the bowl to mix and in your other hand the spray bottle of witch hazel, you’re going to spritz the mixture a few times and then mix.

So you’ll spritz a bit and then mix a bit. You’ll do this a few times until you get the consistency of wet sand. Squeeze some in your hand and then relax your hand – the mixture should keep the shape when you squeezed. If it falls apart and can’t keep its shape, spritz and mix again. It’s kind of like how brown sugar sticks together when firmly packed.

Once your mixture is ready, you can form the bath bombs. The metal mould consists of 2, half spheres. If you are using dried flowers, like the lavender I have, put a small pinch in one empty half of the mould before adding the mixture. This will result in the flowers at the top.

Generously fill each half-sphere.

Push the 2 halves together to make a complete sphere.

Brush, or scrape off any of the excess that oozes out the seam.

Remove from the mould immediately. Gently twist each half to get it off.

No worries if it falls apart – you can pack it in again. Sometimes if I don’t put enough of the mixture in, it doesn’t compact enough to hold its shape. You may also need another spritz or 2 of the witch hazel. This can happen if you don’t thoroughly mix it together – only some parts are wet enough while other parts are still too dry.

Put in a muffin tin lined with waxed paper or parchment paper and allow to dry overnight. The muffin tin helps keep its round shape and prevents them from rolling away. A cookie sheet would also work – you may get a slightly flattened bottom.

The next day you can package up or put them in an air-tight container to keep in your bathroom. Keep in mind that the longer you wait before you use them, the scent of the essential oils will dissipate and fade. You could always add a drop or two directly to the bath bomb before gift-giving or right before your bath in order to freshen it up.

Here is a video of me making the bath bombs.

These make wonderful gifts. I love how they turn out. You just have to get used to getting the consistency right. Once you’ve got that down, bath bombs are quite easy to make. I look forward to having baths with these.

I made some simpler ones for children. They have fewer ingredients. I only added milk powder to the basic recipe. I also added in almond oil and doTerra’s Wild Orange essential oils for these. They smell so good.

Don’t just stop there! Look at these ways to take your bath bombs to the next level!

Be sure to come back tomorrow and see what bath product I share with you!

Here’s a sneak peek:

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