How To Make A Bath Bomb At Home

How to make a bath bomb at home:

1. Prepare your ingredients
2. Mix the dry ingredients
3. Mix the wet ingredients
4. Slowly add wet to dry ingredients
5. Add decorations to the mold
6. Pack your mixture tightly
7. Leave to dry for a few hours

Everyone loves using a nice bath bomb now and again. It adds a delightful smell and colorful fizz to your bathtub. And, it’s also a great gift for any occasion. But, anyone who’s ever used them knows they can be a little pricey.

Luckily, you can make your own bath bombs at home. You might even have most (if not all) the ingredients at home already! Plus, you can customize their color, scent, and even shape to your liking. Find out how to make a bath bomb at home in this blog! 

Prepare your ingredients

This bath bomb recipe makes about 4 half-balls, but the exact amount depends on the molds you will use.

Ingredients:

• 100g sodium bicarbonate or baking soda.
• 50g citric acid.
• 25g cornstarch.
• 25g Epsom salt (optional).
• 2 tbsp oil — such as sunflower, coconut, jojoba, or olive oil.
• ¼ tsp essential oil, such as sweet orange, rose, lavender, or chamomile — here are a few essential oil sets you might want to use. 
• Liquid food coloring — the color of your choice. 
• Decorations, such as orange peel, lavender or rose petals, etc. (optional).

Tools:

• Mixing bowls
• A whisk
• A plastic or silicone mold — you can try anything circular and flexible, such as muffin tins, or candy pans. There are also plastic molds made specifically for bath bombs.

Where can I buy citric acid?

Almost all bath bomb recipes you’ll find have more or less the same ingredients. What will really make your bath bomb great is citric acid. Click here to order some online!

Don’t worry about the leftovers you might have after making your bath bombs at home, either. It’s a multipurpose ingredient you can use as a house cleaner for limescale removal. Or, you can continue DIY-ing self-care products with it, such as creams, shower gels, lotions, and more. 

Mix the dry ingredients

Add the baking soda, citric acid, cornstarch, and Epsom salt in a mixing bowl. Whisk them thoroughly until they are fully combined.

Mix the wet ingredients

Add the base oil, essential oil, and food coloring to another mixing bowl. Mix them well, and make sure to combine the oils with the coloring as much as possible. 

Slowly add wet to dry ingredients

Slowly pour in the wet mixture on the dry mixture. Make sure to only pour in a little at a time, and whisk the mixture together between each pour. Add about a teaspoon at a time to avoid your mixture from fizzing too much.

While whisking, slow down if things start to look too frizzy. Your mixture should start looking a little clumpy, similar to damp sand. You can check if you’re achieving this texture with your hands. When they start to slightly clump together and hold their shape when it’s pressed in your hand, that means it’s at the right consistency. 

Whatever you do, don’t add water at this stage, or the bath bomb will activate and start fizzing prematurely — and can’t be used later on. 

Add decorations to the mold

If you decided to add decorations to your bath bomb, now is the time to add them to your mold. You can also lightly oil your mold with some base oil, to make it easier to pop out your bath bombs once they’re ready. 

Pack your mixture tightly

Now, start filling the molds with your bath bomb mixture. You will need to pack in the mixture tightly so that it forms and hardens properly. You can either tamp it down with your fingers or use a spoon or glass. This might be time-consuming, but it’s the most important part of the bath bomb-making process.

This will make two halves of your bath bomb. If you want to make a complete sphere, then you’ll need to use identical molds or a two-sided mold. 

If using a two-sided mold, make sure to slightly overfill each side with the mixture. Then, press the molds firmly together, and secure them with elastic bands and/or weights while it dries. 

Leave to dry for a few hours

Place your molds somewhere cool and dry. Depending on how warm and humid it is in your area, your bath bomb can be ready as quickly as 2 to 4 hours. But, we recommend giving them a whole day to dry out, just to be sure.

Your bath bomb should have a solid consistency by the time it’s fully dry. Carefully remove it from the mold, and it’s ready to be dropped into your bath! 

Key Takeaway

Making bath bombs is a great DIY activity. Knowing how to make a bath bomb at home will not only keep you supplied with your favorite self-care product but can also make a lovely gift for friends and family.

Make this recipe at home with ingredients from Oktakem! Visit our shop, official Shopee page or official Lazada page to get all the essential oils and citric acid you need to make bath bombs yourself. Or, check out our other raw materials and swimming pool chemicals for more things to DIY at home!