Who doesn’t like bath fizzy bombs? I know my kids go crazy over these things. But you don’t have to pay an arm and a leg to enjoy them at home. You can easily make these DIY bath fizzy bombs yourself!
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DIY Bath Fizzy Bombs
What is a bath bomb?
When I first heard the term “bath bomb”, I honestly didn’t want anything to do with it. I was thinking, why in the WORLD would I want to bomb my bathtub. lol. The name of the product is a bit misleading. It’s not a bomb at all. In fact, there’s no explosion (you can feel safe about that). 🙂 It’s basically a ball that fizzes and makes cool bubbles when you put it in the water.
The problem:
The problem is that when you buy these cool gems in the store, not only are they expensive, but they also are chalk full of nasty chemicals. It only takes an ingredient 30 seconds to absorb into your skin, so you’re literally putting a bunch of toxins in your entire system. No bueno!
The much better solution is to make your own. This way you CONTROL what you’re putting into your body. PLUS, it’s a really fun thing to do with kids, you can even call it a “science experiment”. Score for homeschoolers! 🙂
Secondly, sometimes the bath fizz bombs have been sitting in stores for a long, long time and so they don’t smell as good as they could. When you make your own, you can add more essential oils (or even a little vanilla) and make the scent as strong as you want.
Third, the ones in the stores often turn the water a color. While that’s “cool”, again…it’s chemicals. I try really hard to watch the chemicals in my environment. At one point, I got so sick from chemicals overload (happens over time; you don’t even notice it), that I ended up in a wheelchair a couple years back because I started fainting.
That was the time I started taking my health seriously. I’m not saying using store bought bath bombs will put you in a wheelchair, but I AM saying, chemicals are super bad for us and it’s SO SO easy to make your own stuff, so why not?! 🙂
If that sounds good to you and you want to make your own, here’s my favorite go-to recipe for the best bath bomb!
Ingredients:
- 1 cup Citric acid
- 1 cup Baking soda
- ½ cup Cornstarch
- ½ cup Fractionated Coconut Oil
- 8-10 drops of your favorite essential oil(s)
- Bath Bomb mold or Silicone mold or Saran wrap
*Makes 3 cups.
My newer batches, I add a little vanilla extract in the bath bombs recipe too (couple drops), usually with Wild Orange or Citrus Bliss (Citrus Burst is also good) essential oil. Vanilla and orange smell SOOOO good together!
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Download the free printable DIY Bath Fizzy Bombs Recipe here.
Step by Step Directions:
Step 1: Put the oil, citric acid, baking soda, cornstarch, and essential oil(s) in a glass or porcelain bowl. For relaxation, try relaxing oils like Lavender. For a mood pick-me-up, try a citrus essential oil. The possibilities are endless!
Step 2: Mix well with your hands until a soft dough is formed. It should feel like damp sand. You could add tried herbs, flowers, or food coloring as well.
Step 3: Put the mixture in a bath bomb or silicone mold or wrap into a ball shape in Saran wrap and let it sit for 24 hours before removing from mold.
Step 4: The DIY bath fizzy bombs are ready to use once they’ve completely dried. Simply drop them in the tub to dissolve.
These would also make a fun gift!
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- 1 cup Citric acid
- 1 cup Baking soda
- ½ cup Cornstarch
- ½ cup Fractionated Coconut Oil
- 8-10 drops of your favorite essential oil(s)
- Bath Bomb mold or Silicone mold or Saran wrap
- Put the oil, citric acid, baking soda, cornstarch, and essential oil(s) in a glass or porcelain bowl. For relaxation, try relaxing oils like Lavender. For a mood pick-me-up, try a citrus essential oil. The possibilities are endless!
- Mix well with your hands until a soft dough is formed. It should feel like damp sand. You could add tried herbs, flowers, or food coloring as well.
- Put the mixture in a bath bomb or silicone mold or wrap into a ball shape in Saran wrap and let it sit for 24 hours before removing from mold.
- The DIY bath fizzy bombs are ready to use once they've completely dried. Simply drop them in the tub to dissolve.
I was wondering if we could us the organic extra virgin coconut oil for the bath fizzy bombs?
I think that would be an easy substitute to make. Wouldn’t see much difference in the end result as long as the coconut oil was liquid form (melted in the microwave or in a glass jar in a saucepan first).
I usually use coconut oil, I just melt it first.
How many bath bombs does this recipe make?
It just depends on how big you make them. You can make them with big molds or small molds but this recipe makes approx. 3 cups.
i have just made these to your recipe and put them in the moods but it won’t stop expanding. Have I done something wrong or is this meant to happen?
That actually sounds cool to me. You get more of what you are making! 🙂 But, no, it shouldn’t do that. Maybe the recipe got off-kilter somehow…I would try one in the bath and see if they work. If they do, then, you can still use them, and maybe use the extras for Christmas gifts!
Sounds like you’ve added too much liquid. It’s causing it to fiz. Nothing wrong with them they just might not fizz when put in the tub.
I just made this tonight, but I didn’t use fractioned coconut oil I used virgin coconut oil. Is that going to mess up the recipe?
Great question. I think it would still be fine, but let us know how it turned out. 🙂
How many bath bombs does this recipe yield?
It depends on how big or small your mold is, but the recipe makes approx. 3 cups.
would vitamin e oil work ?
I’m not sure as I haven’t tried it, but you could try it and see if it works. I would think it would be okay.
I use a few drops, you don’t want to add too much or they will fizz and/or be too moist.
I made these two nights ago, and they aren’t hardening for me. Any suggestions?
Gayle, did you use this recipe in particular? I know there are several differently ones floating around. If you did, I would just add a little more baking soda or cornstarch to dry them out a little more, so they harden for you. 🙂
Thank you for your reply. I went with the cornstarch. Success.
Could I use lemon juice instead of citric acid? Or is that what helps it fizz ?
Yeah, if you want them to fizz, you have to use the citric acid.
Do I have to use cornstarch? Or can I replace it with something else?
There are probably other things you can use, but I’m not sure about the equation, so to be safe, I’d encourage you to use cornstarch.
You can substitute arrowroot
Arrowroot powder works
HI,
I was just wondering how long these keep for as I want to do these for presents
Thanks
That’s a great question Maxine. I’m not sure how long you need them to stay fresh for the presents, but I would say to hold off making them as long as you can, and maybe just set aside all the ingredients or something….
They are good for up to 6 months.
I want to try this. Can I use dye for soap making or does it need to be food coloring?
I’m not sure Angela as I’ve never tried it with the dye. I would be afraid it would dye my skin or something. :/
Soap coloring does work, as do mica powders.
I love your beautiful tutorial on making bath fizzy bombs! Thank you so much for sharing how you make them! I’ve included you in my most recent blog post, “Christmas Gifts You Can Make”! Please visit my blog to read!
Thank you for including me Beth. The post is great. I especially liked the glitter gift tags. 🙂
How many does this make? I’m looking to give them to my kids teachers as presents?
Naomi, it makes 3 cups of the mixture, so the number of fizzy bombs it makes, depends on how big your mold is. 🙂 You can make them smaller or larger to fit your needs. 🙂
These look amazing and I am going to attempt to make them. Most recipes I’ve seen also call for epson salt. Why is this not included in your recipe?
This is the recipe I’ve known and come to love. 🙂
Can I use something else instead of essential oils, like vanilla extract, or lemon juice?
I wouldn’t personally recommend it.
Where can I get Citric acid?
You can get it on Amazon. Here’s the link. 🙂
Health food stores often carry this too.
Hi Sarah,
I’m new to bath bomb making and am amazed by all the molds, scents, creativity I’m seeing. I’m also semi- in love with the mold you used for these lemon dizzy bombs. Would you post a link to that merchant? Please and many thanks!
Jan, you’ll want to look for something like a Wilton chocolate silicone mold in your local craft store like Michaels. I haven’t been able to find them online, thus the reason for no link. I’m sorry.