Homemade Bath Bombs
Who doesn’t enjoy a hot bath after a hectic day, or just because it’s cold outside? After discovering this recipe on the Internet, I decided to turn my kitchen into Dr. Frankenstein’s laboratory and give it a try.
Credit for the original bath bomb recipe belongs to Traci Joy, an eHow Contributor.
Thank you Traci, your instructions were clear and easy to follow.
Before starting this recipe, I have to admit, I was a little concerned about the volatility of the ingredients. I mean, after all, they’re called bath bombs, right? Images of sixth grade volcano science projects gone horribly wrong flashed through my head.Luckily, that didn’t happen.
Preparation time: 45 minutes
Clean up: 15 minutes
Makes enough to fill a plastic ice cube tray holding 16 cubes
Ingredients:½ cup citric acid1½ cups baking soda1 tbsp sweet almond oil5 drops food coloring (optional)10-15 drops essential oil for fragrance (optional)½ tbsp water – in a spray bottle set to mist
Will also need:Sifter Glass bowl Whisk or spoon
Apply a light coat of almond oil to the wells of a plastic ice tray with your fingertips before you begin. Sift the baking soda to break up the lumps.
A word of warning: Be careful when sifting the baking soda. This stuff is so fine it plumes up like an atomic cloud, and then settles on everything.
Pour citric acid and baking soda together in the bowl and whisk or stir until the ingredients are mixed well.Drizzle the almond oil into the mixture. With your hands, knead and squeeze the wet ingredients into the dry ones. Using the spray bottle, gradually mist ½ tbsp of water over the mixture.Add 5 drops of food coloring. Take your time adding this water-based product. It will make your concoction fizz. Just keep kneading and squeezing. In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, I chose green. Don’t worry about using you hands after adding the color. I didn’t get leprechaun hands.Add 10-15 drops of fragrant oils. If you want your bombs unscented, use more almond oil instead. The oil adds moisture content. If your mixture is too dry and refuses to stick together, add more almond oil. By the time I was finished, I discovered I’d added nearly ¼ cup of almond oil.Squeeze the mixture with your hands until it starts to stick together, and you can get it to form a ball. Pack the bomb mixture tightly into the wells of the ice cube tray or molds of your choice. Gelatin molds, candy molds, and plastic Easter eggs work well, too.Drizzle almond oil over the tops of the bath bombs to seal them.Allow the bath bombs to dry in the tray for 10-15 minutes.Turn your ice cube tray over and gently pop the bombs out on a sheet of wax paper.Allow the bombs to dry completely. This can take up to 3 days depending where you live. Wrap the dried bombs in plastic wrap, Ziploc baggies, or an air tight container. If not stored properly, they won’t fizz when you drop them in the tub.Tips: Olive oil and sesame oil can also be used.
Posted by Deborah McTiernanAuthor of Lilly Noble & Actual MagicParanormal books for teenagers
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