# Is it my recipe?  Bath Bombs



## simplymcghie (Mar 1, 2012)

I have been trying and trying and trying.  First they are too wet, then they are too dry, then I don't pack them right.  Now I'm wondering if it's my recipe.

2 cups baking soda
1 cup citric acid
1 tsp. oil
1 tsp. fragrance 

Mix, mix mix then spritz with witch hazel if it needs more moisture.  Pack into molds.

I can make half dome bath bombs and they turn out fine but when I try to make the large, two half size, things just go down hill.

So, back to the recipe.  Does it look like a good recipe or do I need to try something else.  THANK YOU!


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## Hazel (Mar 1, 2012)

Your recipe is similar to mine but I like to add 10% clay to bombs because they seem to turn out better for me. I've been able to get nice roundish bombs this way. You don't need to use 10% - it's just easier to figure the percentage.  :wink:  Also, I don't use witch hazel anymore to moisten my bombs. I've switched to rubbing alcohol and I don't use it if I'm adding oil. I only use it to moisten the mixture if I making bombs without oil.

HTH


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## simplymcghie (Mar 1, 2012)

so if you use oil, do you just keep adding until it looks right?

Also would bentonite clay work?  That's what I have on hand.  

And does rubbing alcohol not fizz?  

Thanks for the help


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## lsg (Mar 1, 2012)

Bentonite clay will work.  I use Witch Hazel or rubbing alcohol and spritz a little while stirring.  Here is my new favorite recipe:

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUTeFnauLK8"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUTeFnauLK8[/ame]


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## Hazel (Mar 1, 2012)

lsg is right. The bentonite will work but it might cause a slight discoloration. But at least you can experiment and see how it works for you. 

lsg - Thanks for sharing the link.


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## simplymcghie (Mar 1, 2012)

Thanks for the link!


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## Hazel (Mar 1, 2012)

simplymcghie said:
			
		

> so if you use oil, do you just keep adding until it looks right?
> 
> And does rubbing alcohol not fizz?



Whoops! Sorry, I forgot to answer your questions.

Yes, I add a little oil, mix it around and then squeeze the mixture to see how it's holding together. I just add the oil until I get a nice "lump" that doesn't fall apart when I poke it.

I don't have a problem with the rubbing alcohol causing the mix to fizz. I suppose if you add too much then it might cause some fizzing.


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## simplymcghie (Mar 1, 2012)

Thank you!

You guys have given me some things to try.  I will master bath bomb making.  I WILL!!!  Sorry, just a little determined.

Thank you again.


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## Hazel (Mar 1, 2012)

You're welcome.

I told you a lie.   

I went back through my notes and I didn't use clay in all of the bombs. Some had clay and some had Epsom salts. So you could just try Epsom salts. All of them held together well and I made good sized bombs with them.


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## judymoody (Mar 2, 2012)

Maybe try a little more oil?  My recipe has roughly 1 T of oil for every 2 cups of dry ingredients.

Edited to add - I don't use any additional liquids other than fragrance.


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## Hazel (Mar 2, 2012)

judymoody said:
			
		

> Maybe try a little more oil?  My recipe has roughly 1 T of oil for every 2 cups of dry ingredients.
> 
> Edited to add - I don't use any additional liquids other than fragrance.



Do you mind me asking you what percentage of FO you use? I've been using 2%. But I've been wondering if it would be safe to use a higher percentage since it's being dissolved into gallons of water in a tub.


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## Kleine Teufel (Mar 2, 2012)

I try to stick with the lower amount of FO. I just have this image of someone trying to eat one or something... Ironically, bath bombs are probably the only things I've made that the boys haven't asked to eat yet, but still!


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## Hazel (Mar 3, 2012)

bettacreek said:
			
		

> I try to stick with the lower amount of FO. I just have this image of someone trying to eat one or something... Ironically, bath bombs are probably the only things I've made that the boys haven't asked to eat yet, but still!



OMG!  :shock:  Not only do your kids have colored poop, you have the anticipation of when you'll start to see it fizzing! Life must be very exciting at your house.


Have you figured out yet that I'm going to be teasing you about this for awhile?  

Sorry simplymcghie - I didn't mean to get so off topic.


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## simplymcghie (Mar 3, 2012)

LOL no worries.  It's keeping me entertained while I try to figure out how to make these frustrating things.  The batch I made today had clay in it, a little extra oil and alcohol used to moisten it.  Well after what I thought was a good consistency I packed them, only to have them crumble after an hour.  So I crumbled them back up and mixed more oil in because I just didn't no what to do.  So far they are holding up.  We'll have to see how they turn out tomorrow.  

Thanks for keeping this fun


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## Hazel (Mar 3, 2012)

I hope it turns out well for you. I just went and checked on 2 bath bombs that I made last year (one on Nov 9 and the other Nov 16). I decided to keep them to see how well they held up over time and I didn't even wrap them. 

The one bomb from Nov 9 was an experiment with dead sea salts. I know DDS doesn't play nice in soap but I was curious about how it would work in a bomb. It doesn't.    The oil started seeping out and by the next day I had a puddle of oil in the bottom of the egg carton I had set in in to dry. Anyway, the DDS caused the color and scent (Peak's Spruceberry) to morph. I found this out the same day because I had separated the mixture to add DDS in half and Epsom salts in the other half. The bombs with Epsom salts remained a pretty green and smelled good. I don't have any of these left because they looked and smelled so good that I gave them all away. Also, I was told the ones with DDS didn't fizz well. Now over 4 months later, the color and scent has completely faded and it doesn't look nice. It's pitted but is still hard.

I thought about trying another experiment with DDS and not adding oil. I didn't since I was told they didn't fizz well. They might fizz better if I increase the citric acid and maybe someday I'll try it just to know for sure. 

The one from Nov 16 I had used French green clay which caused the bombs to turn gray. However, it's solid. I rapped it today with my knuckles and it was like knocking on plaster. It still looks and smells good, too. I used Just Scent's Buckeye Candy in the batch. The scent may have slightly faded. I don't remember how strongly it smelled when I first made them so I can't be positive about the scent.

I'm glad you're not bothered by my off topic remarks. I'm bad about getting side tracked in discussions. Must be ADD - or maybe I'm just obnoxious.   :roll:


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## judymoody (Mar 3, 2012)

Hazel said:
			
		

> judymoody said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Depending on the fragrance, I use between .5 - 1% fragrance.  I started with about 1.5% based on a recipe I got off a forum and it was too potent for my nose.  YMMV.


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## Hazel (Mar 3, 2012)

Thanks for lettimg me know. I've been told most of the FOs I've used have dispersed well and the scents have lingered. But I had wondered using a higher percentage. Everyone has seemed happy with the strength of the scents so I'll stay with 2%.


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## Kleine Teufel (Mar 4, 2012)

Ha. As for the topic, I gave up on bath bombs a LOOONNG time ago. No matter what I did, I couldn't get the stupid things to mold without fizzing. I used witch hazel, then switched to rubbing alcohol. The former sucked no matter what (fans, dehumidifiers, etc), the latter worked much better, but still grew in the mold. 

After switching to oil (melted solid oil, not liquid oil at room temp), all of my problems were solved! No growing or anything goofy happening. I still have some bombs from about two years ago that have had the scent warp a little, but the bombs still work.


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## simplymcghie (Mar 5, 2012)

Well here's my attempt at lavender bath bombs this morning.  Now I just have to play the waiting game to see how they turned out.

I used my regular recipe and bumped up the oils and added 3 TBS of clay.

On Saturday I made some unscented ones with clay and adding oils until it was the right consistency and they actually turned out and hardened up but they were way too oily in the bath, at least not to my liking.  So, I went back to my original recipe except for the additions and am trying witch hazel again.  We shall see.

Why can't these things be easy?  I'm supposed to have mastered them by now.


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## green soap (Mar 5, 2012)

From the picture it looks like you mastered them, congratulations!

Here is my recipe, which makes fizzy bombs that float.  The oil feels good on the skin and the scent is amazing.  Usually I work in weight, but all this is by volume.  I will convert some day but haven't yet.  I just use measuring cups and spoons.

2 cups baking soda
2 cups epsom salts
1 cup citric acid
1 cup corn starch
2 tbsp calendula infused oil (infused in olive oil) - sometimes i use jojoba instead
1 tbs eucalyptus EO
1 tbs lavender EO
a few drops blue food coloring (or use indigo dissolved in a little water if you only do plant based)
from 1/2 to 1 1/2 tbs water.  This is the tricky part.  Add the minimum, try to form the balls (or pucks) and if they disintegrate, add more water.  Add it a tiny bit at t time and whisk fast.

This makes a dozen in the size I do (3 oz).  They get used fast!

The calendula infused oil makes the balls yellow, so I add the food coloring for a lovely shade of pastel green.  You can leave them uncolored using an uncolored oil, or calendula yellow, or use indigo to bring them back to blue-green using a plant-based colorant.  The shade will be greyish green though.  Sometimes I leave them yellow and use lemon EO to scent them, yum!

Mine are not round but saucer shaped, just the molds I use.


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## simplymcghie (Mar 5, 2012)

green soap said:
			
		

> From the picture it looks like you mastered them, congratulations!
> 
> ...
> 
> Mine are not round but saucer shaped, just the molds I use.



Those sound like they smell wonderful!


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## Hazel (Mar 6, 2012)

simplymcghie - 

Those look wonderful! I hope they hold together for you.


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## simplymcghie (Mar 6, 2012)

Success!  They held together and they hardened up.  Hurray!  I think what was needed was the clay.  That and figuring out the right consistency and figuring out how to pack them.  I guess practice really does make perfect.  That was my 7th batch I think.  So I'm figuring that's 7-8 lbs worth of citric acid I went through before getting it right.  Now watch, summer will come along and I wont be able to make the again.


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## Hazel (Mar 6, 2012)

Yay! Now you need to experiment and find the least amount of clay to add.  :wink: 

I think you can still make them as long as it's not too humid in the summer.


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## simplymcghie (Mar 6, 2012)

Hazel said:
			
		

> Yay! Now you need to experiment and find the least amount of clay to add.  :wink:
> 
> I think you can still make them as long as it's not too humid in the summer.



For sure, I made another batch today, this time another fragrance and I think the clay made the fragrance morph.  I'm hoping that as they dry, I'll have less wet clay small and more true fragrance smell.  I've used this same fragrance in non-clay bath bombs (the ones that didn't hold together) and absolutely loved the smell so we will see.  But I also added some colorant to today's batch so that might have had something to do with it too (though it shouldn't).


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## Annette (Mar 14, 2012)

I found all bath bomb recipes including witch hazel or flower water led to premature fizzing and failure.  Also anything involving larger quantities of oil failed to harden well.  It took a lot of trial and error and I found it frustrating that so many recipes touted on the web simply didn't work!

The best recipes I've found are from James Wong's 'Grow your own Drugs' book or the two home recipe books from Neals Yard remedies.  Use a ratio of 1tbsp. citric, 3 tbsp. bicarb, up to 1 tsp oil and 10 drops essential oil.  Pack tightly in the mould.  You could consider hardening in a low oven in the mould.  Silicone moulds used for baking are safe for this. :idea:


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## Kleine Teufel (Mar 14, 2012)

I agree. Use the very least amount of oil possible. When it forms little clumps, but doesn't stick completely together unless packed, then it's good. If you squeeze some in your hand, expect some of it to fall apart, but it has to have clumps. It's hard to explain, just try using the least amount of oil possible, then cut that in half, lol.


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## Annette (Mar 14, 2012)

I agree, use the least oil possible.  Actually the effect of the other ingredients seems to be that the little oil used is very well dispersed and absorbed by the skin.  Use a little of the more expensive, really healing oils such as Evening Primrose or Vitamin E oil.  Try dried petals e.g. lavender or rose (either whole or ground depending on your bath drainage/cleaning issues!) as these can help dessicate the mix and hold it together.


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## Kleine Teufel (Mar 14, 2012)

Without digging up my recipe (I'm being very unfocused and lazy today), my oil was 1/7th or 1/8th the weight of my dry ingredients combined. Hopefully that helps! It doesn't seem like you're adding enough oil, but in the end you'll have better results.


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## Annette (Mar 15, 2012)

We do need to be really focused and exact about bath bomb recipes in order to avoid the frustration of failure!  In my numerous experiments extra oil added to the mixture has only ever led to a failure to harden.  Of course if you do want extra oil in your bath it is always possible to pour it seperately into the bath.  Personally I prefer the dispersing oils available as these cause less mess, and of course are also be a good carrier for essential oils.  :!: 

Again 1 tbsp citric, 3 tbsp bicarb, less than 1 tsp oil plus essential oils.  The aromatherapy standard for essential oils in one bath is to aim for 8 drops.  Of course lavender can be used in any quantity as it is one of the few which are safe to be placed directly on the skin.

I do hope we overcome these problems which have made so many of us give up on making bath bombs.  It's a real shame as it seems to be purely about the spread of misinformation and bad recipes.  Happy bathing!


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## Hazel (Mar 15, 2012)

Annette said:
			
		

> We do need to be really focused and exact about bath bomb recipes in order to avoid the frustration of failure!  In my numerous experiments extra oil added to the mixture has only ever led to a failure to harden.  Of course if you do want extra oil in your bath it is always possible to pour it seperately into the bath.  Personally I prefer the dispersing oils available as these cause less mess, and of course are also be a good carrier for essential oils.  :!:
> 
> Again 1 tbsp citric, 3 tbsp bicarb, less than 1 tsp oil plus essential oils.  The aromatherapy standard for essential oils in one bath is to aim for 8 drops.  Of course lavender can be used in any quantity as it is one of the few which are safe to be placed directly on the skin.
> 
> I do hope we overcome these problems which have made so many of us give up on making bath bombs.  It's a real shame as it seems to be purely about the spread of misinformation and bad recipes.  Happy bathing!



I'm not exact about adding oil to my bombs and they harden up just fine. I have found I've had the best luck with fattier oils like sunflower and avocado. 

The only time I wasn't able to get them to harden was when I added cornstarch. No biggie. I poured the mix into tubes and told my niece they were fizzie powder.


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## carebear (Mar 15, 2012)

Annette said:
			
		

> We do need to be really focused and exact about bath bomb recipes in order to avoid the frustration of failure!  In my numerous experiments extra oil added to the mixture has only ever led to a failure to harden.  Of course if you do want extra oil in your bath it is always possible to pour it seperately into the bath.  Personally I prefer the dispersing oils available as these cause less mess, and of course are also be a good carrier for essential oils.  :!:
> 
> Again 1 tbsp citric, 3 tbsp bicarb, less than 1 tsp oil plus essential oils.  The aromatherapy standard for essential oils in one bath is to aim for 8 drops.  Of course lavender can be used in any quantity as it is one of the few which are safe to be placed directly on the skin.
> 
> I do hope we overcome these problems which have made so many of us give up on making bath bombs.  It's a real shame as it seems to be purely about the spread of misinformation and bad recipes.  Happy bathing!



As my dad said, "we who?  got a mouse in your pocket?"  

8 drops in one bath is STANDARD?  who's standard?  how big is said bath?  that's about as inexact as we can get.  and you recommended 10, which is 25% more!  shameful, really, and I hope we can overcome this misinformation.


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## VanessaP (Mar 15, 2012)

I made two batches today that made about 9 big bombs each (using a 2 inch meat baller). I don't use essential oils due to the potential of skin issues. Mine are hardening, though starting to crack so I apparently didn't get enough liquid into the mix. But the last two I made, I added more witch hazel to the mix. They still look like they're cracking but they have a rougher looking exterior - not warty, just.. rough. I'll try packing the edges around each half tighter before I do the mounding and pressing together of the halves to see if that helps my cracking issue. I think some clay will be on the list for my next order though.


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