# bath Bombs Ggggggggggggggrrrrrrrrhh!



## Tabitha (Feb 5, 2007)

I hate making bath bombs! I have been making them for 5 years, I ALWAYS use the exact same recipe & sometimes they dry hard as a rock in just a few days & sometimes they never dry. Why is that? I made a giant batch the other day & split it into 6 portions, each I scented a different frarance oil. 2 batches are hard, 4 are moist & will crumble if you touch them. They have been drying for about 12 days. I don't get it!

2 parts baking soda
1 part citric acid
1 part baking soda
1 part sunflower oil (little more, little less)

fragrance oil
food coloring


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## apple (Feb 5, 2007)

I've only attempted bath bombs twice. Too frustrating both times. I gave up.


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## pepperi27 (Feb 5, 2007)

www.teachsoap.com  has a good recipe for making bath bombs check it out!


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## Tabitha (Feb 5, 2007)

I wonder if humidity & temperatures play w/ dry time, etc...


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## Bliss (Feb 5, 2007)

I've never made them before. I think that might be my next project.


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## pepperi27 (Feb 11, 2007)

what about the type of oil used? I use sweet almond oil and it keeps pretty good. I'm no expert though. I had to buy a meatballer to make them round cause I couldn't do it myself. When I did try myself it didn't work so instead I had little jars and made bath salts out of them. Still worked out very nice LOL


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## Tabitha (Feb 16, 2007)

OK gals,
Those dang bombs are still not dry & it's been a month! Same recipe I have always used.  I made bombs w/ thate same recipe about 2 months back & they were hard as rocks w/i a week, you could drop them w/o them breaking. I don't get it... SAME RECIPE! I have used the same recipe for 4-5 years & they dry hard 3 out of 4 batches. (Knocking head on desk.)


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## pepperi27 (Feb 16, 2007)

Well if certain pieces aren't hardening then add some more oil to oil and mix into it thoroughly. I made mine with sweet almond oil. Maybe change the oil and see what happens.


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## copper (Feb 18, 2007)

Every time i've tried to make bath bombs it's been a disaster and a headache.


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## pepperi27 (Feb 18, 2007)

Re do is the name of our business. I have tried the bath bomb thing about five times til I got it right. Soap wooo even more. The greatest thing I feel is that I have found others to help me on my journey and thank god for all of you.


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## mai (Feb 23, 2007)

I know i'm new on here but have been making bath bombs for a couple of years now and just wanted to add this. 

So many times i have read that people can't dry their bath bombs because of humidty and the fact they have oil in them. 

i have a no fail recipe that i use and i have never had a problem in making bath bombs, if the humidity is high i set the oven on low and put them on a baking sheet in the oven for a couple of hours.

my recipe is
 2 parts sodium bicarbonate
1 part citric acid
1/2 part of cornflower
1/2 part epsom salts (although sometimes i leave them out)
seive the above together and mix well stir and stir again, add a few drops of color to get the desired color you want, then add your fo or eo, 

blend and blend and blend 

then get a spritzer bottle full of witch hazel spray the mix while stirring with the other hand, depending on the size of your batch you will need to spray until it clumps together and molds in your hands without falling apart,

put loosely into molds and leave a slight mound on each one, push them together and leave in molds until you have finished molding the whole batch, then gently tap them out. lay then on baking sheet to dry and spritz the outside with witch hazel, after an hour turn them over and spritz the other side, hey presto one batch of hard bath bombs that fizz for around 2-3 minutes in the bath and don't even break when you drop one from table height onto a hard floor as i did the other day.

if humid then before you begin  simply turn the heat on your oven on the lowest setting possible and let it warm up, make you bath bombs, when ready turn the oven off and pop them in the oven for an hour to two to dry, then spritz gently with witch hazel and again leave to dry.


i have to say everytime i've tried to use an oil or butter in the mix it always fails to harden.


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## Tabitha (Feb 24, 2007)

Hi mai!

I prefer the bombs w/ oil in them even though they can be a pain in the behind. I tell my customers my fizzies disolve into a bath oil so the witch hazel isn't an option for me though I know many people who swear by them!

I do know my problem must have something to do w/ humidity. I have popped them in a slightly warm oven a few times & it does sdry them quicker & better, but it also causes them to spread out & flatten a bit. I am sure that is due to the oil as well. :roll:


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## pepperi27 (Feb 26, 2007)

Although I usually make mine with almond oil, I opted for just baking soda, citric acid, cocoa butter, and vanilla fo. They smell amazing and I decided to call them Cocoa Nilla bombs. I'm not that creative so that's the best I could do LOL 






As you can see two of them decided to be unruly and two others decided not to form whole balls! My daughter helped me do this and she can't wait to try a small one!


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## Siberian Rose (Mar 7, 2007)

The best bombs turn out if to add cocoa butter. With this butter they strongly "rage", is especial if the structure includes epsom salt. I made such bomb and in my bath the present geyser, as on Kamchatka has turned out.


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## Tabitha (Mar 13, 2007)

It does make sense that cocoa butter would make a firmer bomb. Thanks.


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## Siberian Rose (Apr 2, 2007)

The worst bombs with addition of cocnut oil. They are badly dissolved and almost there is no "hissing". Therefore I do not advise to do with a coconut oil.


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## Aloha (Apr 3, 2007)

I Still have yet to try to make this. Maybe that will be a project for next month.


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## Siberian Rose (Apr 4, 2007)

I now try to make bombs of very complex structure. It is not assured that can to turn out. In my climate it is necessary to protect a leather from influence of a strong wind and a frost, I shall try to take as a basis mango butter :roll:


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## CPSoaper (May 20, 2007)

Tabitha said:
			
		

> Hi mai!
> 
> I prefer the bombs w/ oil in them even though they can be a pain in the behind. I tell my customers my fizzies disolve into a bath oil so the witch hazel isn't an option for me though I know many people who swear by them!
> 
> I do know my problem must have something to do w/ humidity. I have popped them in a slightly warm oven a few times & it does sdry them quicker & better, but it also causes them to spread out & flatten a bit. I am sure that is due to the oil as well. :roll:



You can still use witch hazel if you use oils in your bath bombs. I make bath bombs with an oil (such as olive oil, FCO, cherry kernel oil, sweet almond oil, sunflower oil or turkey red oil) and a butter (such as mango, kokum, cocoa, or shea) and I always use witch hazel.  FCO makes wonderful bath bombs so you can use a coconut oil in your mixture as well. 

Humidity can definately cause issues when making bath bombs. So this could be your problem or perhaps your measurement of you oils was off and you got the mixture too wet?  You only want you mixture to be wet enough to hold it together until it dries.  Also, you might be inadvertently activating the citric acid and baking soda a bit when you let the mixture  get too wet.


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## Siberian Rose (May 21, 2007)

I never use a witch hazel if in the recipe water is not specified. If I use butter I heat up it, then in oil I add components in such order: soda, a citric acid, a flour or starch, EO or FO.


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## tangled_panda (Jun 21, 2007)

I have only made one batch of bath bombs, and I think that they turned out pretty good.  I would love to add some cocoa butter to my recipe, and play around with it a bit, but does the cocoa butter leave a residue in the bathtub?

BTW here is my recipe:

Mix well until smooth in large bowl: 

1 cup baking soda 
1/2 cup citric acid 
1/2 cup cornstarch 
1/3 cup Epsom salts 
Wet Ingredients: 

2-1/2 tablespoon light oil  (sweet almond, jojoba, avocado oil - sunflower oil can be used also or light olive) 
3/4 tablespoon water 
1 to 2 teaspoon essential oil or fragrance oil 
1/4  teaspoon Borax (an emulsifier) 
Put the wet ingredients and borax in a small jar and shake like crazy 

Add your colorant to the wet mixture 

Pour wet mixture SLOWLY over dry ingredients. 
Mix with hand similar to mixing biscuits.  
Keep pouring slowly and mix.  
Mixture will hold together when squeezed in palm of your hand.

If the mixture seems to dry add just a tiny bit of extra oil, not water to moisten the mix. 

You have to press, press, press and then press some more into your molds. 
Then turn the mold over and they will just drop right out. 
These will need to air dry for 24 hours! 
You can put a fan on them to help with drying. 
If you do not let these air dry for at least 24 hours they will become soft and will fall apart. 

Note: I have found that on HUMID or rainy days to forget making these! 
They press nicely in molds BUT they try to go off (small bumps on top of bomb) this doesn't affect how well the bomb works.
It is just a visual thing, I prefer smooth tops.


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## Tabitha (Jun 21, 2007)

Panda says: "Note: I have found that on HUMID or rainy days to forget making these! "

I am sure this is my problem.

NOTE: Do nt make M&P on humid days either, it attracts sooooooooo much moisture out of the air they will be all gooey!


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## Colleen (Jul 5, 2007)

OMG, I'm at work and want to run home to make bath bombs so I have enough for market on Sat. but today is very humid at the moment.  I made my first bombs in years a few weeks ago and I guess it was beginner's luck as they turned out just fine.  I believe it was the first time I used an oil in them as well and very little witch hazel.  I just worked the oil through like I was making shortbread cookies and they set up amazingly.

Guess I'd better get back to work and stay off of here before the net police catch me and cut my wings.


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## Guest (Jul 19, 2007)

I just posted a picture of my bath bombs in the project area. I make mines under a "fan" when its too humid.. I turn all the fans on. I make almost perfect bath bombs everytime. 

Good Luck


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