Are shower steamers supposed to be single use?

[KiwiMoose]

I dunno why but I always though shower steamers would last about a week of showers. Hubby just bought one for $3 and it lasted just two showers ( and the second one was just to wash the dogs!) so that seems like a bit of a waste to me. It was pretty much bath bom ingredients so it stands to reason it would disintegrate quickly.
Do any you of use ingredients that might make them stick around a bit longer?

 

[AliOop]

For me it depends on how much water comes in contact with them. In one corner of my shower that doesn't get as much spray, it can last 3-4 showers, maybe 5 if they aren't as long. If I move it more into the line of spray, I'm lucky to get two showers. I actually started making mine much smaller so that they would be single use.

Edit: sorry, I just realized I didn’t answer your question about ingredients to make them last longer. Also sorry that I don’t have an answer to that one!

 

[persephonesgarden]

Kaolin clay can help them last somewhat longer, but not a week, especially if two people are using the shower.

With that said, I’m not sure there’s anything you can add to get a traditional shower steamer to a week, unless you have it somewhere in your shower just to smell good and where water can’t touch it at all. Since they’re designed to be set off by moisture the ingredients really can’t handle prolonged exposure to moisture without fizzing; even getting them to dry if my ambient humidity is over ~50% is impossible!