Bath Bomb help, please

[Renee1980]

Hello, I am new to making bath bombs, just trying to figure it out. I made my first batch last night with a recipe online, but it didn't turn out how I'd hoped. Now, I'm searching other ways, but nothing is really explained very well for someone that has never done this before. My questions is this... if I add cocamidopropyl betaine, does that replace the oil (like coconut oil that I was using)? Or is it an in addition to it kind of thing? That may sound silly, but I think my issue was that I added too much oil to my first batch when it didn't seem moist enough and then the color powder stuck to the sides of the tub (and my 6 year old, y'all he looked like an abuse victim because he was so blue from the blue mica powder) and my tub was super slippery afterwards. It wasn't super foamy, but I figured it wouldn't be. I don't want to add even MORE slippery to my tub, though, so I was hoping to replace the oil with this stuff. Sorry if that's long and hard to understand. I've confused myself, lol, but any help would really be appreciated.

 

[lsg]

Here is the recipe I use:

No Fail Foaming Bath Bombs
1 cup Citric Acid (7.4 ounces)
2 cups Sodium Bicarbonate (17.3 ounces)
¼ cup of Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate (1.6 ounces)
¼ cup Cream of Tartar (1.4 ounces)
½ cup melted Deodorized Cocoa Butter (3.2 ounces)
1 tsp essential or fragrance oil

Note: Ounce measurements given in () are by weight.

Make sure to wear a mask or tie a handkerchief over your nose when working with sodium lauryl sulfoacetate as it is very powdery and can irritate bronchial passages. Mix all of the dry ingredients until there are no lumps and all is well blended. Mix in the melted cocoa butter and the EO or FO. Mix until all is well blended and pack into molds.

 

[jcandleattic]

if I add cocamidopropyl betaine, does that replace the oil (like coconut oil that I was using)? Or is it an in addition to it kind of thing?

It's an add-in, and only a tiny amount is needed (I only use 1 teaspoon in mine and get major bubbles)

and then the color powder stuck to the sides of the tub (and my 6 year old, y'all he looked like an abuse victim because he was so blue from the blue mica powder) and my tub was super slippery afterwards.

You need to add an emulsifier like Polysorbate 80, that will disperse the colorant and help the oil and colorant not to stick to the tub (or the person) - also, make sure the colorant you are using is compliant with bath bombs. Not all are, and can be harmful.

 

[Renee1980]

Here is the recipe I use:

No Fail Foaming Bath Bombs
1 cup Citric Acid (7.4 ounces)
2 cups Sodium Bicarbonate (17.3 ounces)
¼ cup of Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate (1.6 ounces)
¼ cup Cream of Tartar (1.4 ounces)
½ cup melted Deodorized Cocoa Butter (3.2 ounces)
1 tsp essential or fragrance oil

Note: Ounce measurements given in () are by weight.

Make sure to wear a mask or tie a handkerchief over your nose when working with sodium lauryl sulfoacetate as it is very powdery and can irritate bronchial passages. Mix all of the dry ingredients until there are no lumps and all is well blended. Mix in the melted cocoa butter and the EO or FO. Mix until all is well blended and pack into molds.

Thank you!

It's an add-in, and only a tiny amount is needed (I only use 1 teaspoon in mine and get major bubbles)

You need to add an emulsifier like Polysorbate 80, that will disperse the colorant and help the oil and colorant not to stick to the tub (or the person) - also, make sure the colorant you are using is compliant with bath bombs. Not all are, and can be harmful.

Ok, thank you. It did wash off of the tub, and the kid. He no longer looks like a smurf. But, I've never used a bath bomb that did that, so it worried me a little. He's my little bath boy. He LOVES bath bombs and I just wanted to find a cheaper way to have them for him. The colorant I used is the one suggested by the video I had watched. The full name of it on Amazon was...
Mica Powder 15 Colors Shake Jars 0.35 oz/10 ml Natural Pearl Powder Resin Pigment for Soap Making Dye Kit Bath, Bomb Dye Colorant, Candle Making, Art Craft

Here is the recipe I use:

No Fail Foaming Bath Bombs
1 cup Citric Acid (7.4 ounces)
2 cups Sodium Bicarbonate (17.3 ounces)
¼ cup of Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate (1.6 ounces)
¼ cup Cream of Tartar (1.4 ounces)
½ cup melted Deodorized Cocoa Butter (3.2 ounces)
1 tsp essential or fragrance oil

Note: Ounce measurements given in () are by weight.

Make sure to wear a mask or tie a handkerchief over your nose when working with sodium lauryl sulfoacetate as it is very powdery and can irritate bronchial passages. Mix all of the dry ingredients until there are no lumps and all is well blended. Mix in the melted cocoa butter and the EO or FO. Mix until all is well blended and pack into molds.

I hadn't tried the sodium lauryl sulfoacetate because I had read something about having to wear a mask and gloves when you use it because it's dangerous if the powder gets in your nasal passages. My husband has cancer and my daughter has asthma, so I have to be really careful about what gets in the air in our house.

 

[jcandleattic]

For personal use, I'm sure it's fine, but if you ever want to sell bath bombs, there are a lot that are not allowed due to FDA regulations.
That's the only reason I mentioned that.

 

[Renee1980]

It's an add-in, and only a tiny amount is needed (I only use 1 teaspoon in mine and get major bubbles)

You need to add an emulsifier like Polysorbate 80, that will disperse the colorant and help the oil and colorant not to stick to the tub (or the person) - also, make sure the colorant you are using is compliant with bath bombs. Not all are, and can be harmful.

One more question... I am trying to look up the polysorbate 80 on amazon. How much do you use in a bath bomb recipe? I don't want to get a huge amount if I don't need it because it's a little pricey for what I want to do with it.

For personal use, I'm sure it's fine, but if you ever want to sell bath bombs, there are a lot that are not allowed due to FDA regulations.
That's the only reason I mentioned that.

Oh wow, that's a lot to consider. I had thought about selling them next month at a book event (I'm an indie author and I'll be setting up at the local mall and selling books) if I could make it work well at home, but I also don't want to get in trouble with it, so I may just keep it for my family and not do all that. It wasn't really a thought out plan anyway, just a "well, if Bubba really likes this, maybe I can make some to go with the books:".

 

[ImpKit]

Ok, thank you. It did wash off of the tub, and the kid. He no longer looks like a smurf. But, I've never used a bath bomb that did that, so it worried me a little. He's my little bath boy. He LOVES bath bombs and I just wanted to find a cheaper way to have them for him. The colorant I used is the one suggested by the video I had watched. The full name of it on Amazon was...
Mica Powder 15 Colors Shake Jars 0.35 oz/10 ml Natural Pearl Powder Resin Pigment for Soap Making Dye Kit Bath, Bomb Dye Colorant, Candle Making, Art Craft

I would not recommend buying micas from Amazon. I looked up this listing and it doesn't provide the actual ingredients for each color for you to verify that they are truly bath bomb safe. A lot of blues, greens, and purples really aren't considered safe for bath bombs.

Personally I would recommend going to Nurture Soap and looking at their dyes, lakes, micas, and glitters specifically marked as bath bomb safe. Using the dyes is a little more work (they highly recommended you bloom them in water, mix the water with the baking soda a day or two before hand, and then let the baking soda dry out) but you can get some very vivid colors that are water dispersible without needing an emulsifier... although you probably still want to look at the Poly-80 for the oil.

One more question... I am trying to look up the polysorbate 80 on amazon. How much do you use in a bath bomb recipe? I don't want to get a huge amount if I don't need it because it's a little pricey for what I want to do with it.

According to Brambleberry, the usage rate of Poly-80 in bath bombs is 1-6% of your batch weigh. Mad Micas is recommending about 2% of your batch weight. And a thread on this forum from a few years ago says equal amount Poly-80 to oils.

In general I would recommend against buying from Amazon for more specialized ingredients. Even for common ones like baking soda and citric acid there is a good chance you can get a better price from other suppliers as long as you bundle multiple items together to keep shipping low.

 

[Renee1980]

I would not recommend buying micas from Amazon. I looked up this listing and it doesn't provide the actual ingredients for each color for you to verify that they are truly bath bomb safe. A lot of blues, greens, and purples really aren't considered safe for bath bombs.

Personally I would recommend going to Nurture Soap and looking at their dyes, lakes, micas, and glitters specifically marked as bath bomb safe. Using the dyes is a little more work (they highly recommended you bloom them in water, mix the water with the baking soda a day or two before hand, and then let the baking soda dry out) but you can get some very vivid colors that are water dispersible without needing an emulsifier... although you probably still want to look at the Poly-80 for the oil.


According to Brambleberry, the usage rate of Poly-80 in bath bombs is 1-6% of your batch weigh. Mad Micas is recommending about 2% of your batch weight. And a thread on this forum from a few years ago says equal amount Poly-80 to oils.

In general I would recommend against buying from Amazon for more specialized ingredients. Even for common ones like baking soda and citric acid there is a good chance you can get a better price from other suppliers as long as you bundle multiple items together to keep shipping low.

Ok, thank you! I'm so used to heading to amazon that it was my first thought. I don't even know where to buy from, lol. I'll find a different one, though. Thank you so much!

 

[justjacqui]

I wouldn't add cocamidopropyl betaine to bath bombs unless you can get hold of the powder version. The liquid version is around 65% water and this could set off the citric/bicarbonate reaction in your bath bombs.

 

[Renee1980]

I wouldn't add cocamidopropyl betaine to bath bombs unless you can get hold of the powder version. The liquid version is around 65% water and this could set off the citric/bicarbonate reaction in your bath bombs.

I saw another article where someone said that mixing the dry except for the citric acid, adding the wet, and THEN adding in the citric acid would help to avoid the reaction happening. Would that not work? I'm sorry to bug everyone. My kiddo LOVES bath bombs, so I'm really trying to make them for him. I mean, I would like to sell them with my books that I've written, but that's not a priority, so no big deal if it never happens. For my 6 year old, I'm just trying to make it for him with small toys in the center because he's got me spending $30 for 6 of them constantly because he wants to use them so much.

 

[jcandleattic]

I saw another article where someone said that mixing the dry except for the citric acid, adding the wet, and THEN adding in the citric acid would help to avoid the reaction happening. Would that not work? I'm sorry to bug everyone. My kiddo LOVES bath bombs, so I'm really trying to make them for him. I mean, I would like to sell them with my books that I've written, but that's not a priority, so no big deal if it never happens. For my 6 year old, I'm just trying to make it for him with small toys in the center because he's got me spending $30 for 6 of them constantly because he wants to use them so much.

Yes.
I add everything, even my spritz‘s of alcohol before adding the citric acid and my bath fizzies turn out perfect every time. I never have them react while making them.

 

[AliOop]

I also add my CA last after I've mixed all other wet and dry ingredients. Here is a link to a YT tutorial that gives a basic recipe and the process - works like a charm every time for me. She also gives links to several of her other videos. I find all of them to be well done and very informative.