Bath Bomb Recipe Perfect Yesterday, Terrible Today!

[StuMur]

Hi Everyone,

I am hoping some of you much more knowledgeable experts might help me? Yesterday, my 10 year old son and I followed a bath bomb recipe to the absolute letter, and sure enough it produced a perfect high quality luxurious bath bomb with all the right smells and smooth oily goodness. We made enough mixture to make 4 160gram bath bombs. The first one we pressed only sat and cured for 45 minutes, before our excitement got the better of us and we immersed it into the bath. As mentioned, it was a perfect result.

But the remaining three bombs were allowed to cure and harden properly overnight. Today we tried them, expecting the exact same result as they were all mixed together from the same batch, and they exhibited no essential oil smell, OR supple smooth oily feel we got from the first bomb the night before. It was as if these cured ones had no essential oil or epsom salts in them at all.

Are we doing something wrong? We thought we'd hit the perfect recipe! :-(

 

[Dxray123]

Oh boy, have I made my fair share of bombs. Having too much salt in your mixture can dry your bombs out. Did your bombs fizz? sometimes the salt can cause humidity to pull moisture into the bomb also thus resulting in well,....a dud. I've seen quite a few recipes that have way more Epsom/dead sea salt than I would ever consider putting in a bomb. Also what did you use to spray your mixture witch hazel/alcohol? Over-spraying can cause this also. I would try a different recipe and see what happens. Good Luck

 

[StuMur]

Oh boy, have I made my fair share of bombs. Having too much salt in your mixture can dry your bombs out. Did your bombs fizz? sometimes the salt can cause humidity to pull moisture into the bomb also thus resulting in well,....a dud. I've seen quite a few recipes that have way more Epsom/dead sea salt than I would ever consider putting in a bomb. Also what did you use to spray your mixture witch hazel/alcohol? Over-spraying can cause this also. I would try a different recipe and see what happens. Good Luck

Thanks Dxray.. We did use a spray bottle actually, to moisten the final mix just a touch, but we only used water in it, not Witch Hazel or alcohol.

As I mentioned, we had enough mixture to make 4 bath bombs, and the first one only cured for 45 minutes in the freezer in the kitchen. It was still a touch soft when it was sacrificed to the bath gods.. only 45 minutes after being made. But it reacted PERFECTLY in every way.

But the 3 that cured on the laundry shelf overnight just lost all smell and oiliness..I thought the mix would have been similar across all 4 bombs.. But why did the 24 hour curing render the last 3 so ineffective, do you think? They fizzed just fine, but didn't smell or feel like they had anything other than Bicarb and Citric Acid.

 

[BattleGnome]

Allowing the one to harden in the freezer may have frozen the water while the three left on the shelf had time for the water to react with the other ingredients somehow. If you share your exact recipe or the link for where you got it someone may be able to help you troubleshoot further.

The ambient weather in your area may have also effected things. If it's hot, humid, or rainy by you then you will have different results from someone who lives in an area that is cool or arid. The same goes for where in the house you let the bombs harden. Humidity of any sort can kill your bombs if you use water as a binder, it takes trial and error to find what works for you personally. (I have found coconut oil or cocobutter as the best binder for me but I know I tend to be very heavy handed with a spray bottle)

Regarding the fragrance: exact recipe will help. Some fragrances just don't hold in certain products and others need the maximum allowed percentage to have any effect. It will depend on exactly what EO you used. A fragrance oil may be a better choice in the long run if you want heavily scented bombs, it most cases it will also be cheaper. An exact recipe will help the rest of us know what advice to give.

 

[cherrycoke216]

Did you mix it throughly?how did you mix it? Did you dump EO or FO in specific area and thought you mix it enough without clumps?

 

[StuMur]

Allowing the one to harden in the freezer may have frozen the water while the three left on the shelf had time for the water to react with the other ingredients somehow. If you share your exact recipe or the link for where you got it someone may be able to help you troubleshoot further.

The ambient weather in your area may have also effected things. If it's hot, humid, or rainy by you then you will have different results from someone who lives in an area that is cool or arid. The same goes for where in the house you let the bombs harden. Humidity of any sort can kill your bombs if you use water as a binder, it takes trial and error to find what works for you personally. (I have found coconut oil or cocobutter as the best binder for me but I know I tend to be very heavy handed with a spray bottle)

Regarding the fragrance: exact recipe will help. Some fragrances just don't hold in certain products and others need the maximum allowed percentage to have any effect. It will depend on exactly what EO you used. A fragrance oil may be a better choice in the long run if you want heavily scented bombs, it most cases it will also be cheaper. An exact recipe will help the rest of us know what advice to give.

Thanks so much Battle Gnome! Here's the recipe we used, which we followed exactly:

8 oz. of baking soda
4 oz. of citric acid
4 oz. of corn starch
4 oz. of Epsom salts
¾ tsp. of water
2 tsp. essential oil (we used essence of Orange, which was only a mid-range oil.. we didn't have best quality essential oil to hand for it - still, it smelled PERFECT in the first bomb!)
1 tsp coconut oil
A few drops of food coloring

Also, we live in Brisbane (Australia) where it's currently winter - so rain or humidity or heat haven't been a factor.

 

[Dahila]

too much corn starch , add at least 1 tbsp of Cream of Tartar, damp epson salts, add some slsa, or buttermilk for foam. for each cup of dry powder use 1 tbsp of light oil not coconut oil. Food coloring is not allowed in bb cause it will stain the skin. no water to spray but at least 50% rubbing alcohol, I use a bit of witch hazel and 70% Rubbing alcohol. They are in 48 hours like a rock. On last market a child trow it on the concrete and it did not even crack

 

[MySoapyHeart]

Thanks so much Battle Gnome! Here's the recipe we used, which we followed exactly:

8 oz. of baking soda
4 oz. of citric acid
4 oz. of corn starch
4 oz. of Epsom salts
¾ tsp. of water
2 tsp. essential oil (we used essence of Orange, which was only a mid-range oil.. we didn't have best quality essential oil to hand for it - still, it smelled PERFECT in the first bomb!)
1 tsp coconut oil
A few drops of food coloring

Also, we live in Brisbane (Australia) where it's currently winter - so rain or humidity or heat haven't been a factor.

Hi there, welcome. Here is just my 2 cents, I apologize in advance for the length of the text : )

1) I would not dry bathbombs in the freezer, they need to have free flow of air to let moisture escape quickly. In the freezer the moisture will capsulate into small droplets, and when you take them out the droplets will thaw and set off the fizzingreaction. You may not even see it right away, or at all, but when you want to use them they will not be very reactive.

So best to let the dry on a table in a dry space ( I use a muffin tin to dry mine in. I drape a towel over the trey and place the bathbombs in each cavity so they get a softer "bed" to lay on)

You used the first one right out of the freezer, right? Then it was so fresh that all the fizzing hadn`t gone out of it yet. The others that weren`t in the freezer was unreactive, and it will be just a guessing game as to why. But, one important thing to remember when making these, is that after adding water and oils to the mix, and working everything together, make sure the water - even though the ammount may seem TINY, is to not let any droplets be free, not mixed in properly.

This isn`t actually something you can spot easily either, so working the powder really well after adding all ingredients will have a huge impact on the end result. When you feel it is well mixed; mix it some more! Take powder between your hand, and press your hands together as you rub and squish the mix, forcing it to disperse the liquid that is in there.

PS! Make smaller batches at a time is sometimes helpfull, then you don`t waste a lot of ingredients if it doesn`t work.

2) You don`t actually have to use epsom salt! I leave it out sometimes. It can complicate things in a recipe, because will pull moisture out of the air and can give issues, even if you live in Australia and it doesn`t rain. Salt is salt. The weather fluctuates, even in winter, which can affect things. In my personal experience I really feel that this is also one of the things that makes one batch go perfectly one day, and not the next.

Besidedes, in the beginning of learning this process and what`s working and what`s not, it could be good to just keep things as simple as possible untill you get a feel for things. You can actually make bathbombs without a lot of fillers.

Like 2 parts baking soda, 1 part citric acid, and a teaspoon of cornstarch. Then mix in the fragranceoil/essential oil into the oil you are using (coconut may work just fine, but another oil may be a lighter choice, but it is all up to what you have and what you feel works for you.

Spray with a mix of water/alcohol, or just alcohol. I never use plain water in mine anymore, it makes my results way too variable, so now I spritz with rubbingalcohol and add my oils (sheabutter/cocoabutter) and fragrance/essential oils, and work everyting into a wet-sand paste. Working with smaller batches and working fast is my method of consistansy and success.

I got much more consistant results after skipping plain water, because the weather and humidity here in Norway is so random, that after switching to alcohol and oil, things became so much more easy and controllable.

3) I agreing with Dahila, too much cornstarch can make your bathbomb crumbly and not stick together, but you can add some, as it makes the water feel nice and silky. I just use 1 teaspoon of it in my batch, and I can totally feel the difference with that small ammount. Kaolin clay works really well too, makes the bathbombs rock hard. I use 1 teaspoon in my batch.

4) Re. Foodcoloring and being illegal. Don`t worry, it is not illegal to use foodcoloring in your personal bathbombs or other cosmetic products. But not if you are planning to sell them, then that is another story. Then you need the colors to follow strict cosmetic regulations.

But this was just for your personal use, so if that is what you have on hand, no worries!

You may know this already, but in case not, just mentioning the staining issue when you use more. A few drops will not be a huge deal, but it can stick to the skin in higher doses.

Sorry if I repeated something someone else covered, sometimes people chimes in while I write, so things may be repeated : P

ETA, yup, sorry I didn`t see that BG had said some things I covered, sorry about that.

 

[BattleGnome]

Re: fragrance....

Citrus oils are notorious for not sticking. The majority of them are top notes (the first thing you smell in a perfume but not the note that sticks an hour later). If you want a citrus scent you will either want some sort of blend or to get a fragrance oil. If the all natural idea is important for you then I would suggest picking a different EO until you have some more experience to figure out a trick to make it work. Orange essential oil is possible, you may just need to learn more before you get there.

 

[Arimara]

Oh boy, have I made my fair share of bombs. Having too much salt in your mixture can dry your bombs out. Did your bombs fizz? sometimes the salt can cause humidity to pull moisture into the bomb also thus resulting in well,....a dud. I've seen quite a few recipes that have way more Epsom/dead sea salt than I would ever consider putting in a bomb. Also what did you use to spray your mixture witch hazel/alcohol? Over-spraying can cause this also. I would try a different recipe and see what happens. Good Luck

Good one! :clap:

 

[StuMur]

Thanks SO much for the replies everyone, so helpful, and mostly, things I didn't know. My young son wants to become good enough to sell them at our local markets, so they need to be really great quality, and opulent - suitable for discerning Mums to soak in, not for kids like the Lush ones often are - at least that's what he tells me!

Alright then.. Please correct/tweak for me if I'm wrong. but so far I've learned from you wonderful people that I should try to:

Take the fluctuations of weather in my area on any given day OUT of the equation, by storing the bombs appropriately to cure.. Am I advised to do this in the extreme, by, say, pressing them, and then IMMEDIATELY placing them all in a qualified air-tight container to cure, so they never get exposure to weather fluctuations from the moment they're pressed?

Don't use a water sprayer to finish the mix with a water spritz or two.. I should use Witch Hazel/alcohol instead.. In that case, is it possible/a good idea to eliminate water entirely from the recipe? Is it making more trouble than good?

Completely remove Epsom Salts from the recipe, as the salt might be drawing in unwanted moisture, plus it sounds lie Cornstarch does a similar thing to Epsom Salts anyway.. ie make the water feel soft/silky/lovely?

I don't understand why essential oil may perhaps not be as good to use as fragrant oils are? But please clarify if I misunderstand there? :-/

Use Kaolin Clay to help them set hard. Speaking of setting hard, is there any benefit between compressing them firmly or softly when I mold them.. In other words, what is the difference between a bomb that's been (let's say) hand-pressed rather softly, and one that's compressed in a machine of some type much more firmly?

As we hope to sell a few of these at our local markets, what are the 'regulations' we need to adhere to? I had no idea there were any.. no food coloring for example..

Citrus oils don't stick.. that's a pest.. I LOVE a good citrus smell!

 

[StuMur]

Re: fragrance....

Citrus oils are notorious for not sticking.

Thanks BattleGnome. When a fragrant ingredient fails primarily (as my FO citrus orange has in my case), is it just a case of doubling the dose used, or is that not the point/likely to be effective?

 

[Dahila]

Stumur I make mine in my basement very dry closed windows and dehumidifier is on. I put them on mattress cover ( the spongy on) and not flat bottoms. Then I spray them sometimes with 99 % RA when I feel they may be powdery,
I use 70 % and apricot kernel oil. Coconut will set up quicly so it is easier with oil. you do not pack them to cure, You leave them to dry good luck

 

[StuMur]

I use 70 % and apricot kernel oil. Coconut will set up quicly so it is easier with oil.

Thank you Dahlia. Could you please clarify this part above.. I don't understand what you mean! :-/

Also, does anybody know of a mechanical presser of some type, that will make pressing much quicker than doing one at a time? I have already seen "The Bath Bomb Press", and the "EZ Way Bath Bomb Press", and of course their bath bomb "Multi Press" thing as well. There doesn't seem to be too much else out there to buy, particularly if I'd like custom-shaped sizes and molds for logos etc to be stamped into?

 

[BattleGnome]

Thanks BattleGnome. When a fragrant ingredient fails primarily (as my FO citrus orange has in my case), is it just a case of doubling the dose used, or is that not the point/likely to be effective?

I would not suggest doubling up on essential oils. Certain oils can be toxic or cause irritation when over used. It's best not to get into that habit. If you purchase you pr fragrance from a reputable supplier there should be a reccomended useage rate on the website. Brambleberry.com has a fragrance calculator with suggestions for light/med/strong scents. (There are other scent calculators out there, this is just the one I use.)

I would suggest looking into fragrance oils instead of essential oils if a long lasting fragrance is your goal. Fragrance oils are lab created so you get a consistent result and in some cases you can use more of a fragrance oil than an essential oil.

 

[StuMur]

I would not suggest doubling up on essential oils. Certain oils can be toxic or cause irritation when over used. I would suggest looking into fragrance oils instead of essential oils if a long lasting fragrance is your goal. Fragrance oils are lab created so you get a consistent result and in some cases you can use more of a fragrance oil than an essential oil.

Alright, thank you BG! In that case, based on my recipe I uploaded earlier in this post, what total oil content do you suggest would have been best, bearing in mind I used a combination of two oils - for fragrance, I used an organic "orange flavor" oil (which is a combination of sunflower oil and orange oil), and then, for the other not-necessarily fragrant oil, I just used an organic liquid coconut oil from my local supermarket - I figured this was mainly to bind, but also to make the bath water a bit smooth and oily? :-D

 

[BattleGnome]

You're right about the coconut oil. It's used to bind and possibly add a slick feel to the water.

This is an orange fragrance oil. Essential oils and fragrance oils are two different things. Essential oils are naturally derived oils from plants that can be used as fragrances or in holistic medicine. Fragrance oils are synthetically derived pretty smells that are formulated to be used in bath and body products.

Based on this fragrance calculator it looks like you used an appropriate amount for the "strong" scent. If it's not lasting then I suggest you use a different product. The fragrance oil I linked above should give you a lasting scent (I cannot tell you for sure. I have never used that particular scent but I have had good experiences using Brambleberry products in the past).

 

[Dahila]

I do not understand what should I clarify? Coconut oil sets in room temperature, Anyway I do not like it, except for soap, and cooking, Light oil ie apricot kernel oil will be easier to work with. Easier to mix it, Essential oils , hm they can cause a lot of side effect, I feel I am safer with FO in bath bombs, They are dissolved in a lot of water

 

[TBandCW]

Your recipe looks good and corn starch isn't the problem. I think it's the EO's. (now you are probably more confused!).

 

[SunRiseArts]

Well, I have a different take, perhaps a crazy one, but I believe that BB are weather contingent.

I swear some have personalities. I have a son that I tell him not to even look at them hahahaha

But I do think weather affects them. Was the weather the same? Was it more humid?