How to make bath bombs harder/firm?

[Dwilson9]

Problem - As I place my bathbombs into the drying tray, more often than not they break because they are so delicate. Of those that dont though, the next day they are usually quite firm.

I struggle getting them into the drying tray.

Sometimes they are still softish after two days. Just depends. But is there something I can put in them to make them harder / more firm, to make transfering to drying tray easier?

 

[BWt]

Problem - As I place my bathbombs into the drying tray, more often than not they break because they are so delicate. Of those that dont though, the next day they are usually quite firm.

I struggle getting them into the drying tray.

Sometimes they are still softish after two days. Just depends. But is there something I can put in them to make them harder / more firm, to make transfering to drying tray easier

Hi. There is a recent thread about how to make bath bombs have a longer tub life. In that thread is a post by @AliOop AliOop recommends a video which is very good. I watched several of the recommended video producers videos. All very good. Here is the link:
https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/bathbomb-how-to-make-them-fizz-longer.90106/
Also check recipes on HumbleBeeandme.com
Be sure to use a bit of cream of Tartar.

 

[Dwilson9]

Thank you. I am playing a little bit of catch up here I will get on to all of this now and give it a go!

 

[BWt]

Thank you. I am playing a little bit of catch up here I will get on to all of this now and give it a go!

Try adding a teeny bit of liquid to your mix. Add the liquids to the mix before adding the citric acid. Humble Bee has recipes free and this method of mixing is easier. Then try leaving the bath bomb in a half mold for a bit. Not too long or it is difficult to get out of mold. Long enough for bath bomb to dry a bit ( a few hours). Sounds like you need a teeny bit more liquid. I would add polysorbate 80 if you are using that. Stop using alcohol. Not needed and it dries the mix out. Use new recipe found here. This is my standard go to recipe changed only by alternating between cornstarch and arrowroot. I handmold just like you. Hope this helps. Winter Solstice Bath Bombs - Humblebee & Me

 

[AliOop]

^what bwtapestry said. You can also use corn starch or kaolin clay as a hardener, depending on cost and availability in your area.

For transferring to the tray, you can try leaving each bomb in one-half of the round mold, so it cradles the bomb when putting it down. Depending on your humidity, even a few hours can make a big difference in how it firms up enough not to fall apart when unmolding. If you don’t have enough molds to do this, consider buying a bunch of the clear plastic ones that are also used as fillable Christmas ornaments. They are pretty inexpensive and make great holders.