Is it my recipe? Bath Bombs

[simplymcghie]

From the picture it looks like you mastered them, congratulations!

...

Mine are not round but saucer shaped, just the molds I use.

Those sound like they smell wonderful!

 

[Hazel]

simplymcghie -

Those look wonderful! I hope they hold together for you.

 

[simplymcghie]

Success! They held together and they hardened up. Hurray! I think what was needed was the clay. That and figuring out the right consistency and figuring out how to pack them. I guess practice really does make perfect. That was my 7th batch I think. So I'm figuring that's 7-8 lbs worth of citric acid I went through before getting it right. Now watch, summer will come along and I wont be able to make the again.

 

[Hazel]

Yay! Now you need to experiment and find the least amount of clay to add. :wink:

I think you can still make them as long as it's not too humid in the summer.

 

[simplymcghie]

Yay! Now you need to experiment and find the least amount of clay to add. :wink:

I think you can still make them as long as it's not too humid in the summer.

For sure, I made another batch today, this time another fragrance and I think the clay made the fragrance morph. I'm hoping that as they dry, I'll have less wet clay small and more true fragrance smell. I've used this same fragrance in non-clay bath bombs (the ones that didn't hold together) and absolutely loved the smell so we will see. But I also added some colorant to today's batch so that might have had something to do with it too (though it shouldn't).

 

[Annette]

I found all bath bomb recipes including witch hazel or flower water led to premature fizzing and failure. Also anything involving larger quantities of oil failed to harden well. It took a lot of trial and error and I found it frustrating that so many recipes touted on the web simply didn't work!

The best recipes I've found are from James Wong's 'Grow your own Drugs' book or the two home recipe books from Neals Yard remedies. Use a ratio of 1tbsp. citric, 3 tbsp. bicarb, up to 1 tsp oil and 10 drops essential oil. Pack tightly in the mould. You could consider hardening in a low oven in the mould. Silicone moulds used for baking are safe for this. :idea:

 

[Kleine Teufel]

I agree. Use the very least amount of oil possible. When it forms little clumps, but doesn't stick completely together unless packed, then it's good. If you squeeze some in your hand, expect some of it to fall apart, but it has to have clumps. It's hard to explain, just try using the least amount of oil possible, then cut that in half, lol.

 

[Annette]

I agree, use the least oil possible. Actually the effect of the other ingredients seems to be that the little oil used is very well dispersed and absorbed by the skin. Use a little of the more expensive, really healing oils such as Evening Primrose or Vitamin E oil. Try dried petals e.g. lavender or rose (either whole or ground depending on your bath drainage/cleaning issues!) as these can help dessicate the mix and hold it together.

 

[Kleine Teufel]

Without digging up my recipe (I'm being very unfocused and lazy today), my oil was 1/7th or 1/8th the weight of my dry ingredients combined. Hopefully that helps! It doesn't seem like you're adding enough oil, but in the end you'll have better results.

 

[Annette]

We do need to be really focused and exact about bath bomb recipes in order to avoid the frustration of failure! In my numerous experiments extra oil added to the mixture has only ever led to a failure to harden. Of course if you do want extra oil in your bath it is always possible to pour it seperately into the bath. Personally I prefer the dispersing oils available as these cause less mess, and of course are also be a good carrier for essential oils. :!:

Again 1 tbsp citric, 3 tbsp bicarb, less than 1 tsp oil plus essential oils. The aromatherapy standard for essential oils in one bath is to aim for 8 drops. Of course lavender can be used in any quantity as it is one of the few which are safe to be placed directly on the skin.

I do hope we overcome these problems which have made so many of us give up on making bath bombs. It's a real shame as it seems to be purely about the spread of misinformation and bad recipes. Happy bathing!

 

[Hazel]

We do need to be really focused and exact about bath bomb recipes in order to avoid the frustration of failure! In my numerous experiments extra oil added to the mixture has only ever led to a failure to harden. Of course if you do want extra oil in your bath it is always possible to pour it seperately into the bath. Personally I prefer the dispersing oils available as these cause less mess, and of course are also be a good carrier for essential oils. :!:

Again 1 tbsp citric, 3 tbsp bicarb, less than 1 tsp oil plus essential oils. The aromatherapy standard for essential oils in one bath is to aim for 8 drops. Of course lavender can be used in any quantity as it is one of the few which are safe to be placed directly on the skin.

I do hope we overcome these problems which have made so many of us give up on making bath bombs. It's a real shame as it seems to be purely about the spread of misinformation and bad recipes. Happy bathing!

I'm not exact about adding oil to my bombs and they harden up just fine. I have found I've had the best luck with fattier oils like sunflower and avocado.

The only time I wasn't able to get them to harden was when I added cornstarch. No biggie. I poured the mix into tubes and told my niece they were fizzie powder.

 

[carebear]

We do need to be really focused and exact about bath bomb recipes in order to avoid the frustration of failure! In my numerous experiments extra oil added to the mixture has only ever led to a failure to harden. Of course if you do want extra oil in your bath it is always possible to pour it seperately into the bath. Personally I prefer the dispersing oils available as these cause less mess, and of course are also be a good carrier for essential oils. :!:

Again 1 tbsp citric, 3 tbsp bicarb, less than 1 tsp oil plus essential oils. The aromatherapy standard for essential oils in one bath is to aim for 8 drops. Of course lavender can be used in any quantity as it is one of the few which are safe to be placed directly on the skin.

I do hope we overcome these problems which have made so many of us give up on making bath bombs. It's a real shame as it seems to be purely about the spread of misinformation and bad recipes. Happy bathing!

As my dad said, "we who? got a mouse in your pocket?"

8 drops in one bath is STANDARD? who's standard? how big is said bath? that's about as inexact as we can get. and you recommended 10, which is 25% more! shameful, really, and I hope we can overcome this misinformation.

 

[VanessaP]

I made two batches today that made about 9 big bombs each (using a 2 inch meat baller). I don't use essential oils due to the potential of skin issues. Mine are hardening, though starting to crack so I apparently didn't get enough liquid into the mix. But the last two I made, I added more witch hazel to the mix. They still look like they're cracking but they have a rougher looking exterior - not warty, just.. rough. I'll try packing the edges around each half tighter before I do the mounding and pressing together of the halves to see if that helps my cracking issue. I think some clay will be on the list for my next order though.