My bathbombs crack! WHY??
- Thread starter WillZ
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Lin19687
Well-Known Member
Search this forum, there are a Ton of recent posts about it.
too dry
too dry
Jessika Thompson
Member
I weigh my oils and fragrances for bath bombs and usually add a bit more oil. Especially if I'm using Polysorbate 80. I go with 3 cups Baking Soda and 1.5 cups citric acid, 2 oz of oils (usually Shea and coconut and hemp seed to get to the 2oz total), 1 oz polysorbate, and whatever FO or EO. I usually get a great consistency that holds shape well.
Jessika Thompson
Member
ooohhh! I will try this
Please do! Let me know if it works for you.
Make sure you liquify those oils or butters before mixing in. Other than that it is pretty forgiving for modifications.
Edit: I've never had to use witch hazel or alcohol with this mix
Kiya
Member
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I've made quite a few bathbombs before. They are extremely temermental and I have only successfully made like 7/14 batches. The way I've found to (almost) always make a successful batch is to add
* rose clay (dry ingredients)
*polysorbate 20 or 80 (wet ingredients)
The clay really helps the bathbombs stick together and firm up really nicely without crumbling. The polysorbate helps emulsify the clay so that it doesn't stick to the sides of the tub.
The clay does wonders for my skin! It makes my bathbombs extra luxurious too. The only issue is the cleanup afterwards. The polysorbate is essential unless you want a huuuge mess to clean up afterwards.
There is still a bit of mess after with the poly, but it's not nearly as bad.
You dont have to use rose clay it could be any clay. They really do help harden the bathbombs.
Whatever you deside to do know that bathbombs are a pain and the butt! And we have all struggled in one way or another with them so your not alone.
Jessika Thompson
Member
Wanted to share a picture of my bath bombs using the recipe I shared. I unmold them halfway at about 10 minutes, fully at about 20 minutes, and then open air dry under a ceiling fan for about a day.
They are so pretty!
ok, i made a new batch and they all stuck together (yippee!) They are not the prettiest and not so much round lol. My daughter just tried my 1 nice one and it spun around and had a great fizz...then sunk like a rock
It still was fizzy just from the bottom of the tub. How to get them to float?
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Ok so I tweaked the recipe a bit because it’s been raining here in Al constantly, so the humidity is higher than the norm. I did 2 c BS, 1 c CS, 1T91%, 1T CO and 1t KC. My medium Bombs float and do great...the large ones do not. Could it be the Kaolin clay and the humidity? What’s everyone’s recommendations for KC measurements?
Jessika Thompson
Member
ok, i made a new batch and they all stuck together (yippee!) They are not the prettiest and not so much round lol. My daughter just tried my 1 nice one and it spun around and had a great fizz...then sunk like a rock
It still was fizzy just from the bottom of the tub. How to get them to float?
Mine will sink too, but I think it is the weight of the oils that I use. You could play with the wet/dry ratio now that they are sticking together. I would recommend making minor changes and keeping a log of your changes and test results.
So happy for you and the progress!!
Generally if they sink they are packed too tight
zolveria
Well-Known Member
bathbombs are bipolar.. LMAO.. make sure you are making in appropiate weather or have a dehumidfier in the house.. i have made my recipe on days where i failed to check humidity levels and i can tell you how off they where.. I could even use my machine to make them.. had to do it by hand.. SMH.. also LESS Ingriedient is best.
baking soda and citric acid and clay.. will make a hard A$$ ball.. i use alcohol to spray and wait a little while and let is absorb. i also use my mixer to get it all mixed nicely..
baking soda and citric acid and clay.. will make a hard A$$ ball.. i use alcohol to spray and wait a little while and let is absorb. i also use my mixer to get it all mixed nicely..
Jessika Thompson
Member
The density of the ingredients do a lot to the float factor also. I load mine with more oils and butters, which are going to be heavier than the water - even packed gently and after drying. They sink but then again I am not going for the floating color show as much as I am going for the skin indulgence.
One more tip that I can offer is not to overdo the mixing of your dry and wet ingredients. You want a light sandy look and feel that only sticks together when squished. I had a problem with this on my first few batches just because it's hard to know what you are looking for without actually seeing and feeling it firsthand.
My bath bombs have been sinking lately and I’m not sure why. I stopped using CS for Kaolin Clay and kept the rest of the recipe the same. I’m not sure if it’s the KC, the humidity or the CO making them do this. The CO I’m using is organic virgin unrefined. I use 1c BA, 1/2 CA, 1T KC, was 1T CO but cut it down to 1/2 t CO. I know CO can be heavy. Could the fact that it’s unrefined be the reason why or do I need to use more or less of KC or CO? They were fine until I changed to KC.
commoncenz
Well-Known Member
No water, alcohol or witch hazel. I use oils and Polysorbate 80. I also add Kaolin to mine. The Polysorbate and Kaolin are at an equal percentage to my fragrance oil. Since I started using only oils, PS-80 and fragrance oil, along with Kaolin, I haven't had any issues with cracking and I use the same recipe Winter, Summer, Spring and Fall. 
commoncenz
Well-Known Member
As an aside. I see a lot of you measuring in cups, 1/2 cups, Tbs and tsp. If I were to make a suggestion, it would be to work your recipes in terms of weight (i.e grams), then figure out the percentages of each ingredient you are using. It makes it easier to "tweek" your recipe and overcome any problems you might have making bath bombs.
