Painting Bath Bombs

[TashaBird]

I’m really excited about the creative potential in painting bath bombs. If I use color in the BB then the recipe will contain polysorbate80. will the P80 in the recipe be enough to keep the painted mica, mixed with RA, from creating a color ring in the tub? If I leave the bath bombs white, no P80, can I mix some P80 with the RA and mica for painting? Should I use P80 when I paint with mica either way? And, how much P80 should I mix with the mica and RA?
I hope that makes sense! And, I’d love any other tips, video tutorials, or recipe ideas for painting bath bombs. As always, thanks super bunches!

 

[Arimara]

What is RA?

 

[TashaBird]

What is RA?

Rubbing alcohol.

 

[Quanta]

I don't make them myself, but I recall seeing tutorials on the Bramble Berry website for painting bath bombs. Here's one:

https://www.brambleberry.com/in-the...cgid=3-bathbomb_project_studio#start=15&sz=12
If you look at the main list of bath bomb tutorials there, you can see others that cover this technique. They all have Polysorbate 80 in the bath bomb itself and the "paint" is just 99% rubbing alcohol with mica mixed in.

 

[TashaBird]

I’m curious about using some P80 in the paint mixture itself.

 

[Kiwi2:)]

Hey there Do you use a surfactant like SLSA in your bath bombs? If you do then that should prevent any ring from forming without using P80. (If you're only using mica decoratively and not to actually colour the whole bath bomb that is). I use mica/RA to colour cocoa butter embeds and use those to decorate bath bombs and also paint with mica using an air brush machine to give an ombre effect and don't have a problem with it sticking, because I use SLSA/SCI. Just a thought

 

[TashaBird]

Hey there Do you use a surfactant like SLSA in your bath bombs? If you do then that should prevent any ring from forming without using P80. (If you're only using mica decoratively and not to actually colour the whole bath bomb that is). I use mica/RA to colour cocoa butter embeds and use those to decorate bath bombs and also paint with mica using an air brush machine to give an ombre effect and don't have a problem with it sticking, because I use SLSA/SCI. Just a thought

Oh that’s good to know! I use SCI and P80 in my bath bomb recipe. So, maybe I don’t need it in the minimal amount of painting I’m planning on doing.

 

[Quanta]

I’m curious about using some P80 in the paint mixture itself.

I read some of the Bramble Berry tutorials and none of them had it in the paint mixture, they only put it in the bath bomb itself. None of the tutorials I read explained why. They do mention that the mica will tend to rub off once it's dry, so I wonder if the P80 will affect that somehow. I honestly don't know if it would make it worse, or better.

 

[TashaBird]

I read some of the Bramble Berry tutorials and none of them had it in the paint mixture, they only put it in the bath bomb itself. None of the tutorials I read explained why. They do mention that the mica will tend to rub off once it's dry, so I wonder if the P80 will affect that somehow. I honestly don't know if it would make it worse, or better.

I asked about it in one of the bath bomb groups that I purchased a recipe from. Some people add a tiny bit of P80 In their colorant.