Two Wild Hares Bubble Bar Recipe: thoughts?

[powderpink]

For Christmas presents, I'd like to try my hand at making some bubble bars (and bath bombs ) a la Lush.



I've tried soapqueens recipe a few times but they always end up in a growing, crumbly mess:/
And, I could be wrong, but something tells me it's the glycerine in there...so I really don't want to go back there again as so far it's been a waste in supplies.


So, for my next step, I was wondering if anyone here has personally tried the bubble bar recipe from Two Wild Hares (not the finished product, but the actual recipe) and whether they've had success with it/whether it's worth the high price tag.

 

[doriettefarm]

Sounds like you & I had a pretty similar experience using the soapqueen recipe. In fact I've never been successful with any bubble bar recipe using that much glycerin so I was overjoyed when I recently found a recipe that worked. Here's a link to the one I used for my sugar skull bubble bars: http://simplyfreebathandbody.com/bath-recipes/solid-bubble-bath/bubble-bar-11-lana-suhanich/

I would highly recommend trying it before purchasing one. There are lots of other free recipes on the site I linked as well.

 

[lsg]

Here is my go-to recipe for bath bombs (only I use individual, decorative, silicone molds instead of round molds). This recipe is from Kayla Fioravanti's book, DIY Kitchen Chemistry: Simple Homemade Bath & Body Projects.

1 cup Citric Acid (7.4 ounces)
2 cups Sodium Bicarbonate (17.3 ounces)
¼ cup of Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate (1.6 ounces)
¼ cup Cream of Tartar (1.4 ounces)
½ cup melted Deodorized Cocoa Butter (3.2 ounces)
1 tsp FO or EO (0.12 ounces)

 

[doriettefarm]

Thanks for sharing your bomb recipe lsg. I've had good luck with the butter bombs but mine tend to sink instead of float. Do yours float? I think I may be packing mine too tight. Bath bombs are still my nemesis . . . maybe one day I will master them.

I did use the linked recipe again today to make some rolled bubble bars. It turned out okay but the rolls are tiny. For me, this recipe seems to work better when rolling out the dough and cutting with a cookie cutter. Still need to do a tub test and see how it performs but it definitely seems to dry quicker than the bubble bar recipes with lots of glycerin.

Rolls & cookie-cutter style

 

[lsg]

My bath tabs sink at first but come to the surface as they fizz and get lighter in weight. Love your bubble bars.

 

[doriettefarm]

Thank you, I am proud of these babies but the proof will definitely be in the tub test. I'll try to post pics of the bubbles when I try one of the slices. I think the key to this recipe is the small amount of glycerin added at the very end. Adding the liquid surfactant will make a sandy dough but it's that teensy bit of glycerin along with vigorous hand-kneading that pulls it all together.

Also wanted to mention that I've been on the fence about purchasing the Two Wild Hares recipe because it seems to be successful for so many. Looking at her ingredient list, I suspect maybe she gets away with less glycerin because there's also cocoa butter in the mix. That would serve to harden and moisturize while glycerin is a humectant and draws moisture. I'm thinking this would produce a more pliable, crumbly bubble bar than the recipe I posted.

 

[powderpink]

Thank you both for the recipes!

I'll give them a go first.
Though, I'll definitely scale them down a bit I think, as I will still need to substitute some ingredients (e.g. I don't have lauromidopropyl betaine, but I do have cocamidopropyl betaine).


Last night I did some experimenting on my own, on a whim...
but to me it seems like the citric acid/sodium bicarbonate will react to anything that's liquid be it water or esters etc. ( I tried surfactant bases, c12-15 alkyl benzoate, peg-7 glyceryl cocoate... only btms-50 melted with cocoa butter seemed ok).
I wonder if you could add the wet ingredients to the sodium bicarbonate first, let it dry a bit and then add the citric acid...

 

[lsg]

Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate is a powdered surfactant. The only liquid is the small amount of EO and the melted cocoa butter and it doesn't seem to set of a fizz reaction as much as alcohol or witch Hazel.

 

[doriettefarm]

Thank you both for the recipes!

I'll give them a go first.
Though, I'll definitely scale them down a bit I think, as I will still need to substitute some ingredients (e.g. I don't have lauromidopropyl betaine, but I do have cocamidopropyl betaine).


Last night I did some experimenting on my own, on a whim...
but to me it seems like the citric acid/sodium bicarbonate will react to anything that's liquid be it water or esters etc. ( I tried surfactant bases, c12-15 alkyl benzoate, peg-7 glyceryl cocoate... only btms-50 melted with cocoa butter seemed ok).
I wonder if you could add the wet ingredients to the sodium bicarbonate first, let it dry a bit and then add the citric acid...

So where are the pics of your experiments? How did they turn out? Inquiring minds must know . . .

For the bubble bar recipe I posted, I actually subbed coco betaine for lauromidopropyl betaine because that's what I had on hand. I also have a gallon of cocamide dea to use up . . . it's supposed to boost foam and add viscosity. My cocoB is pretty watery so I used 50g cocoB and 10g cocamide dea for my liquid surfactants. It didn't seem to affect the drying time and hopefully will make the bubbles last longer.

 

[powderpink]

ah no pictures as it wasn't all that scientific

but once I get more supplies (hopefully November) I will come back and see if I can conduct some better documented experiments.

The only downside is that most bathbomb/bubble bar style recipes online are given in cups etc.
I really wish people would use percentages, it makes it so much easier.
Though the ones given in weights can definitely be converted to percentages.

Anyway, I'll be back 8)

 

[TBandCW]

When I first started this crazy trip into bath and body products I measured in cups, tablespoons and so on. One day I weighed out everything for all my recipes and used a conversion chart (I think it is on WSP) for percentages, etc.
Glad I did!

 

[dixiedragon]

I've figured out that if it's a recipe I like, it's easier to go ahead and create a spreadsheet. So it's easy to convert weights to percentages and vice versa. Volume...not so much.

 

[PuddinAndPeanuts]

For Christmas presents, I'd like to try my hand at making some bubble bars (and bath bombs ) a la Lush.







I've tried soapqueens recipe a few times but they always end up in a growing, crumbly mess:/

And, I could be wrong, but something tells me it's the glycerine in there...so I really don't want to go back there again as so far it's been a waste in supplies.





So, for my next step, I was wondering if anyone here has personally tried the bubble bar recipe from Two Wild Hares (not the finished product, but the actual recipe) and whether they've had success with it/whether it's worth the high price tag.

Just wondering if you bought their recipe and how it worked for you if so. I'm thinking of buying their bubble bomb recipe. I normally LOVE formulating- but not bombs. I came up with my own bath bomb recipe and I'm almost done with a variant sinus bomb. Freaking hate this. (Never thought I'd say that about formulating). I'm out of patience and near out of time. Anyway- just wondering how that recipe worked for you.

 

[powderpink]

No, sorry I haven't bought it yet. I've had too many other hobbies vying for my attention and leaving me broke

I might get the bath bomb recipe first, at some point, just to see how she handles things and if that gives me some confidence in her ways, I'll probaly just go ahead and get the bubble bar recipe... but not any time soon.

 

[Buckscent]

I have purchased both the bath bomb and the bath bar from TWH after many, many attempts at failed or so so products. The first attend was a perfect success on both. I highly recommend her recipes. I spend WAY more just testing others and mine that I could have got hers and saved a ton of money. Defiantly top notch and the pictorial and step by step is second to none

 

[PuddinAndPeanuts]

I have purchased both the bath bomb and the bath bar from TWH after many, many attempts at failed or so so products. The first attend was a perfect success on both. I highly recommend her recipes. I spend WAY more just testing others and mine that I could have got hers and saved a ton of money. Defiantly top notch and the pictorial and step by step is second to none

Thank you for that- I just got the cupcake bubble bomb recipe. Looks like a solid recipe- nothing alarming or impractical. If my mold comes today, I'll be giving it its first trial run. VERY excited! Gonna look like these spectacularly adorable oysters I saw in a crap Pinterest recipe. (Apparently shaving cream is a credible bath bomb ingredient. REALLY????)

 

[BattleGnome]

I have used m&p before. I don't have shaving cream on hand but I'm sure it's surfactants and soap to some degree.

 

[baylee]

Thank you for that- I just got the cupcake bubble bomb recipe. Looks like a solid recipe- nothing alarming or impractical. If my mold comes today, I'll be giving it its first trial run. VERY excited! Gonna look like these spectacularly adorable oysters I saw in a crap Pinterest recipe. (Apparently shaving cream is a credible bath bomb ingredient. REALLY????)

Is there a particular type of mold that's needed? TIA

 

[powderpink]

I think you probably need a silicone cupcake mold if you want it to come out cupcake shaped.

Thank you for that- I just got the cupcake bubble bomb recipe. Looks like a solid recipe- nothing alarming or impractical. If my mold comes today, I'll be giving it its first trial run. VERY excited! Gonna look like these spectacularly adorable oysters I saw in a crap Pinterest recipe. (Apparently shaving cream is a credible bath bomb ingredient. REALLY????)

Let us know how it went!


And buckscent, than you for sharing your experience, I feel more confident trying out the bathbomb recipe now.

 

[PuddinAndPeanuts]

I just wanted to update- I got her cupcake bubble bomb recipe. It works great, and imo that piped Bomb recipe is golden. The seller is very, very responsive to helping out.

My two minor gripes: she fragrances her bombs at a rate something like 3x what I've been doing. But- time may prove me wrong.

There aren't a whole lot of bubbles- but I think my expectations are way, way too high.

Overall, clear, photo-illustrated directions with a seller seemingly happy to help you troubleshoot. I strongly recommend this option to anyone out there thinking about it.

ETA- my design changed the proportion of piped vs: molded bomb. This is why I saw fewer bubbles than expected. I'm certain the intended cupcake design would bubble beautifully.