Okay, we got really excited when we discovered how easy it was to make bath bombs at home and immediately added it to our Sunday Funday queue.
Reason being, bath bombs are pretty. They’re also awesome to have on hand for when you’re having one of those days that only a bath (and a glass of wine, let’s be real ) can fix. The aromatherapy from the essential oils in our recipes can actually improve your psychological and physical well being plus they make for badass gifts.
- Early Grey and Lavender (Rachel)
- Chamomile and Vanilla (Vanessa)
- Eucalyptus and Mint (Alyssa)
We feel compelled to add that you can also wear PJ’s while you make them if you want!
We hijacked the recipe from Stephanie at Hello Glow, which uses coconut oil. Given coconut oil becomes a solid when it’s cold, it helps these guys to mold well, making it fail-safe (CAN CONFIRM!). Plus, we all know coconut oil is awesome for your skin and amazing in a million other ways!
Confession: this was our first time making bath bombs, and we were pretty stoked that they didn’t crumble or look like LUSH factory rejects. It’s actually super easy and a ton of fun. In fact, you MAY see a different bath bomb from us every season. We obvi exchanged bath bombs with each other and at the end of the day left with one of each so the more people at your bath bomb bonanza the better!
To maximize the “fun” in your Sunday Funday definitely grab all the ingredients in advance. Most of the ingredients are pretty straight forward so some of the stuff you might already have on hand, otherwise you can grab everything on Amazon or at your local bulk food store.
- 1 cup baking soda
- 1/2 cup citric acid
- 1/2 cup corn starch
- 1/2 cup Epsom salt
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil, divided
- 1 teaspoon almond oil
- Vegetable-based food coloring
- Your choice of essential oils
- Bath bomb mould – we used these guys (or you can use a muffin tray, we just like to be fancy)
- Ultimately, a bathtub and a glass of wine – because you deserve it
The above yields about five bath bombs.
- In a bowl, combine the dry ingredients and stir well. Divide evenly into 3 smaller bowls. If you want to make more than 3 colours, use more bowls. Go crazy!
- Melt 1 tablespoon coconut oil in a cup. Add 2 – 3 drops of food coloring and stir well. You won’t really be able to see the final color until mixed with the dry ingredients, so just use your best guess (and you can always make the colour brighter after you mix in the wet ingredients). Add approximately 1/3 teaspoon almond oil (you can use your eyeballs here) and 5 – 10 drops of the essential oil of your choice.
- Pour the coconut oil mixture into one of the bowls of dry ingredients. Use your hands to mix it all together, breaking apart chunks as you go. If you would like to adjust the color, melt a little bit more coconut oil and stir in the dye. Then pour it into your bath bomb mixture and continue mixing.
- Do this, except with different food coloring, for the remaining bowls.
- Get your molds out (again we used these guys but you can even use a muffin tray). There are a few different techniques you can use to pack your mould:
Start with a bit of one colour on the bottom of your mould and then stack each additional colour on top for a striped pattern on your bomb.
Start with one base colour at the bottom of your bomb. Using your fingers, pinch the sides of the base colour, filling in the gaps with your accent colours. Continue this process until your mould is filled, giving your bomb a swirly galaxy effect. The more chaotic the better, don’t be too meticulous.
Use a cute accent on the outside of your bomb like dried flowers or glitter (Note: If using glitter avoid dollar store sparkles, which are made of plastic and damage the oceans. Look for something called Mica which is biodegradable and used in most cosmetics.) Sprinkle your accent on the bottom of your mould before adding the base. They can be placed uniformly or at random. Make it your own.
- If using a ball mould, pack each side until overflowing, and squeeze both halves together to close.
- Freeze for 20 minutes. This might not be a bad time to have a drink – our pineapple passionfruit sour ain’t a bad choice. You can get the recipe here.
- To remove the bath bomb from the mold, warm the sides of the mold with your hands (this will help melt the coconut oil) and squeeze either side until the bomb pops out.
- Pop this bad boy in the bath, preferably with candles and a drink.
What makes bath bomb-making even more fun? Adding in a cocktail. Bath bombs demand a drink that’s a bit fizzy. So, meet our pineapple passionfruit sour. You can grab the recipe here.
Only certain jams can match the vibe of a bath, but this list has you covered. These tunes will chill you right out.
Click Here to Start Listening!