Blissful Bath Bombs

I was thinking how for the next few blogs I would like to focus on easy things to make as gifts.

I am super-practical which is certainly a blessing, but also a curse because I rarely buy, make, or do things that are luxurious. Usually I both give and ask for things that I need, but there is part of me that acknowledges sometimes a little homemade *bliss* is a good thing.

Bath bombs – I don’t even have a bath tub (just a fancy shower), but I love baths and when I get to take one it is a real treat. These explosive, fragrant goodies make for a truly decadent bath. Try it for yourself or make some for family, friends, coworkers, your kid’s teacher, the bus driver, whoever! They are super fun to make and I can imagine that this would be a great project to do with kids.

In this week’s blog post we will be making three amazing ‘flavours’ – Spicy Chai, Coconut Lemongrass Lime, and Mocha.

I’ve listed the ingredients below, but can totally experiment – just keep the amounts for the baking soda, citric acid, cornstarch, oil, and water the same. Feel free play with the spices and essential oils. Some  great potential ‘flavours’ – lavender and vanilla, citrus, cedar and sweet grass, peppermint… oh the possibilities!

The directions are the same for all three ‘flavours’. Make sure you clean your equipment well between batches so not to cross-contaminate flavours.

Ingredients:

Spicy Chai

Dry

• 1 cup baking soda
• 1/2 cup citric acid (I got mine at Planet Botanix. Apparently you can find it with canning supplies, but I checked at Canadian Tire and didn’t see any. Ron says you can get it at homebrew supply shops.)
• 1/2 cup corn starch
• 1 tsp ground ginger (for the spices you can play with the type and amount. Don’t be afraid to experiment).
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp cardamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp borax (optional – helps soften the water)

Wet

• 2 1/2 Tbsp oil (almond, olive, or coconut)
• 3/4 Tbsp of water
• 1 tsp of cinnamon essential oil
• 1/2 tsp of clove essential oil
• Food coloring, optional (I don’t use any)
• Witch hazel in spray bottle (not needed but helps stop the bomb from cracking)

 

Coconut Lemongrass Lime

Dry

• 1 cup baking soda
• 1/2 cup citric acid
• 1/2 cup corn starch
• 1/2 tsp of borax (optional – helps soften the water)

Wet

• 2 1/2 Tbls coconut oil
• 3/4 Tbls of water
• 1 tsp of lime essential oil
• 1/2 tsp of lemongrass essential oil
• Food coloring, optional (I don’t use any)
• Witch hazel in spray bottle (not needed but helps stop the bomb from cracking)

Mocha

 Dry

• 1 cup baking soda
• 1/2 cup citric acid
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 2 tsp super finely ground coffee
• 2 tsp hot chocolate mix or cocoa
• 1/2 tsp of borax (optional – helps soften the water)

 Wet

• 2 1/2 Tbls oil (almond, olive, or coconut)
• 3/4 Tbls of water
• Food coloring, optional (I don’t use any)
• Witch hazel in spray bottle (not needed but helps stop the bomb from cracking)

 

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine the baking soda, citric acid, corn starch and borax.

   

2. In another bowl mix the wet ingredients.
3. Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, until the mixture gets to a sandy texture. The mixture will foam slightly.

   

4. Pack into muffin tins (just give it a light coat of vegetable oil), candy or soap molds. I used muffin tins which aren’t as pretty, but I don’t want to buy something just for this. Pack it in really hard.

   

5. Immediately flip it over and tap it out onto cookie sheet.
6. When all are done, lightly mist (very lightly or it will start to dissolve!) with witch hazel and let dry overnight. Next day, turn over and mist the bottoms with witch hazel. Let dry another day.

   

Voilà!

You can package them up however you like. It is probably best to protect them in some way so they don’t crumble. I used some green papers that came in a box of mandarins that my dad bought.