Bubbling bath bombs recipe
This recipe is for bubbling or foaming bath bombs – instead of fizzing, they foam! That's because they contain an extra ingredient which is similar to the one you find in commercial bubble bath / bath foam mixtures.
You need the following dry ingredients:
- 10 parts baking soda
- 5 parts citric acid
- 2 parts Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate (note this is not the same as sodium laureth sulfate or sodium lauryl ether sulfate – more info on the difference on the ingredients page)
And the following wet ingredients:
- Fragrance. This can be either about 2 tsp of fragrance oil, or about 20 drops essential oil, in whatever fragrance you like.
- About 2 tsp water (ideally filtered or distilled) or witch hazel.
- A few drops of 'soap safe' colorant, in a color to suit your choice of fragrance.
If you like, you can also include a couple of tablespoons of oil, such as grape seed oil or jojoba oil.
And the following equipment:
- A big glass mixing bowl
- A whisk
- Measuring jugs, cups and spoons
- Molds
- A small squirty bottle makes adding your water or witch hazel easier
Making your foaming bath bombs
- Mix the dry ingredients together in your mixing bowl. You want to make sure everything's really well mixed, and that there are no lumps, so stir, whisk, and sieve till you get to that point.
- Add in your fragrance and color, plus the oil if you're using it, and mix it all together really well. You can do this by hand – rub the wet ingredients in the way you would rub butter and sugar together. Or you can use a whisk. Keep going till the color's evenly distributed through the mixture – that's probably about five minutes.
- Now start adding your water or witch hazel. Spritz a little in, and mix it in really well. Keep going till you get the right consistency, which is a bit like damp sand – you want it just wet enough that if you squeeze it in your hand, it just about forms a nice clump and stays clumped.
- Now put the mixture into your molds. You can use purpose-made bath bomb molds, or get some of those Christmas baubles that you fill with candy. Pack the mixture into the two halves as tight as you can, then squeeze them together.
- Wait a couple of minutes, then gently tap the bath bombs out of the mold (if they crumble, not to worry – put the bits back in the bowl, mix in a little more water, and try again). Leave them to dry overnight and you're done! Store them somewhere dry, if you don't use them immediately.
