Nothing beats kicking back in a bathtub full of hot water with a deliciously scented bath bomb - but those bombs can be expensive! DIY your own and you can make them for a fraction of the cost of the ones you find in shops. Best of all, you can use whatever scent you want. Here's how.
INGREDIENTS
2 cups baking soda (sodium bicarbonate)
1 1/4 cups citric acid
1/2 cup fine pink powder Himalayan salt
1/4 cup shea butter
up to 0.4 oz essential oils
1 tsp Polysorbate 80
1/4 cup dried lavender
witch hazel
EQUIPMENT
Rubber gloves
Double boiler or microwave
Bath bomb molds
Sifter
Spray bottle (for witch hazel)
Tray lined with bubble wrap
Plastic wrap
Instructions
- Checking at 1-minute intervals on medium heat, melt the shea butter either in the microwave or in a double boiler.
- Cool the melted shea butter for 10 minutes, then add the polysorbate and essential oil blend. Stir well.
- Put on rubber gloves, then sift the baking soda and citric acid into a bowl to remove lumps.
- Stir in the Himalayan salt and dried lavender.
- Knead the melted shea butter/essential oil mixture into the dry ingredients.
- If the mixture won't hold together well, spritz with witch hazel, mixing between sprays, until the mixture has a consistency similar to damp sand and holds together when pressed into a ball. Use your hands (wearing rubber gloves!) to get a better feel of the texture. Witch hazel can be substitute with isopropyl alcohol if preferred.
- Overfill both halves of a bath bomb mold with the mixture, creating a high heap in the middle of each half.
- Push the sides firmly together without twisting and wipe away any excess.
- To remove the bombs from the molds, gently tap each side with a spoon and remove one side of the mold. Turn the bath bomb over and lift off the other half.
- Handle the bombs extremely carefully - they are very fragile at this point.
- Place each bomb on the bubble-wrap-lined tray.
- Let them dry for 24 to 48 hours in a dry environment (not a bathroom or other moist area). Then seal each bath bombs in plastic wrap/clingfilm and store in an airtight container.
