How to Make Herbal Bath Bombs at Home

Bath bombs are not only fun, they are a great way to improve your skin while taking a bath. Plus, the ingredients included will often help to relax the body and mind as well.

They are called ‘bombs’ because once they hit the water, they start to break apart and fizz. Most of them are scented, some will have bits and pieces inside e.g flower petals and others will add color to the water.

Because bath bombs are so fun and colorful, kids love them. They are a great way to entice any child who doesn’t like the bath, to hop in. The smell of scented herbal bath bombs plus the fizzing color is hard to resist.

For yourself, depending on the ingredients you use, they can help with a range of conditions. Try them for alleviating sciatica, arthritis and joint inflammation, skin conditions, depression and
insomnia.

Bath Bombs Basic Recipe

You can start with this basic recipe and then add the extras you want. Listed below are ‘optional extras’ plus a few ideas to get you started.

Ingredients

1 cup baking soda
1/4 cup citric acid
20 drops essential oil
4 teaspoons almond oil
Dried herbs, flower petals or spices of choice

Method

1. Mix together all the dry ingredients in a bowl, including dried herbs etc if using. Make sure to get out any lumps – a whisk can help with this.

2. Combine the essential oil and almond oil.

3. Sprinkle the liquid mixture over the dry ingredients slowly and mix together well. If it starts to fizz, you are going too fast. When done it should resemble damp sand.

4. Take a portion of the mixture and press into a mold as firmly as possible.

5. Leave to set for one day (minimum) in the mold.

6. Gently remove the bath bomb from the mold.

7. Set aside for another 24 hours to let it harden.

8. Your bath bomb is now ready to use – toss it in the bath and enjoy.

Notes:

Citric acid provides the fizzy component, but it can sting the eyes and in some people may cause a mild skin reaction. Don’t touch your eyes while mixing the ingredients.
You can use any of the following as molds – candle molds, chocolate molds, muffin tins, egg cartons, small plastic food containers, or specialty craft molds.
If you are using dried herbs or flowers, sprinkle some through the mixture and some into the mold first. This will decorate the bombs and make them look pretty. It also gives a way to distinguish between different bombs if you are making up a few recipes.
The number of bath bombs this recipe makes depends on the size of the molds and how big you want them.

Bath Bomb Additives

All types of dried herbs and flowers can be added to your bath bombs. Here is a list to try:

Lavender flowers
Spearmint or peppermint leaves
Rosemary leaves
Lemon balm leaves
Rose petals
Calendula flowers

If you are lucky enough to have some of these in your garden, pick and dry them to use. Otherwise, you can order many dried herbs and flowers online. Try experimenting with different herbs for variation and different benefits.

To color your bath bombs, add food coloring. You might want to do this if the bombs are for kids. Be careful not to overdo it as it can make the bath water look funny. 15-20 drops added to the liquid mixture should be enough.