Rose and shea butter bath bombs

Difficulty: Beginner
Time: 30 minutes
Yields: 3-4 bath bombs

A dear friend of mine had her 40th and I wanted to make her something special. Looking after kids all day, both as a mum and as her job, I felt she deserved a bit of a treat. What could be better than a long soak in nice, warm bath with a glass of bubbly, and listening to Coldplay? These luscious rose and shea butter bath bomb are just perfect for that.

According to Valerie Ann Worwood, in Aromatherapy for the Soul, the fragrance of rose vibrates with the energy of universal love, and encourages contentment, happiness, inner freedom and completeness.

To make these lush bath bombs, you will need baking soda, citric acid, shea butter, polysorbate 80, rose fragrance and rose petals, as well as your bath bomb molds (or alternatively you can use a muffin tray).

ONE: Combine your baking soda and citric acid in a bowl and mix with your hands. Make sure you break up any clumps.

TWO: In a small heat proof bowl or cup, heat some shea butter in your microwave until completely melted. Add two tablespoons of liquid shea butter to your baking soda/citric acid mixture.

THREE: Measure out your polysorbate 80 and fragrance and also add it to your mixture. Polysorbate 80 will make sure that the shea butter will be dispersed into your bath water, rather than float on top of the water.

FOUR: Spritz one or two squirts of water and start mixing everything with your hands to combine all the ingredients. I always wear gloves, even if I’m not mixing in any colour, because I find that my hands get really dry working with the raw mixture. Plus, if you’re wearing nail polish, the gloves will help protect your manicure! If you find the mixture isn’t holding well enough, spritz some more water, but be careful you don’t over-wet your bath bomb mixture. If it starts to fizz, you’ve definitely overdone it, and start adding baking soda and citric acid in a 2:1 ratio, until it stops fizzing.

FIVE: If you haven’t done so already, prepare your bath bomb molds. In one half mold, add a few rose petals to the centre of the mold and scoop the bath bomb mixture on top of them. Press the mixture into the mold to compact it. Next, fill the other half mold, but without adding any rose petals, and slightly overfill to help the two halves stick together.

Press the two halves together firmly without twisting them. Very gently remove one half (a light tap helps loosen the mold) and leave to dry for a few hours.

After a few hours, carefully remove the bottom half mold, and place the bath bomb on a baking sheet. Leave to harden overnight in a warm, dry place. This is particularly important, if it’s a humid day, like we often have in New Zealand. I like putting mine in the hot water cupboard, which is the driest place in the house, and which ensures that my bath bombs always turn out. Enjoy!