Difficulty: Beginners
Time: 30 minutes
Yields: 6 bath bombs
Baths are a wonderful way to detox and rejuvenate your skin. These bath bombs contain the benefits of cleansing pink French clay and detoxifying Himalayan salt, combined with an uplifting and soothing blend of litsea cubeba, ylang ylang, bergamot and lavender to leave your skin looking radiant and feeling soft and smooth.
All ingredients are available from Pure Nature, who also stock the bath bomb molds in two sizes, the larger one is the one we used here, which is perfect for an adult sized bath.
ONE: Using the standard 2:1 formula, add two cups of baking soda and one cup of citric acid to a bowl.
TWO: Add 1/2 cup of pink Himalayan sea salt and 2 tablespoons of pink French clay.
Next, put on disposable gloves to protect your hands and nails (baking soda and citric acid ruin your manicure!), and using your hands, combine everything and break up any clumps.
THREE: Then measure out and add your essential oil blend. I used 2 ml of litsea cubeba (may chang), 1/2 ml of ylang ylang, 1/2 ml bergamot and 1 ml of lavender essential oils. Mix the essential oils well into the bath bomb mixture.
FOUR: Using a spray bottle, spritz some water and start mixing it in immediately. Keep mixing and spritzing until you reach the right consistency. It should still be powdery, but when you squeeze some of the bath bomb mixture in your hand, it should hold its shape.
FIVE: Scoop the bath bomb mixture into your half molds and fill them a little bit more than it can hold. Push down with your palms to compact the mixture. Then press two halves together and twist them so that both halves will hold. Gently remove one of the half molds and then, carefully, place it on a baking sheet and remove the other half mold.
SIX: Leave the bath bombs to harden completely overnight in a dry, warm place. I like using my hot water cupboard for this, because it’s the driest place in the house. Because of the clay, they might take a little longer to dry than usual. Once they’re solid, wrap them in cellophane or put them in a little cellophane bag, to keep them dry. Bath bombs should be used within 3-6 months, because they will lose their fizziness over time.
Pink clay and salt bath bombs
Ingredients
- 2 cups baking soda
- 1 cup citric acid
- 1/2 cup fine pink Himalayan salt
- 2 tablespoons pink French clay
- 2 ml litsea cubeba (may chang) essential oil
- 1/2 ml ylang ylang essential oil
- 1/2 ml bergamot essential oil
- 1 ml lavender essential oil
Directions
- Combine the baking soda and citric acid in a bowl.
- Add the pink clay and Himalayan salt.
- Measure out and add the essential oils, and, wearing gloves, mix well with your hands, breaking up any clumps..
- Spritz with water and keep mixing until you have reached the right consistency. It should be still powdery, but hold shape when you squeeze the mixture in your hand.
- Scoop the bath bomb mixture into the half molds and firmly press to compact. Press two halves together and twist to hold shape.
- Gently remove them from the mold and place on a baking sheet.
- Leave them to dry overnight before wrapping. Note, because of the clay, they may take a little longer to dry!
Hello, is there a reason why you do not use witch hazel? I honestly want to just use the alcohol/water mix that you suggested; but I wanted to know if the witch hazel is better.
Hi Natalie! You can use witch hazel. There’s no difference really. Water, alcohol, witch hazel or even hydrosols can all be used. The only reason to use a liquid is to wet it so that the dry ingredients will stick together. In the end it’s preference. I’ve always used water, but feel free to use witch hazel if that’s what you’ve been using. It will work just as well! 😉
I love this recipe, made my own little twist to it with rose geranium essential oil and rose petals. Looks lovely in my heart mould.
That sounds lovely!
Thanks for your reply Jackie! Well I did it, I just did half a batch and didn’t want to waste all those yummy ingredients in case they didn’t work. They are currently holed up in the hotwater cupboard. Do you think, if I wanted to add coconut oil to make skin feel really nice, just a small bit, that this would throw everything out!?
Yes, you can add oil to the bath bombs. Just keep in mind that oil and water don’t mix and unless you add some kind of emulsifier, like polysorbate 80, the oil will float on the surface.
Hi there, I am going to try this recipe. Have had a bit of bad luck with my bombs just not working lately (am a newbie). It seems the humidity is really affecting them as they just start reacting and puff up after I make them.
Anyway, sorry, my question. What is the tsp equivalent of the essential oils measurements?
Hi Kelly! Humidity is a real pain when making bath bombs, but if they start reacting and puffing up right after making them, you might be using too much water. Try spraying less, or alternatively, mix water and alcohol in your spray bottle. The alcohol will evaporate quicker and doesn’t react with the active ingredients. To your question: 1 teaspoon = 5 ml, 1 ml = 20 drops (roughly). So 1/2 ml of essential oil is approximately equal to 10 drops. Hope this helps!