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Published on 24/01/2020 3:03 PM by New Directions

Bubbly Bath Bomb Blitz Recipe

Application:

With school about to wrap up for another year and Christmas just a few weeks away now is the perfect time to plan a family craft session. Bath bombs make a great gift and are the perfect way to express your creativity and style. Don't have a bath? Don't worry! Mini bath bombs can be added to the water for a zesty and refreshing facial or you could even create an ice cube tray full of them to help encourage little people to wash their hands before helping you in the kitchen!

So let's get cooking!

Equipment:

A mortar and pestle for grinding the dry powders.
Measuring scales or spoons.
A mixing bowl
Rigid mold in which to shape your bath bombs.
Alu foil or equivalent to help you compress your bath bomb mix without touching it.
A warm, dry environment to set the bombs (not all ovens produce dry heat, gas ovens are quite humid). Do not use the microwave!

Instructions:

Measure out your dry ingredients into your mortar and pestle (including colour) and grind to a fine powder.The finer the consistency the better.
Transfer the mixture to a slightly larger bowl and add the wet ingredients (surfactant, oil and fragrance.
Once the mixture has formed a semi-tacky bread crumb consistency start spooning it into your moulds pressing it down with each scoop to ensure a really tight fit - the tighter the better.
When your moulds are full place them into a warm, dry area to set. The time it takes to set and dry differs depending on the environment. It can be as short as 1 hour or as long as 24 hours. After 24 hours if it isn't setting the environment is probably too damp.
Extract form the mould and pack ready to gift or use!

Troubleshooting:

Bath bombs are a good example of a simple concept that can very easily go wrong! It is not uncommon for the bath bombs to crack or fail to form. This may be because of too much moisture or not enough compression. Also moulds with too much give in them can also contribute to cracking and breakage. It may also take several goes to get the fragrance and colour levels right.

Ingredient	%	Purpose
Sodium Bicarbonate	35%	It is the reaction between sodium bicarbonate and citric acid that causes the bath bomb to fizz. This reaction needs water to get it going so avoiding water until you use the bath bomb is essential!
Citric Acid	35%	Citric acid plus sodium bicarbonate = carbon dioxide and water. This carbon dioxide is the gas that bubbles and fizzes. Don't worry, there isn't enough produced here to warm the planet.
Corn Starch	5%	Corn starch helps ensure the bath bombs float in the bath. This helps us see and hear the fizzing better and makes more of an impact than a bomb without the corn starch.
Surfactant 100% active	10%	It is important to use a surfactant that is 100% active. You could use a dry surfactant such as our Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate. That should be pre-ground in a coffee grinder then added. If you use a powdered surfactant you will need to use more oil to bind the bomb together. Otherwise use one of our polysorbates, the decaglyceryl monolaurate or the polyglyceryl-3-palmitate as the surfactant.
Vegetable Oil	4%	This is really there to help bind the powders together. Any vegetable oil can be used to help achieve that.
Kaolin	10%	The kaolin provides a surface for the aroma to cling and also makes the bath water feel soft on the skin. It is also gives a base for the colour agent to cling to and bulks up the bath bomb.
Perfume	0.5%	You can choose any perfume for this in theory but be mindful of who will use the product and how. Some essential oils are not suited to use in a bath situation. If in doubt please ask!
Colour Agent (water-free)	up to 0.5%	Your colour agent could be an Australian clay, iron oxides, micas or other powdered colour. Again this is a guide only, you may need to use less colour. Colours can also be blended to get different shades. Food colourings are not appropriate here as they are generally water based. The water ingredients in the colour will start the bath bomb fizzing.

Total	100%

Adult-Only Bath Bombs!

Mastered the simple version? Now why not try adding some exotic actives to your bathing mix. You could add any number of powdered actives including:

Aloe Oil - Soothing and moisturizing. Great for skin repair.

Honey Powder - A great moisturizing active for sensitive, extra dry skin.

Dragons Blood Extract - Anti-inflammatory active that would be a perfect addition to an after sports muscle relaxing and repair bath.

Bath Milk - Gentle AHA blend that softens the skin bringing back a youthful glow.

Hyaluronic Acid - How about some pure indulgence! Add some hyaluronic acid powder for a super hydrating body treatment!

Colloidal Oatmeal - Oatmeal is great for very dry and itchy skin.

Caution:

Powdered mixes can still be prone to microbial contamination and can also oxidise. The long term stability of this blend has not been investigated and as such if you want to make this commercially we recommend you investigate both physical and microbial stability.
Both microbial and physical stability can be improved by using clean raw materials, avoiding water and humidity and packing the product into a UV protective container. Also minimizing exposure to air is a good idea.
It is a good idea to test our your bath bomb mix before retailing or gifting to ensure that your choice of colour doesn't stain the bath or sink.

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More about: Bath Recipes, Bubble Bath

Published on 4/01/2020 4:22 PM by New Directions