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How to Make
a Bath Bomb
by Robin Huber |
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Is Rubber Ducky your idea of fun
in the bath? Grow up! Discover the fizzle, fun and wild aromas
of popping a bath bomb in your tub! Follow this guide into making
one.
1. Dry Ingredients:
Citric Acid
It is a white substance like powder. Citric acid
is not Vitamin C. It is the substance responsible for the tart
taste of citrus fruits like lemons, limes and gooseberries. The
acid is extracted from the fruit juice and chemically processed
to be transformed from liquid to solid. As a solid substance,
it has many uses such as metal polish and flavoring for foods
and beverages. For the bath bomb, you need only 2 tablespoons.
Cornstarch
This is another powdery substance but of finer
crystals. It comes from the pulverized white heart of the corn
kernel. It is used to thicken sauces and fillings give pastries
a delicate texture. You also need 2 tablespoons of this. |
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Baking soda
This is a rising agent, activated by mixing with
acid. When mixed with acidic liquid like sour milk, yogurt and
lemon juice, baking soda produces gases that make a flour mixture
rise. This is the secret to our bomb! You will need 1/4 C of
this.
2. Wet Ingredients:
Essential oil
Oils extracted from plants and responsible for
the plants' odors. These are found in the pit, flowers, leaves
and trunk of the plant. They are used in perfumes, food flavor,
and drugs. The most common way of extracting them is to grind
and press large amounts of plant parts until the oils come out.
The oils may also be extracted by distilling with steam. Because
very large batches produce only a small amount of highly concentrated
product, essential oils are commercially sold in small bottles.
The oil is potent that it is used in drops or teaspoons. It should
be packed in dark-colored bottles as the oil loses its efficacy
when exposed to light. To be sure that you are buying high quality
essential oil, smell it before buying. When the aroma is very
strong, almost overpowering, then it is a good product. Common
essential oils are: dill, cardamom, wintergreen, cinnamon, camphor,
peppermint, spearmint, thyme, clove, eucalyptus, jasmine, lilac,
vanilla, rose, almond and lemon. For this recipe, you need 1/4
teaspoon.
Food color
Natural and synthetic dyes that
can be eaten and used to color foods such as beverages, cake
icing and candies. The most familiar form of food coloring is
liquid, though there are also powder and paste varieties. Like
essential oils, food coloring is very concentrated so only very
little is used at a time. For this recipe, use 4-6 drops.
Vegetable Or Nut Oil
to hold everything together, use base oil extracted
from plant sources like vegetable and nuts. These plants are
odorless and widely available, thus generate more oil and cost
less than essential oils. Examples are almond, hazelnut, rapeseed,
safflower, canola, olive and coconut oils. Use 3 tablespoons
for this recipe.
3. Preperation
Tools:
- Mixing Bowl
- Small cup
- Plastic Mold
- Water-proof and colorful wraps
-
Ties
- Watertight containers
4. Directions:
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Sieve all dry ingredients to make sure there are no lumps formed
in the mixture.
- Mix all
the dry ingredients together with a fork to make sure that there
is an even distribution each of the ingredients in the mix. For
added refinement, you may sieve them into the mixing bowl, altogether.
- In a different bowl or
a small cup, mix the wet ingredients: base oil, essential oil,
and food coloring.
- Slowly
add the oil mixture into the dry ingredients, making sure to
mix very well as you add them together. At this point, it is
safe to use your dry hands so you can feel the right consistency.
You need not use up all the oil mixture. Stop adding as soon
as the combination forms a lump. Too much of the oil mixture
can make your bath bomb too wet, and not hold together.
- Press the mixture onto the plastic
molds. They will be hardened within 2-3 hours though allow a
day or two before storing them. If you live in a very humid area,
you may choose to bake the bath bombs in a 200-degree oven to
really dry them out.
- Wrap
the balls in colorful paper and store in watertight container,
in a dry area of your bathroom. You may also give them away as
gifts to share the sizzling experience with family and friends. |
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