Gettin’ Fizzy With It :: Easy & Cheap DIY Bath Bomb Recipe

You know when you ride on a plane and the flight attendants go through the emergency plan information? Most people are tuning them out, getting their last few minutes of precious phone time before takeoff, or trying to cram their giant carry-on into the overhead bin that is already busting at the seams. While seats that double as flotation devices are irrelevant on a flight that doesn’t go over a decent-sized body of water, there is still some vital information hidden in that little routine.

Put your oxygen mask on before you help someone beside you with his or her mask.

Who knew there was some kind of deep life lesson in the emergency plan that everyone ignores? It is just a simple fact: you can’t properly take care of someone else if you aren’t taking care of yourself.

This is particularly true for mothers. We have a a lot on our plates, ducks to keep in a row, and regular adulting to do. While a get-a-way to Sandals would be ideal, there are many low-maintenance ways you can pamper yourself and safe guard your sanity on a day-to-day basis. It could be getting a Starbucks treat, opting for an occasional Mickey D’s that doesn’t fit in the normal diet, getting a mani or pedi, or – my personal favorite –  taking a long bath after the kids are in bed.

I am in convinced that if baths were a sport, I would win the gold medal. The bath tub emoji is in the sports section of the emoji keyboard so if there was a presidential candidate that could make this happen, he/she would get my vote, (but enough politics). I could probably write an entire series on the most excellent bath happenings (i.e. Netflix, particular foods and drink, bubble baths, salts, etc.) but today I will stick with bath bombs.

Why?

Because bath bombs are awesome.

They are fizzy, they smell good, they put things in the water that are good for your skin, and guess what? They are even fun to make! I have tried several different recipes and strategies and decided a combination of it all worked best for me. Spoiler alert: kids like to help make them and use them too (side note: just make sure the children are old enough to keep it out of their eyes… like kids who can use regular shampoo without burning their eyes {side note to the side note: kudos to kids who can achieve this because I still sometimes burn my eyes with shampoo}).

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/4 cup Epsom Salt (plain and pre-scented both work great)
• 1/2 cup Baking Soda
• 1/4 cup Citric Acid (this can be found in the canning section of the grocery store) – the only thing I have learned that you can sub for this ingredient is Cream of Tartar but that just screams yeast infection to me so I wouldn’t recommend that. Try at your own risk!
• Pinch of Corn Starch
• 1 tablespoon Coconut Oil
• 1 – 1 1/2 teaspoons Water
• 3-4 drops of Essential Oil (my favorites are Grapefruit Oil, Tea Tree Oil, and Lavender)
• 3-4 drops of Food Coloring (optional)
• M&Ms – strictly for the the sweet tooth of the bath bomb maker. Do not put these in your mixture. Just eat them throughout the process and then again later in your bath (not optional, in my opinion)

DIRECTIONS:

• Mix the salt, baking soda, citric acid, and corn starch in a bowl until well blended.
• Put the coconut oil in a separate bowl. It needs to be liquid. I have the solid version, so I melt it down in the microwave first. Then, add the water, oil, and food coloring to the oil.
• Using a whisk and stirring constantly, slowly pour the liquid into the dry ingredients. I mean SLOWLY… like a few dribbles at a time. The first time I made them I poured the liquid too fast and it all fizzed out while I was trying to mix it. You may hear a little fizzing from the liquid hitting that acid, but as long as you pour slow and stir fast you should be good to go.

• After you have mixed it together, use your hands to form balls. My daughter loved this part. The mixture feels a lot like kinetic sand. I have seen where people have used hollow Christmas ornaments and cookie cutters to form cute shapes, but Mama doesn’t have time to wash all that. We usually just use our hands and make lumpy balls that are imperfectly perfect.
• Lay your lumpy balls or Pinterest-Bragging-Worthy-Cookie-Cutter bath bombs onto wax paper and let them dry for a few hours.
• When they are dry, drop one into your bath water!

You will feel the pride of using something that you made on your own. You may also feel like the Queen of England with your fancy hand made bath bombs that take your bath time to that luxurious next level. Not to mention, it gives you the relaxation that can save a little bit of your patience and energy until the next poo storm in life comes your way.