Learn how to make easy and practical bath bombs. These bath bombs aren’t complicated with fancy colors, flowers, and/or herbs, however, they still have a wonderful scent, nourish your skin, and make baths a relaxing experience.

Let’s talk about how to make Easy and Practical Bath Bombs.

Lately, I’ve been working really hard on self-care methods. What type of self-care? Things like: tea breaks during my day, long walks, making a natural beauty routine (like my Queen of Hungary’s Facial Toner Recipe), and taking baths.

Lately, I’m trying to take at LEAST one bath a week. It has been marvelous. I’ll pour a glass of wine, put on my favorite classical music, grab my latest book, and soak away the stresses of everyday life. 

If you’re thinking “Oh yes, baths sound great, but I’m too busy for that.” Then you, my friend, also need to focus on some self-care. Life should never be too busy that you can’t spare 30 minutes a week for a soak in the tub. 

There are lots of health articles out in internet-land about the health benefits of taking baths. Here’s a good article about Why You Should Take Detox Baths. I have been mainly taking detox baths this past year, which is basically a cup of epsom salts that I mix with some essential oils. It has been wonderful, however, I’ve recently been getting into the DIY trend of making Bath Bombs.

What are Bath Bombs?

I have fallen in love with bath bombs! They are made of some fantastic ingredients and when you add them to your bath, they delightfully fizz all over the place and push the essential oil scent into the air. Unlike my typical epsom salts/essential oil combo, there is some carrier oil in bath bombs, which helps make my skin super smooth. I also make a huge batch of bath bombs in advance, so I can just grab one on my way to the bath.

How to Make Easy and Practical Bath Bombs:

Okay, here is my gripe (aka mini-rant) about most DIY homemade bath bomb recipes: they are SUPER impractical and/or complicated! Here are a few of my issues with most homemade bath bombs:

Colored Bath Bombs: Umm….no thanks. I’m not interested in bathing in, for example, purple water. I mean, is this gonna dye my skin? I’m not interested in abnormal looking water and the possibility of leaving the bath with purple skin. Also, you need to be careful about finding bath bomb recipes that use safe and natural dyes. Why make homemade bath bombs if the dye is chemical gunk?! Blegh. And since most of the dyes for bath bombs are just for looks, I’m not interested in paying money for “cute”.

Cute Shaped Bath Bombs: I’m way too frugal to spend money on specific shapes for bath bombs. They look cute OUT of the water, but then you put it in the water and it’s no longer cute. So, no thanks. I once saw a super cute bath bomb recipe with little flower buttons on them. The first thing I thought was: “But then there will be a flower button floating around in my bath!” No thanks. It’s not helpful or useful, so no, I’m not buying cute shapes or buttons.

Herbs in Bath Bombs: This one drives me the MOST crazy. Sure, lavender flowers in a purple bath bomb look super pretty. BUT then there are lavender flowers in my tub! Am I the only person who doesn’t want lavender buds finding a way into particular… nooks and crannies??! 

Whew. Sorry for the rant about homemade bath bombs. I mean no offense if you like to make super cute purple lavender bath bombs. If it doesn’t bother you, then it’s all good. However, I was determined to make an easy and practical bath bombs recipe. One that anyone can make, no matter their budget.

My Easy and Practical Bath Bombs Recipe

First, let’s talk about the options for the shape of your bath bombs. I already owned this oval silicone mold for various DIY beauty projects that I like to make. So that’s what I used. However, if you want to be super frugal, you can just use a muffin tin. I have used a muffin tin in the past for this easy and practical bath bombs recipe, and it worked great. If you want to get super fancy, you could also use a bath bomb mold.

Let’s take a brief look at the ingredients of my bath bomb recipe:

Baking Soda: It’s a great soother of skin. I often add a pinch of baking soda to my epsom salt baths, too, because baking soda is good for your skin and it is a beneficial item for detox baths.

Citric Acid: It’s mainly for adding the delightful fizz to the bath bombs, however, I read a few sources say that citric acid may have benefits for your skin, too.

Epsom Salt: As I mentioned before, by itself, epsom salt baths are very good for you. Epsom salt is great for detoxing purposes, it’s awesome for your skin, and it can give you a magnesium boost.

Carrier Oil of Your Choice: There are lots of choices for carrier oils, and each one will have different benefits. I used Calendula Infused Oil in this recipe, because of the skin benefits of calendula flowers and so it will moisturize my skin. However, I might use Dandelion Infused Oil next time. You could also use Almond Oil, Jojoba Oil, or even a good quality Olive Oil. 

Essential Oils: The sky is the limit for what essential oils you can use in your bath bombs! I prefer relaxing essential oil blends, like Tranquil essential oil blend or Relax essential oil blend, since the purpose of my bath is to relax. I am very fond of the scent of Tranquil. For a very basic relaxing bath, you could simply use Lavender essential oil. You can read more about my opinions on essential oils in this post.

Witch Hazel: Witch Hazel is awesome for your skin, and provides comfort from inflammation and other skin issues. 

Easy and Practical Bath Bombs Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups baking soda
• 3/4 cup citric acid
• 1/4 cup epsom salt
• 2 tbsp. calendula or dandelion infused oil or carrier oil of your choice (see above notes)
• 25 drops of your favorite relaxing essential oils (I used Tranquil essential oil blend)
• Witch Hazel with spray cap

Directions:

1. Mix 1.5 cups baking soda, 3/4 cup citric acid, 1/4 cup epsom salt in a bowl. Make sure you break up any clumps.
2. In a small bowl, mix 2 tbsp. infused oil (or carrier oil of your choice) and 25 drops of your chosen essential oil(s).
3. Add the liquid to the dry ingredients. Mix and break up the clumps. 
4. Squeeze: is it holding together? If not, spray some witch hazel over the top of it all. Mix and squeeze: is it holding together? If not, spray with some more witch hazel. Continue mixing and squeezing  and spraying with witch hazel until it starts holding it’s shape when you squeeze it in your hand. 
5. Fill your preferred molds halfway. Press it down FIRMLY. And then even more FIRMLY. Spray the top of the remaining mix in your bowl with some more witch hazel and mix again. Fill the molds all the way up, and press down FIRMLY. Then press down again. Leave in the molds for 30-45 minutes so they hold the shape. Gently pop them out of the molds and let them air dry for 48 hours.
6. Now go sample one in the tub and enjoy your day.

Notes:

**I used the spray nozzle from a random bottle and fit it over my witch hazel container. It didn’t fit perfectly, but it did the job. You could also go through the work of transporting some witch hazel to a spray bottle if you want.

**Do NOT let your bath bombs air dry on a piece of paper towel. Trust me, they will stick to the paper towel. And then you will spend a good hour or so chipping paper towel pieces off of the bottoms of your bath bombs….

More DIY Beauty Recipes:

• Queen of Hungary’s Facial Toner Recipe
• How to Make Comfrey Infused Oil
• How to Make Lip Balm
• Natural Skincare Butters 101
• Cinnamon Vanilla Body Scrub Recipe