These homemade bath bombs are so easy to make, anyone can succeed on their first try!
Are you looking for a great homemade bath bombs recipe?
Store-bought bath bombs are chock full of toxic ingredients that you wouldn’t normally touch with a ten-foot pole!
Instead, you can enjoy the luxury of an all-natural soak with this easy bath bomb recipe that you can make right at home!
Your DIY bath bombs will rival any professional bath bomb recipe and have you feeling like a queen in no time!
What Are Homemade Bath Bombs Made Of?
Most bath bomb recipes use the same ingredients, with a few variations, for different scents and colors.
Common homemade bath bombs ingredients are:
- Corn starch
- Citric acid
- Epsom salts
- Baking soda
- A colorant, such as mica powder or food coloring
- Fragrance
- Oil, such as coconut
- Decorations, such as dried flowers or glitter
You can shake it up a bit by experimenting with different scents, colors, and additives, such as flowers, herbs, dried fruit, and even bathtub toys, if you are making homemade bath bombs for kids.
How to Make Natural Bath Bombs
Not all homemade bath bombs are all-natural.
If you looked at the bath bomb ingredient list above, you may have noticed a few toxic ingredients. Things like fragrance, mica powder, and even food coloring, are not all-natural ingredients.
You should focus on nature-made ingredients as much as possible.
Fragrance oils should be avoided, because we don’t specifically know what’s in the fragrance, and often what goes in them is extremely toxic.
Many chemicals in fragrance are petroleum based, and can include phthalates, benzophenone, and styrene, to name a few. These chemicals are hormone disruptors, neurotoxins, and carcinogens.
They can also cause allergies, headaches, nausea, forgetfulness, and trigger asthma attacks.
Food coloring and artificial dyes are very toxic, too, especially to children. The research on it is insane!
You probably think your children are all hyped up on the sugar from the cupcakes they just ate, but studies have actually linked food dye to hyperactivity in children!
The chemicals in food dye cause all sorts of behavioral changes in your kids, such as irritability, depression, and ADHD.
They also cause asthma, hives, and tumor growth. This is because food dyes are made from petroleum and benzene, as well.
Many people sub mica for food dyes. But mica is no better!
Mica is a mineral found in granite, crystal, and rocks. It is ground down into a nanoparticle, which means it can penetrate through the layers of your skin and seep into your lungs.
And because mica is being extracted from rocks, it can also be contaminated with arsenic, lead, and mercury.
On top of all of that, the mica you are using is actually colored with artificial dyes!
Rocks are generally earthy colors, such as brown, gold, grey, etc. Your pink, purple, and teal mica powder is saturated with the very ingredients you are trying to avoid, by using mica in the first place!
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The Best Natural Bath Bomb Ingredients
So, what should you use to color your bath bombs and make them smell amazing?
I use REVIVE essential oils to flavor my bath bombs, and all natural food dye to color them. Why REVIVE?
Because they are not as expensive as the essential oils from MLM’s and the quality is fantastic! I especially love the blends!
Joy is my personal favorite, and it consists of bergamot, lemon, tangerine, ylang ylang, coriander, geranium, jasmine, and rose.
Who wouldn’t want to soak in that!?
If you are transitioning to clean beauty, then you may want to invest in a few essential oils. Read my review of REVIVE to learn more about why I love them so much!
If you want to try REVIVE out for yourself, you can use my code ESSENTIAL10 for 10% off your first order. Or 15% off if you buy $100 or more 🙂
In terms of food dye, you can find all-natural options in some grocery stores or on Amazon.
You can tell when it’s all-natural because the names are often the same as where the dye came from – beet juice is red, carrot is red or orange, and annatto extract is yellow, for example.
That sounds way better than soaking in FD&C Blue No.1!
What You Will Need for This Easy Bath Bomb Recipe
Homemade bath bombs are super easy to make.
Here’s what you’ll need for my foaming bath bomb recipe:
- Baking soda – the baking soda works with the cornstarch and citric acid to create the fizz. You can find it in the baking aisle at any grocery store.
- Cornstarch – you can find cornstarch in the baking aisle as well.
- Citric acid – You can find citric acid at hobby stores, such as Michaels or Hobby Lobby. Strangely enough, I found mine in the canning section of my grocery store!
- Epsom salts – Epsom salts are a muscle relaxer and good for a soothing soak. You can find them in the pharmaceutical aisle at the grocery store.
- Nourishing oil – Use jojoba, coconut, or avocado. The oil holds your bath bombs together, but it also nourishes your skin. You can find these oils at your grocery store, Walmart, or Target.
- Essential oils – essential oils are a great replacement for fragrance oils. You can choose from relaxing or invigorating scents, depending on the purpose of your bath. I recommend REVIVE Essential Oils, and you can find them directly on their website or at Amazon.
- Nontoxic food coloring – use nontoxic food coloring instead of regular food coloring. You can find nontoxic food coloring in the organic or baking aisles at your grocery store, at Walmart, or on Amazon.
- Decorations, such as rose petals or lavender buds – totally optional, but if you choose to decorate with flowers, look for food-grade flowers. Most flowers are grown with pesticides and you definitely don’t want to be soaking in that! You can find food-grade flowers in the refrigerated section at some grocery stores and on Amazon. I decided to use roses because they’re my favorite.
How Do You Make a Both Bomb At Home?
You will need:
- 1 cup baking soda
- ½ cup corn starch
- ½ cup epsom salts
- ½ cup citric acid
- 2 tablespoons nourishing oil (jojoba, coconut, or avocado)
- 12 drops essential oil of choice
- 3-5 drops non-toxic food coloring
- Roughly 1 tablespoon water
- Decorations, like rose petals or lavender buds
- Bath bomb molds
To make your bath bombs:
- In a large bowl, combine the baking soda, corn starch, epsom salts, and decorations. I decided to add food-grade rose petals throughout my mixture.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the nourishing oil, essential oils, non-toxic food coloring, and water. I added three drops of red food coloring to give my bath bombs a slight pink color.
- Slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients while whisking together. This will create as little fizzing as possible. The mixture should resemble wet, clumpable sand once fully incorporated.
- If you find the mixture to be too dry, you can slowly add more water as needed. I ended up adding about half a tablespoon more for my mixture to clump up nicely.
- Tightly pack your mixture into your molds, making sure to add in your decorations first if you want some peeking out of your bath bombs. I added my mixture into some rose-shaped silicone soap molds.
- Slightly overfill your molds and press them together, allowing them to dry for at least one hour.
- Gently remove one half of your mold from the bath bomb. If everything looks like it’s holding up, slowly flip the mold over and allow the other half to slide out of the mold.
- Allow your bath bombs to solidify overnight. Once they are hard and dry, store in a cool, dry place until it’s time to relax!
I can’t stress enough that you should take your bath bombs out once they are almost completely dry! I made the mistake of taking mine out a bit too soon.
But it worked out okay because I put the bath bombs down on their flat side and they just flattened a bit over time. However, this wouldn’t have worked if I used a traditional circular mold!
Homemade Bath Bombs
These easy homemade bath bombs can be made by anyone who wants to elevate their self-care routine! Not to mention their super cheap to make.
Materials
- 1 cup baking soda
- 1/2 cup corn starch
- ½ cup epsom salts
- ½ cup citric acid
- 2 tablespoons nourishing carrier oil
- 12 drops essential oil of choice
- 3-5 drops non-toxic food coloring
- Roughly 1 tablespoon water
- Decorations, like rose petals or lavender buds
- Bath bomb molds
Instructions
- Combine your dry ingredients. This includes the baking soda, corn starch, epsom salts, and decorations if you want them evenly dispersed in the bath bomb.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together nourishing oil of choice, essential oils of choice, non-toxic food coloring, and water.
- Slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients while whisking together. This will create as little fizzing as possible. The mixture should resemble wet, clumpable sand once fully incorporated.
- If you find the mixture to be too dry, you can slowly add more water as needed.
- Tightly pack your mixture into your bath bomb molds, making sure to add in your decorations first if you want some peeking out of your bath bombs.
- Slightly overfill your molds and press them together, allowing them to dry for at least one hour.
- Gently remove one half of your mold from the bath bomb. If everything looks like it’s holding, slowly flip the mold over and allow the other half to slide out of the mold.
- Allow your bath bombs to solidify overnight. Once they are hard and dry, store in a cool, dry place until it’s time to relax!
Notes
If your bath bombs crack when removing, just re-pack them and try again. No harm, no foul! I had a few casualties when trying this the first time.
Make sure you take your bath bombs out once they are almost completely dry! I made the mistake of taking mine out a bit too soon.
Need Some Bath Bomb Inspiration? Here Are a Few Favorites
If you want to shake things up a bit, you can mess around with the basic recipe and create a totally unique bath bomb!
Or try a few of my favorites.
Homemade Bath Bombs for Kids
For kids, you can use the same basic recipe, but use vanilla and orange essential oils and nontoxic sprinkles.
Glitter is made from plastics, which are loaded with chemicals and not at all good for the environment. Nontoxic sprinkles work great instead! You can even make it more fun by using holiday sprinkles or by pressing a prize into the middle of the bath bomb.
In fact, play around a bit! Try using plastic easter eggs as molds, or painting a snowman’s face on a white bath bomb for Christmas. You can also create lumps of coal, cupcakes, doughnuts, and pretty much any fun shape for your kiddos!
DIY Relaxing Lavender Bath Bombs
For a relaxing lavender bath bomb, try using lavender essential oil and decorating with lavender buds.
Relaxing lavender bath bombs make a great gift for any special woman on your list, such as your mom, sister, or your best friend.
Pile them into a mason jar, with a cute gingham lid, add a ribbon around it, and make a cute little gift tag that says “You’re the bomb!” on it! Whala! A gift that says you care.
Romantic Rose Bath Bombs
To make a romantic rose bath bomb, use rose and vanilla essential oils, and add crushed rose petals.
Nestle four of these rose bath bombs in a gift box, cushioned with tissue paper, leaving the tops peaking out for a pretty presentation upon opening.
Type up the ingredient list, tuck it into the box, and close it up. Add a little ribbon and a gift tag, a bottle of wine, and present them to that beautiful bride-to-be!
Or anyone else on your gift list who needs a romantic spa getaway.
Final Thoughts on Homemade Bath Bombs
Bath bombs are super easy to make at home!
Just remember to use nontoxic ingredients in your bath bombs. Making them at home does not necessarily mean they are all-natural. Be especially careful with the food dyes and fragrances you use.
Use this basic homemade bath bombs recipe and play around with it!
Related to Bath Bombs:
Easy DIY Bath Oil Recipe for a Luxurious Spa Night In
Super Simple Bath Soak Recipe for Detox and Sore Muscles
9 DIY Bath Salts to Try for Relaxation Any Time of the Year!