I couldn’t tell you how many variations of this recipe I have tried. Turns out fizzy bath bombs are temperamental and delicate little buggers and explode without warning, quite easily… Grrr!! Well, this final product is so easy to make (as you can see 👇) and will hopefully get you excited about the prospect of giving others a cute little hamper for Christmas or birthdays, or as party favours, with these beauties inside 🙂
Fizzy Bath Drops
Makes: 460 g (approx. 15 small or 5 large) Prep time: < 5 min. (plus setting time)
Ingredients
- 300 g sodium bicarbonate (bicarb)
- 130 g citric acid
- 1/2 tsp colourant – optional (see recipe notes)
- 30 g carrier oil (such as fractionated coconut oil and sweet almond oil)
- 30 drops of essential oils
My Choice of Essential Oils
My favourite essential oils in this recipe are lavender and ylang ylang, but don’t be limited by my suggestions. Use oils that fit your budget, or those that you already have in your collection. Read here for more information on essential oils.
Extra Equipment Required
Silicone moulds
Method
1. Add sodium bicarbonate, citric acid and colourant (if using) to a bowl and mix until combined.
2. Add carrier oil and essential oils, and mix until combined. Mixture should just hold form when squeezed together. If it isn’t holding together, add an extra teaspoon of carrier oil and mix again.
3. Spoon mixture into moulds and press down firmly until full.
4. Leave to set for 12-24 hours in a cool and dry place. After this time, turn moulds upside down and gently tap the bottom – bath drops should fall out easily.
5. Place on a tray or sheet of baking paper and leave to dry for a further 24 hours before transferring into a jar or container (with lid).
To Use
Add 3-4 drops, or 1 large drop to a warm bath.
Recipe Notes
Powdered colouring is the best option, otherwise you run the risk of premature fizzing. You can use regular food colouring but beware as too much can stain the bath and skin! Try a natural powder like beetroot or blue spirulina. Read here for more info on colouring and DIY.
When we think of chlorine, we think of public swimming pools, but chlorine is a common additive to our drinking water supplies, designed to kill bacteria living within it. Along with the bad bugs, chlorine also kills good bacteria and promotes the generation of free radicals within the body, specifically the skin. Free radicals have been linked to cancer and are something that we don’t want polluting our bodies. Most info I have read says to add between one teaspoon – one tablespoon of vitamin C (ascorbic acid) powder to bath water while it is filling, to help neutralise the chlorine present in unfiltered tap water. Click here for some more info.
This podcast has also has some great info on chlorinated water.
17 Comments
Hi Krissy
Thanks for this recipe.
If we don’t use an essential oil (my child is not really into fragrances), do I need to add a bit more carrier oil?
Thanks.
PS Thanks for answering the “To use”/”drops” question, because I didn’t understand those instructions either.
No need to add extra carrier oil 🙂 Happy making!
Can you use Castor oil as carrier oil?
Yes you can, but a lighter oil like olive or fractionated coconut is my preference.
The plan is to give the ingredients in a kit for a friends kids to make these as part of their Christmas present.
These are an absolute favourite in our house. We love adding lavender and some frankincense.
Great easy recipe, kids enjoy from making to using
Hi there
With all this COVID, I’ve got more time than ever before to try new things! I’m not sure what I can use to colour these please? Normal food colour? I see you said powered or paste, any advice where I can buy these please?
Hi Sam. I use spirulina, beetroot powder, turmeric or mica’s etc. You can find information on this here > https://krissyballinger.com.au/blog/my-favourite-suppliers-of-natural-ingredients-packaging-accessories/ The spices can be found at local supermarket’s and health food stores. Find mica’s by entering ‘mica + online + au’ into a search engine, or via the link above, some of the suppliers I mention sell them. Happy making!
Can you add clay or salts to this recipe? If so what would you
Suggest the quantity to be?
Great recipe and super easy to make!
Thank you!
Hi Dani, I am sure you can but it would be a whole new recipe and I’d need to spend a bit of time working it out. I might just bump this up my to-do list 🙂
What if you have added the carrier oil but it still wont hold together?
Hi Nyaree, mine ALWAYS works with these exact quantities. You can try adding a little more carrier oil (but the tiniest amount). The mixture needs to ‘just’ hold together when squeezed, and make sure you pack them into moulds really tight x
Is Mica powder ok to use a a colourant?
Sure is.
Not understand the ‘to use’ comment “”To Use
Add 3-4 drops, or 1 large drop to a warm bath.””
So, in the “Makes” section, it says Makes: 460 g | 16.2 oz (approx. 15 small or 5 large) so you’ll either drop 1 large or 3-4 small into your bath. Hope that helps 🙂