Fizzy Bath Bombs

We made this as a group project not long ago. While researching the different recipes, I found that the fizz was caused by citric acid. The first thing that put me off of this ingredient was a comment "...don't worry if it if it strips off your nail polish, that's normal..." Ugh....now I don't even wear nail polish, but did I want to put my kid's bottom in water with something that was strong enough to do that??? And then I came across a post explaining that citric acid actually came from GMO black mold. That was it. More research needed.

I finally settled upon cream of tartar, crystals formed during grape fermentation -wine making.

The recipe I finally settled upon, (and tweaked to my needs), may not be as fizzy as commercial bombs, but it fizzes for quite a while and smells great.

I didn't have any fancy molds, and I was doing this with more than 20 kids, aging from 4-12 years of age, so I decided to use Dixie cups to put them in. It worked out really well, and it was easy to pop them out once they were done.




Bath Bombs

1 C baking soda
1/2 C cream of tartar
3 Tbsp corn starch (optional)
1 C Epsom salts
8 tsp of oil (olive, coconut, almond or avocado)
8-12 drops of essential oil
water

Mix all dry ingredients in a glass bowl until well blended. (The cornstarch is supposed to make the bomb dissolve slower than without it. I haven't tried it so I can't tell you if it makes much of a difference).
Add the wet ingredients on top of the dry ingredients and either drizzle a bit of water at a time or use a spray bottle to spritz the mixture.
Knead the mixture by hand so you can see if it starts to stick together or not.
Stop adding water when you can press some of the mixture together in the palm of your hand and it keeps its shape. If you add too much water, it will start foaming in the bowl.
Press it into the bottom of your dixie cups or molds. You can fill the cups up as much as you want, but if you are making bombs, you will need to fill each half of the mold tightly, and then press the two halves together. You can immediately unmold the dixie cups and use a bomb in the bath...if you can't wait for them to harden, but I suggest you wait a few hours if you are making round bombs so that they don't come apart when trying to unmold them.

As for the essential oils, we only use Young Living, because I know where they come from, that they are chemical and pesticide free, and that they are pure, undiluted oil. Lavender or lemon oil are great choices. (If you use a citrus oil, do so before bed, because you want to avoid having citrus oils on your skin if you plan on going out into the sun.)
You might want to avoid peppermint if these are going to be for your kids.

Don't forget Stress-away if you need to unwind. 

The great thing about essential oils is that you can find a scent that not only pleases you but is beneficial as well. 

If  you get yourself a re-usable mold from Amazon, you can make the pretty round bombs. Like this one. I don't use food coloring in my cooking or crafts, but I will use natural vegetable juices to dye things. Beets give a pretty pink color, just saying. You can also add some dried flower petals if you want to be fancy. They make awesome gifts, and the kids can help.

If you do try, let me know how it goes. Share a pic!