Treat Yourself by Making Your Own Bath Bomb!

One of my new favorite self-care rituals is taking baths on Sundays… or really any nights that I need to destress and unwind before bed. I typically add Epsom salt, but recently started adding another treat—bath bombs!

After running across this tutorial, I wanted to see if I could DIY and create balls that fizz with my favorite scents when they hit the water. I was excited to learn that I could add witch hazel (good for my skin) and Epsom salt (good for sore muscles) to these homemade bath bombs. I just had to order a couple things (silicon ice spheres/trays and citric acid) before getting started. As soon as they arrived, I got to work.

It was much faster and easier than I thought. The recipe was very customizable... and resulted in success! My bath was extra enjoyable as I watched the bath bomb (that I made!) fizz, releasing a lovely aroma. I would highly recommend giving it a try if you have access to a bathtub or are looking for gift ideas.

Here is the recipe that I followed from Essential Living:

Part I:

4 oz. baking soda

20-40 drops of essential oil (I used 20 drops of lavender and 20 of lemon)

1 tablespoon vegetable oil (you can also use coconut, oil, castor or another carrier oil)

Stir well

Part II:

Add the following to the mixture from Part I

2 oz. corn starch

2 oz. Epsom salt (you can also use sea salt or magnesium flakes)

2 oz. citric acid

Any flowers or dry herbs (optional)

Mix together

Part III:

Add 2 teaspoons of witch hazel (or water or vanilla extract) to the mixture a little at a time. Stir SLOWLY so it doesn’t activate. You may also use a spray bottle to prevent activation (I found this much easier).

Pack the mixture in silicon molds and press tightly.

Once dry (mine took about a day), they can be stored for 2-3 weeks, if you haven’t gone through them by then!

I hope you enjoy making (and using!) them as much as I did. Let me know if you have any questions in the comments and I look forward to hearing how it goes.