Making your own Bath Tarts

Making your own bath bombs is one of the easiest projects to take on. It is well know that a regular bath soak is one of the best ways to take control, and de-stress. When you add the power of natures essential oils you can really have an impact on the way you deal with everyday stress. Making your own bath bombs is simple and can be therapeutic too.

One of the most popular and simplest bath products, when making your own bath bombs, is to make, the standard, fizzing bath bombs which are a basic combination of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) and citric acid, with some natural color and essential oils for fragrance. There are hundreds of ways that you can make variations of these bath bombs, the simple rule of thumb, to keep in mind when experimenting, is that the closer you stay to a 1 to 1 ratio of the soda to citric the more fizz you will get. When adding additional materials you will want to subtract from, either, an equal mix of your baking soda and citric acid, or from the citric acid portion alone. Never substitute from the soda because it serves as the water softener and helps to quench the irritation potential of the citric acid. Making your own bath bombs is something that almost everyone new to the personal care market takes part in, in the beginning, but, there are many companies that have turned this into a great success by offering even just this one product, the Bath Bomb, with varying fragrances, and combinations of botanicals. You never know where making your own bath bombs may take you.

The basis for the fizz is a chemical reaction due to the drastic ph difference between the acidic state of citric acid and the base (alkaline) state of baking soda which produces sodium citrate and during that reaction carbon dioxide is released, which is the fizzing activity of the bath bomb. Making your own bath bombs is just a matter of putting together your ingredients, in the ratios that you'd like, to create the level of fizz that you want.

Basic Instructions:
Combine your dry materials, using a spatula to break up any clumps. Separate a small amount in a corner of your container, or a separate bowl, and add your color and essential oil. Stir vigorously to distribute color and fragrance and then combine with the rest of your dry materials. Some find it helpful to use a separate container so that they can add the fragrant, colored salts in slowly and better control the scent and color level of their full batch.

Using a spray bottle, mist your mixture with distilled water until it just begins to hold together when pressed into a ball. The mixture should feel cool and slightly moist. Press the mixture into your molds, place a thin cutting board or sheet pan on top of the pressed molds and turn it upside down to release the bombs from the mold, tap the mold gently if the bomb does not fall freely. If it is very difficult to remove, your mixture is most likely too moist and you will need to correct it by adding in additional soda, citric acid or salt...as you prefer.

Simple additions to modify our Making Your Own Bath Bombs basic formula.

EasyFoam (Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate) - A natural cleansing agent in powder form which you can add to make your bath bombs foam to create more of a bubble bath and further soften the water. This surfactant is highly effective and extremely water soluble. Add up to 10% to your dry ingredients.

Dead Sea Salts - The mineral rich salts which you can add to your bath bombs to create a therapeutic soak for healthy skin or mineral therapy. Add up to 25% to your dry ingredients.

Carrier Oils - Vitamin rich emollients which you can add to your bath bombs to create a emollient, nourishing soak for dry or rough skin types. Add up to 5% to your ready, mixed ingredients being careful not to add to much which will make your bath bombs not hold together as well, creating a softer fragile bath bomb, or not at all. If this happens you will need to correct by adding more soda and citric or salts.

Additional Info: carrier oils are a pleasant addition; however, please keep the following tips in mind.

• without an emulsifier the oil will not mix with the water so it will float on the top
• if any botanicals are also added to your bath bombs they will cling to the oil which will then cling to skin
• you may wish to warn your customers that the tub may get slick
• a great way to make powdered fizz bath is to use a small amount of NatureSilk to keep them slightly wet.

Epson Salts - A glistening salt which you can add to your bath bombs to create a shimmery look which will also create more of a therapeutic soak for sore, stiff muscles. Add up to 25% to your dry ingredients.

Botanicals - Almost any dried plant material can be added to your bath bombs to create beautiful, more appealing bath bombs. Add up to 10% to your dry ingredients or add a few to your mold before packing in dry mix.

* These botanicals will also release color as the bombs dissolve.

Essential Oils:
The aromatic chemicals extracted from botanicals called essential oils, can be added when you are making your own bath bombs, to create naturally scented, and therapeutic, bath soaks. Add to your mixed dry ingredients at about 6 - 8 drops per bath.

• • • Lavender - A fresh floral green fragrance which is known to have a relaxing effect. Suitable for any skin type, especially physical damaged skin. Blends well with oils but especially rosemary, ylang ylang, rose, citrus oils, wood oils and needle oils.
    • Rosemary - A bright green herbal fragrance which is known to have a invigorating effect. Suitable for most skin types, especially oily skin. Blends well with all needle, wood and herbal oils, but especially lavender, eucalyptus, tea tree, peppermint and camphor.
    • Peppermint - A refreshing mint fragrance which is known to have a stimulating cooling effect while opening the sinuses. Suitable for most skin types, especially congested skin types. Blends well any oils, especially the herbal and needle oils.
    • Ravintsara - A bright camphor fragrance which is known to have a decongestant effect. Suitable for all but very dry skin types, especially congested skin types as well as for sore stiff muscles and joints. Blends well with floral, citrus and needle oils.
    • Lemon - A sharp, tangy, citrus fragrance which is known to have a uplifting effect. Suitable for oily, acneic skin types, especially congested skin types. It is important to always have this, or any, citrus essential oil content be used at low concentrations and to be sure to include the healing, gentle essential oils, such as lavender, chamomile, ylang ylang.... to prevent irritation, which may be severe. Blends well with most oils, especially floral and camphor notes.
    • Grapefruit - A fresh sweet citrus fragrance which is known to have a uplifting effect. Suitable for most skin types, especially oily and congested skin types. One of the more gentle citrus oils which may be used to add a touch of sweet, or tartness to your blends. It is important to always have this, or any, citrus essential oil content be used at low concentrations and to be sure to include the healing, gentle essential oils, such as lavender, chamomile, ylang ylang.... to prevent irritation, which may be severe. Blends well with most oils, especially floral and camphor notes.
    • Ylang Ylang - An exotic, sweet, floral fragrance which is known to have has a calming, aphrodisiac effect. Suitable for all skin types. Blends well with most oils. especially citrus, floral and wood oils.
    • Petitgrain - A fresh, floral citrus fragrance which is known to have a deeply calming effect and an uplifting effect. Unlike most citrus notes this one comes from the leaf so it does not have the same irritation potential as with other citrus oils. This oil comes from the same tree which gives us Orange Oil from the fruit rind and Neroli Oil from the flower. Suitable for most skin types, especially congested. Blends well with most oils, especially citrus, floral and needle oils.
    • Vanilla - A exotic, deep sweet fragrance which is known to have a calming effect. This oil is actually a absolute, which is not a steam distilled oil but a solvent extracted oil which is utilized for plant material which does not release it's fragrance very easily. As a result of the process necessary to extract the fragrance these oils are very expensive but very intense so a little goes a long way. Suitable for all skin types. Blends well with any oils, especially floral and citrus oils.
    • Chamomile Roman - A intensely deep, sweet, clean fragrance which, when used at low concentrations has a sweet apple note. Known to have a calming, sedative effect. Suitable for all skin types, especially damaged, sensitive skin types as it is one of the most gentle oils it is also known to be well suited to babies and children. Blends well with most oils, especially floral and citrus oils.