How to Make Bath Bombs (Instructable that was moved)

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  1. DeAnne says:

    Feel free to ping me if you run into any trouble, and I’ll be happy to help you troubleshoot! :)

  2. Luvera says:

    What I don’t understand is how you’re not even more popular than you are now. You’re just so intelligent. You know so much about this subject, made me think about it from so many different angles. Its like people aren’t interested unless it has something to do with Lady Gaga! Your stuffs great. Keep it up!

  3. Jessica says:

    I have made 4 different batches of these and I cannot get them to dry hard.. Every batch has been firm but will crumble if touched too hard even after 2 days of drying.. I have sifted my ingredients, not sifted my ingredients, added a spritz of witch hazel.. any ideas??

  4. DeAnne says:

    Bath bombs are so finicky. When I’ve reviewed my batch logs; I’ve discovered that if my humidity levels are really high, they tend to pre-activate, or get really crumbly. Also, you have to pack them super hard. Some of the best bombs I’ve made are when I’ve used ice cube type trays, and just smooshed the mix in with a pestle.

    Here’s what I would try: 1st, try adding a little more corn starch to your mix…that will help if it’s a humidity issue. 2nd; If that doesn’t work, try using a spray bottle to dampen the mixture instead of pouring it in. If you’re still having trouble, as strange as this sounds, try using a different essential oil or fragrance oil. Some fragrances are really problematic, and if you’re using something that has an alcohol base, that may be throwing off your recipe.

    If none of those work, let me know, and we’ll try troubleshooting step by step and see if we can get it where you want it! Good luck! Just keep in mind that bath bombs are the souffle of the soap universe; they are finicky, and even when you do everything right, sometimes they just misbehave. It’s not you, I promise…it’s just sort of a tricky craft because the environment plays such a huge role in success.

    Oh…also, don’t throw away the ones that crumble; if you mix the crumbles with some bath salts; you have fizzy bath salts. Add some mineral salts / sea salts to a glass jar. Add just a drop or two of color and shake it up, then add your crumbles and shake it up. Pour that mix into pretty jars…and poof! Instant gifts. ;)

  5. Kayleigh says:

    Hey, i just made an attempt at making a bath bomb but when i used it, it didnt seem very soappy. can you suggest somethong i can put in them to make them soappy?
    Thanks

  6. Subzeromambo says:

    How long do you need to leave them to dry in a silicone mold?

  7. DeAnne says:

    Hiya Kayleigh, These bath bombs don’t have any soap in them, so they won’t be bubbly or soapy. You can try adding a detergent powder to make them soapy, but I’ve never had much luck trying it. I’ve a friend who makes something similar though, I’ll see if she’ll share the recipe. :)

  8. DeAnne says:

    I usually leave them in the silicone mold until they are completely dry…about 24 hours should do it, unless they’re really big. For hard molds, like the ball shaped ones, I pop them out almost instantly and let them dry outside of the mold.

  9. Jodi says:

    Hi,
    I tried these yesterday and today they are splitting. any ideas as to why? We are humid here in AZ. but not as bad as other parts of the country. I had a little trouble getting them out of the mold. Finally did and let them sit overnight. Today they are all getting a crack from the bottom up. When I squeeze them they seem hard and dry, but maybe a little moist in the center and they crumble apart.
    Thanks in advance for any suggestions you may have. I hope to figure them out for a gift for my niece who just turned 13. :-)

  10. DeAnne says:

    Hiya Jodi,
    Bathbombs can be so tricky, that it’s often difficult to diagnose problems long distance. A lot can depend on the types of salt you use, the age of the starch, etc. Even though I’ve made thousands of these things, I still have batches that just don’t come together the way they should. Consider getting a little mister bottle, and putting some witchhazel in it. Spritz your mix just before you fill your mold, then before you seal your mold, spray both sides of the ball, then press the mold together. See if maybe that helps. :) Good luck!

  11. Geri says:

    Hi,
    What is the perfect humidity level for drying bath bombs and how long? I have a dehumidifier, so one day the bath bombs look great, the next day they are cracked. So, if you know the best humidity level, I would appreciate it.
    Best regards,
    Geri

  12. DeAnne says:

    Hiya Geri, I’ve had them work when the humidity was as high as 80% and had them fail at the same level. :) They really are finicky beasts, and each batch can vary so much just because of ingredient vagaries. I treat bath bombs a lot like I treat making French almond pastry, I try to avoid starting a batch if the humidity is over 70% or below 40%, but sometimes we just gotta do what we gotta do, ya know? ;) I’ve not tried a dehumidifier, but I suspect that using one would dry the outside too fast, leaving the inside damp, and therefore the entire ball becomes more likely to crumble. If the weather is really humid, I leave them in the mold to dry completely (48hours or so). I hope that helps!

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  14. DeAnne says:

    Absolutely! While I don’t check the blog as often right now, since I have other projects going on, I do get notices when someone posts a question, so I’ll do my best to help your audience if they have questions. :)

  15. orangepanda28 says:

    I tried making these bath bombs from this recipe but they turned out way to sticky and wouldn’t come out of the moulds and they kept expanding and reacting when I added the water. This resulted in them not reacting when I put them in the water, please can you tell me what I might have done wrong?

  16. DeAnne says:

    Hi OrangePanda, Bath bombs can react to all sorts of things. They really are the french macarons of bath products. ;) It sounds like you had too much water/liquid in your batch. It should feel like barely damp sand right before you pack it. If it feels wetter than that, try adding a tsp of cornstarch to your blend. Also, never try to do this project if your environmental humidity is above about 60-70%. The ingredients will pull moisture from the air.

    If you live in a high humidity area, for example, by the ocean, the try adding your wet ingredients to your dry ingredients using a mister/spray bottle, instead of just adding it in. That should help you get to the right consistency. Good luck, let me know if I can be of any other help!

  17. Mary-Kate says:

    Hi, I successfully used this recipe a few years ago yo make bath bombs as presents. They turned out brilliantly and I used silicon molds for them. I’ve recently tried making a few batches of them , again in silicone molds. However they crumble when coming out of the molds. I’m baffled with what I’m doing wrong. I’ve left them to dry over night and they still crumble…any advice welcome, are they likely to be too wet/too dry? I’ve made balls by hand out if the same mixture and that has stayed together fine! Thanks in advance :-)

  18. DeAnne says:

    Hiya Mary-Kate,
    Try reducing your cornstarch by a tablespoon or so, and see if that helps. Alternately, try upping your liquids ratio by 1/2 tsp to 1 tsp. It sounds to me like the mix is just a tiny bit too dry, and while a dry mix will hold together when packed well/hard, it can be difficult to get a firm pack in silicon molds, especially if the local climate is dry.
    I hope that helps. If not, let me know, and we’ll try some other things. :)

    Cheers, DeAnne

  19. diana says:

    Hi, I made bath bombs that way few times already. they came out good, but after few weeks i notice that i can not smell the fragrance anymore. instead they smell like baking soda or citric acid. why is that?

  20. DeAnne says:

    Hiya Diana,
    That’s going to be a result of the fragrance you used. If you used a perfume, or anything that had a perfumer’s alcohol base, then the scent will evaporate really quickly. If you used an oil, and your scent is fading that quickly, you should contact the oil seller and report it. I have bath bombs that are 10 years old on the lab shelf (just because I want to see how long they’ll last), and they still have a scent. Let me know if you have trouble finding a good essential or fragrance oil vendor, and I can recommend a few for you.
    Cheers,
    De.

  21. Hunter says:

    Hi DeAnne,

    I tried making bath bombs with Dead Sea salt and they didn’t turn out too well. They became soft and damp where the salts were. I’ve heard theories that this is from the mineral content in the salt. How do yours turn out when using Dead Sea salt?

  22. DeAnne says:

    Hiya Hunter,

    The trick with dead sea salt is to make sure that you run it through a grinder first. The structure of the crystal in dead sea salts will trap water, but, if you break the crystalline shape with a quick grind in either a coffee grinder or food processor or even mortar and pestle, you shouldn’t get damp pockets.

    Hope that helps!

    De.

  23. amber says:

    Hi DeAnne, I don’t have any money so I am trying homemade Christmas gifts. Thanks for the Bath Bomb idea :) I bet my siblings will love them!
    Merry Christmas and happy New Years!!! Oh, and good luck to everyone trying to make a bath bomb. :)

  24. DeAnne says:

    Good luck! Let me know if you run into trouble. :)

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