What is a bath bomb? Necessary tools and materials, simple recipes and features of making fizzy. Difficulties that may await a beginner.
A bath bomb is a product pressed from bulk materials in the form of a sphere, pyramid and other cute figures, which, when it gets into the water, makes it boil and foam, filling the air with pleasant aromas, and the bath with substances beneficial to the skin. The only unpleasant thing is that these cute little things are not cheap, but are spent quickly. But if you have citric acid, soda and half an hour of free time, it will not be difficult to build a bomb yourself.
What is a bath bomb?
In the photo is a bath bomb
A bath bomb is a product made of bulk materials (pyramid, sphere, various figures), which, falling into the water, makes it boil. Citric acid and alkali (sodium bicarbonate or simply soda) are responsible for the transformation of water into a boiling geyser, clogged in a separate bath. These two substances have an amazing property: when mixed dry, they do not react to each other in any way, but as soon as this duet is diluted with a spoonful of water, the reaction starts, and a neat figure with smooth sides begins to melt with a violent hiss.
If the recipe for bath bombs includes useful additives, softening, nourishing, toning components enter the water along with air bubbles, which will have a beneficial effect on the condition of your skin.
If an effervescent toy is scented, ordinary bathing turns into a relaxation session, becomes one of the methods of dealing with depression or tune in to naughty thoughts - it all depends on which perfume you choose.
Often, to decorate "fizzy" useless from a practical point of view, but creating a mood sequins, flower petals and food dyes that paint the water in a bright color. These funny and cute little things are especially loved by creative people who are engaged in the manufacture of homemade bath bombs, because with them it is so easy to give your next masterpiece a unique look and style!
In a word, an effervescent fun made with a soul is both a useful cosmetic product, and a way of self-expression, and an excellent hobby, inexpensive and not time-consuming. If you want to try your hand at a new kind of creativity, get to work.
Various "fizzy" differ from each other not only in shape, decor and color. Much more important is the composition of the bath bombs, which determines their purpose.
Foaming toys are:
- Without additives … A little boring, but simple: combine sodium bicarbonate with acid, and you have a miniature explosion with foam, bubbles and hiss. As a rule, such products have laconic strict forms, are distinguished by white color and are suitable for everyone, including children and allergy sufferers. Except, of course, for those bathers who don't respond well to one of the two parts of the bomb.
- Flavored and colored … These "pops" do not have the ability to anoint the skin with nutrients, but they fill the bathroom with wonderful aromas and allow you to feel like in a spring forest, a rose garden or a pastry shop. Homemade bath bombs are good because they can be supplied with any flavors of your choice, and at the same time colored with food colors according to the requirements of your imagination.
- With cosmetic properties … Depending on the set of ingredients used by the master, the bomb can soothe, invigorate, cleanse the skin, supply it with healing substances, relieve cramps, resist colds and perform many other important tasks.
Tools and materials for making bath bombs
A novice "bomb maker" can easily do without many things that are vital for an enthusiastic creator of home cosmetics. There is no special mold, take a baby passer for making sand cakes or a kitchen mold for baking muffins. Not enough essential oil, sprinkle the mixture with your favorite perfume. There are no scales and a measuring spoon, we combine the ingredients by eye - let it come out crooked, but from the heart.
But for the most corrosive, who prefer to approach the matter thoroughly, we list the basic set for the production of homemade "fizzy".
Instruments:
- strainer;
- mortar and pestle;
- spoon, preferably wooden;
- forms for bath bombs;
- container for mixing ingredients;
- spray bottle;
- gloves, better latex - they fit snugly to the hand, do an excellent job with the protection function and do not restrict movement, unlike bulky kitchen or garden gloves.
An optional but useful item will be a kitchen scale that can measure grams. They will be especially relevant if you are serious about making bath bombs. Turn your kitchen into a real chemical laboratory!
Ingredients:
- baking soda - 2 parts;
- citric acid - 1 part.
This is the minimum required. We'll talk about useful and aromatic additives just below, in the recipe section.
Important! Sometimes boric acid appears in the list of necessary ingredients for a bath bomb instead of citric acid, but it is undesirable to deal with it. Recent studies have shown that boric acid can adversely affect hormonal levels, which is why it was banned for use in some countries - for example, in Canada.
But born cooks who love to pamper their home with fresh baked goods have every chance of finding a worthy substitute for citric acid in the form of tartar - a powder with baking powder properties. If you have a pack of this miracle product in your kitchen cabinet, you are on the right track, as making a bath bomb at home with it is as easy as shelling pears.
How to make a bath bomb with your own hands?
It is easier and smarter to start mastering home production of bath bombs with easy recipes. Later, having gained experience, you will be able to make really complex combinations and your own aromatic compositions from additional ingredients, but at first it is better to limit yourself to the simplest variants of "effervescent".
Prepare your workplace before you get down to business. Clear the table, cover it with oilcloth or paper, spread all the necessary ingredients within the reach of an outstretched hand. If everything is not properly organized, there is a risk of filling half of the kitchen with soda.
How to make a bath bomb:
- Using a mortar and pestle, thoroughly grind any lumps of baking soda, and then sift it through a sieve.
- Combine baking soda with citric acid and mix well.
- Enter the optional ingredients of your choice and mix again. On rare occasions, the baking soda will sizzle after adding skin softening oil or a gel for better foaming to your bath bomb. To avoid this, mix them in a little while continuing to actively wield the spoon.
- If you plan to dye the "pop" in different colors, divide the mixture into the required number of parts, transfer each to a separate container and combine with a drop of dye. The color should be uniform, without spots and bald spots.
- The most crucial moment! Take a spray bottle with clean water and slightly dampen the mixture. The main difficulty in making a bath bomb at home is that the powder needs to be moist enough to easily clump when you squeeze it in your fingers, but not enough to react ahead of time. Proceed with extreme caution and deliberation.
- Arm the spoon again and tamp the mixture into the molds. If you are using split ones - for example, to get a sphere, fill each half separately, and then press them tightly together.
- Leave the finished product in a warm, dry place until completely dry, and then remove from the mold. After that, the “fizzy” must be wrapped in cling film or paper and stored in a place where it will not be in contact with moisture. By the way, fresh bombs sizzle most actively, so don't let them get too stale.
Note! In order to make a bath bomb at home, it is important to choose the correct size of the shape. A too large product can fall apart in your hands, a small one will dry out quickly. Look for a middle ground.
Popular recipes for bath bombs
The acid and baking soda pop is easy to make, but can only be used for fun. To make your bathroom experience not only pleasant, but also useful, it should be supplied with additional ingredients.
Recipes on how to make a bath bomb for every taste:
- Emollient with milk powder … 2 tbsp. l. soda, combine with 1 tbsp. l citric acid and mix 1 tbsp. l. milk powder or cream. Add 10 ml of sweet almond or wheat germ fatty oil and 5-10 drops of rose essential oil.
- Calming with sea salt … Mix 2 tbsp. l. soda with 1 tbsp. l. citric acid and the same amount of sea salt, ground in a coffee grinder. Add about 10 drops of lavender and bergamot essential oil. To make the bomb completely "sea", add 2-3 tsp into the mixture. kelp powder (look for it in hobby and makeup stores, or buy bath salt originally mixed with algae).
- Anti-stress chocolate … To the already familiar duet of soda and citric acid, add 1 tbsp. l. cocoa and cream powder, about 1 tsp. avocado oil and 8-10 drops of orange essential oil. The latter can be replaced with the flavor of milk chocolate, black truffle, cappuccino, tiramisu or other sweet pastries purchased in the same hobby products.
- Nourishing honey … You will need baking soda, citric acid, 1/2 tbsp. l. honey, 1 tbsp. l. oatmeal crushed into flour, 1-2 tsp. apricot oil. Chamomile essential oil or honey fragrance is suitable as a flavoring agent, and a pinch of whole oatmeal will act as a decoration.
- Toning lemon … Experienced craftswomen claim that they manage to mix a lemon bath bomb with natural yellow citrus juice before it reacts with soda, but for a beginner, such an attempt is 99% likely to fail. Better try to fortify a set of sodium bicarbonate, acid and oatmeal (2: 1: 1) 1 tbsp. l. effervescent vitamin C with lemon flavor by purchasing the required tablets at the nearest pharmacy and grinding them into powder. The finishing touch will be 7-9 drops of lemon essential oil and grated lemon zest. Due to the vitamin, such a bomb rages twice as strong.
- Refreshing with menthol … Take 2 tbsp. l. soda, 1 tbsp. l. citric acid, 1 tbsp. l. starch, add 2 tsp. jojoba oil, 5-7 drops of peppermint essential oil and 3 menthol crystals.
- Firming with clay … Rub baking soda, citric acid and cosmetic clay in a 2: 1: 1 ratio, soften the mixture with 1 tbsp. l. fatty oil and add your favorite flavor. To make a "gothic" black bomb with the same properties, the clay is replaced with crushed activated carbon.
- Foaming soap … Choose any of the recipes you like and add 1-2 tbsp to its components. l. soap shavings. Keep in mind, soap bath bombs often look awkward and sink because of their weight, but they sizzle just as well. The shavings are successfully replaced with shower gel, shampoo or a special soap base from a soap store.
To add medicinal properties to the bomb, add eucalyptus essential oil to it and make a hot cold bath. If you add magnesium sulfate (pharmacy magnesia) to the list of ingredients, you get an anticonvulsant with increased effervescence.
Suitable for decoration:
- dried flowers;
- granulated sugar;
- coffee beans;
- dried berries;
- shiny eyeshadow;
- multi-colored cosmetic clay.
A big plus for homemade bath bombs is that the recipe will include only the ingredients you choose. Neither dubious boric acid nor glitter from plastic will be here. In addition, you can always decide for yourself whether to choose a natural or synthetic essential oil for aromatization, and what to mix with soda with acid - a safe pigment or an artificial dye.
Note! For bombs, you can use any fatty oils, with the exception of palm and coconut oils, since due to their thick consistency it is difficult to grind them evenly with bulk ingredients, and cocoa butter has to be grated on a fine grater or melted in a microwave oven.
Features of the use of bath bombs
Surprisingly, not everyone knows how to use a bath bomb correctly. Just in case, let's note the general provisions.
When planning to make a bath bomb with your own hands, do not forget to make sure that you are not allergic to any of its components, and the intended aromas do not cause dizziness and migraines. These harmless babies have no other contraindications.
Rules for the use of "fizzy":
- The water should be warm and pleasant to the body, but not hot.
- The bomb is placed in an already filled bathtub; there is no point in throwing it under a stream of water.
- There is no need to wait until the "pop" dissolves completely. Begin submerging in water during this process to feel the many bubbles touching your skin.
- Soak up the fragrant water. Even with the simplest bath bomb at home, you can arrange a miniature relaxation studio, just place scented candles around, turn on quiet music and throw flower petals into the water.
- Give a light massage or simply rub your body with a hard washcloth.
- After 15-20 minutes, get up, lightly rinse your body with clean warm water, pat your skin dry with a towel.
- Apply lotion or cream to your body.
- Lie down and lie down for about half an hour to get a good rest. A good book, classical music or romantic melodrama is welcome.
You can use bombs every day. In addition, the “pops” will always be in place in the foot baths.
A few household little things that you should pay attention to:
- Dyes often leave streaks on the walls of the bathtub, so it doesn't hurt to go over them with a sponge once more after flushing the water.
- If you overdo it with oils, they can settle on the bottom of the tub. Don't slip when you get up out of the water!
- Petals and other decorative details are clogging the drain. Catch them beforehand, or place the bomb in a cloth bag before submerging it in the water.
What is a bath bomb - watch the video:
