Homemade Bath Bombs Recipe (Great DIY Gift!)

There is something incredibly relaxing about a warm bath, and these homemade salt bath bombs take the relaxation up a notch!

Bath bombs have skyrocketed in popularity lately with thousands of options available (though I’d only recommend natural or organic options if possible). Kids and adults love them and while they can cost up to $9 each to buy, you can make a whole batch for just a couple of dollars!

Non-Toxic Bath Bombs

When I was younger, I loved bath bombs, but avoided them as I’ve gotten older because store-bought versions typically contain artificial ingredients such as dyes and fragrances.

These homemade bath fizzies are a great solution! Made from nourishing sea salt or epsom salts, alkalizing baking soda, and fizzing citric acid with a nourishing oil and vanilla base.

These can be packaged for a great gift or made countless ways for relaxing baths anytime! 🙂

How to Make Bath Bombs

Bath bombs only take seconds to make, so it is important to have the ingredients on hand and measured before you start. Most of the ingredients are pantry staples in many homes, but make sure you have these on hand:

Baking Soda

The backbone of this recipe is alkalizing baking soda. It is a necessary complement to the acidic citric acid and part of the fizzing reaction.

Citric Acid

The more obscure ingredient in this recipe that a lot of people don’t have on hand is citric acid. It is necessary for the fizzing reaction that makes bath bombs feel like bathing in champagne.

Corn Starch or Arrowroot

Corn starch provides the silky feel that we all love from bath bombs. I usually use organic corn starch powder in this recipe. Arrowroot also works but doesn’t provide quite as silky of a finished product.

Salt, Oil, and Liquid

These are all very versatile and you can pick any combination that you have on hand. You’ll need some kind of:

• Oil: Pick a simple oil like olive oil, almond oil or coconut oil or get more fancy with sea buckthorn oil, argan oil or apricot oil.
• Salt: Stick to basic salt or take it up a notch with epsom salt or another favorite salt option.
• Liquid: Basic water works, but I also love using organic witch hazel for some extra skin-soothing.

Scents and Colors

This is where the options get endless. Use your favorite essential oils, add dried herbs, or make them scent-free. Some options are:

• Favorite essential oil combinations: Lavender/Vanilla or Rose/Ylang-Ylang… or just use your imagination!
• Kids love the fizzy action of bath bombs! I’m pretty cautious with essential oil use around young kids for these reasons, so I use these child-safe blends when making them as gifts for my older kids
• You can even add some natural dyes to change the color

Other Equipment Needed

These are easy to make with measuring cups and your hands, but for a fancier and more uniform product, it helps to also have:

• A digital scale to get the proportions exactly right
• Molds: For the easiest version, just form these into balls with your hands, but if you are making as gifts or just want fancier shapes, molds are the way to go. I have these metal round molds and also this variety pack of assorted shapes that the girls love. Cupcake tins also make a pretty good mold.

Homemade Bath Bomb Tutorial

Making homemade bath bombs is a great project for kids to help with. Some DIY beauty recipes (especially homemade soap) require precise measuring and handling harsh chemicals such as lye, so they aren’t a great project to undertake with children around. These bath bombs are completely opposite and are an amazing project to do with kids.

They are simple to make with kid-safe ingredients and are completely versatile. Let the kids think of ways to mix up the scents, colors, and other fun customizations.

Bath Bomb Ingredients Needed

• 8 ounces baking soda (about 1 cup)
• 4 ounces citric acid (1/2 cup)
• 1/2 cup (4 ounces) sea salt or epsom salt
• 4 ounces cornstarch (about 3/4 cup)
• 2 TBSP oil of choice (this is my personal favorite but any liquid oil will work)
• 2 tsp witch hazel (or water) plus a little more if needed
• 1 tsp vanilla extract (or more water)
• 30-40 drops of essential oils or powdered dried herbs (ginger is great)

Bath Bomb Instructions

1. Combine dry ingredients (baking soda, salt, citric acid, and cornstarch) in a large bowl and mix well until combined.
2. In a small bowl, combine the oil, witch hazel and vanilla extract and stir well. Add essential oils if using.
3. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients a few drops at a time. Mix well with hands (wear gloves if you have sensitive skin). Add powdered dried herbs if using.
4. Mixture should hold together when squeezed without crumbling. You may need to add slightly more witch hazel if it hasn’t achieved this consistency yet. I recommend using a spray bottle with additional liquid to evenly add.
5. Quickly push mixture into molds, greased muffin tins or any other greased container. Press in firmly and leave at least 24 hours (48 is better) or until hardened. It will expand some and this is normal. You can push it down into the mold several times while it is drying to keep it from expanding too much. Using the metal molds will create a stronger and more effective final bath bomb.
6. When dry, remove and store in airtight container or bag. Use within 2 weeks.

Bath bombs are a great way to relax in the tub after a long day of dealing with kids, cooking, and all the other activities that motherhood entails. If you’ve never tried them, I highly encourage it, as it’s one of my favorite things to do at the end of the day.

Non-Toxic Pre-Made Bath Bombs

I finally found some natural bath bombs that us a similar recipe to mine. These are gorgeous and use only natural ingredients. They’re also much bigger than most bath bombs and last longer in a bath. I’ve been sending them as gifts lately and my friends are loving them too!

Ever made your own bath bombs? Do you have any favorite scents or herbs you’d add to these? Share below!