Heal up after birth with these homemade herbal bath bombs! These postpartum bath bombs mimic a sitz bath and contain herbs to help with postpartum care. These after-birth bath fizzies will help you heal, recover and relax in the immediate days following birth.
There are some things that no one really tells you about having a baby, and the pain down there is one of them. Regardless of if you tore or not, any vaginal birth is going to come with discomfort.
With my first and second births, my midwives graciously gifted me postpartum bath sitz to help with postpartum healing.
Basically, it’s a pouch of Epsom salts and specific herbs to help promote healing, pain and reduce swelling. These pouches were blissful!
Now, coming up with my third I decided to make my own in the form of bath bombs to gift to a few preggo friends as well (along with these wicked no-bake lactation cookies to boost milk supply!).
These make a great baby shower gift (FYI if you're hosting, make sure to add this baby shower pictionary to your list) on their own or as part of a basket.
Herbal Bath Bombs Versus Postpartum Bath Sitz
The truth is, these postpartum bath bombs are essentially the same thing as bath sitz you can purchase.
They both contain healing ingredients (see which ones below exactly) to help with postpartum care.
The difference is simply the presentation. Bath sitz is normally in a bag similar to a tea bag that you toss into the tub and let soak with you.
I opted to make the sitz bath into bath bomb form instead. This was done in part because herbal bath bombs just make you feel cared for. Likewise, I think they make wonderful gifts for expecting mamas!
Healing Ingredients
These postpartum bath bombs have the same ingredients as my regular bath bombs (checkout these headache healing bombs). They contain citric acid for fizz, arrowroot powder to bind them, and baking soda to hold them together.
However, the main ingredients that make them beneficial for postpartum care are below.
Epsom salt: recommended postpartum to help heal the perineum, Epsom salt in a bath helps reduce swelling, infection and can help soothe hemorrhoids.
Comfrey Leaf: helps heal wounds, aches, and pains. It’s wonderful for bruised areas
Calendula flower: one of my favorite herbs and one I actually use in my homemade baby lotion! This flower is very anti-inflammatory. It also helps with wound healing and softens the skin.
Lavender: a general healer and a great way to help calm moms! I use lavender for just about everything (it calms the skin and the mind) including my homemade nipple butter.
While there are other herbs you can use, when I chatted to my midwife we agreed these three were the best choices (though here are some other postpartum herbs that speed up recovery).
Learn more about the herbs midwives recommend here.
How To Make Them
By rule of thumb, bath bombs are finicky. I won’t deny that it took me a long time to find a system and a decent recipe t make them work.
Before you begin, read over my blog post on the Tips & Tricks to making homemade bath bombs. This blog post goes over many of the things I wish I knew.
A few major things to note when making herbal bath bombs (well, any bath bombs!):
- When mixing the dry ingredients, only mix in half the citric acid at first. Once you’ve combined wet into dry, then add in the remainder. This makes them fizzier in the long run!
- Ensure the herbs are fairly well ground, if not the postpartum bath bombs don’t hold together as well
- If possible, use Epsom salt that’s not in the biggest of chunks. The big chunks have trouble holding together
If you’re struggling with bath bombs holding together, it almost always comes down to the way you're pressing them into the molds.
My recommendation: fill ¼ of the mold, press down firmly, spray with water, fill ¼, press down, spray, etc. repeat until full.
When bath bombs crumble it’s because they were not “bonded” properly. Meaning, they were not pressed down enough, nor was enough water/spray used to activate the binding between portions.
As I said, homemade bath bombs can be finicky. Take your time with them.
How To Use DIY Herbal Bath Bombs
Use one herbal bath bomb per bath once or twice per day.
These postpartum bath bombs are meant to soothe and heal so soaking is key!
I made myself a big batch and simply stored them in the cupboard before birth.
Tip: given there is ground herbs in the bath bomb recipe, they will fizz out in the bath! To prevent the herbs/flowers from sticking to you (and your tub), you can wrap the bath bombs in cheesecloth prior to placing them in the water.
Homemade Gifts & Packaging
The best part about homemade bath bombs is that if they don’t turn out- it’s okay!
Meaning, you can always package these herbal bath bombs just in jars or baggie if something goes wrong. They still contain great ingredients and are effective.
Likewise, I made a batch for my girlfriend who is pregnant also. All I did was stack them on top of each other and wrap them in cellophane.
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Directions
Measure the herbs and grind them into a chunky powder.
In a large bowl, combine the baking soda, arrowroot powder, Epsom salt, herbs, and half of the citric acid. Mix well.
In a small cup, combine the witch hazel and almond oil.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix longer than you think. Then, add in the remaining citric acid and mix again. The mixture will look slightly dry but that's fine so long as you mixed well!
If you have enough herbs, place some of the flowers into the bottom of the mold
Fill ⅛-1/4 of your mold with the mixture and press down firmly. Do this for all the molds. Lightly mist each mold. The mixture will begin to fizz (that's okay!). Add another scoop of the bath bomb mixture and press down firmly again. Mist slightly.
Repeat this process until the molds are full. Once filled, mist once more and press down. The more you press, the better they hold!
Let sit on the counter for twenty-four hours before popping the bombs out.
Other Helpful Postpartum DIYs
- DIY nipple balm
- DIY stress relief bath balms
- DIY room spray
- DIY baby butter
- Homemade lip balm
- Postpartum back pain exercises
Don't forget to pin these Postpartum Bath Bombs!
DIY Herbal Bath Bombs For Postpartum Care
Equipment
- Bath bomb molds
Ingredients
- 1 cup baking soda
- ½ cup citric acid
- ½ cup Epsom salt
- ¾ cup arrowroot powder
- 2 tbs almond oil
- 3 teaspoon witch hazel
- 2 tbs comfrey leaf
- 2 tbs dried lavender
- 2 tbs calendula more for topping (optional)
Instructions
- Measure the herbs and grind them into a chunky powder.
- In a large bowl, combine the baking soda, arrowroot powder, Epsom salt, herbs, and half of the citric acid. Mix well.
- In a small cup, combine the witch hazel and almond oil.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix longer than you think. Then, add in the remaining citric acid and mix again. The mixture will look slightly dry but that's fine so long as you mixed well!
- If you have enough herbs, place some of the flowers into the bottom of the mold
- Fill ⅛-1/4 of your mold with the mixture and press down firmly. Do this for all the molds. Lightly mist each mold. The mixture will begin to fizz (that's okay!). Add another scoop of the bath bomb mixture and press down firmly again. Mist slightly.
- Repeat this process until the molds are full. Once filled, mist once more and press down. The more you press, the better they hold!
- Let sit on the counter for twenty four hours before popping the bombs out.
Video
Notes
A wonderful gift for new moms! These homemade herbal bath bombs help soothe and relax. Made with dried herbs these bath bombs are ideal for postpartum healing and care.
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