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Last updated on December 20th, 2018

Why & How To Make Your Own Diy Bath Bombs (+ my five favorite scent options!)

Diy bath bombs are easily one of my favorite diy gifts to make for friends and family (these being my all time favorite!)! Not only are they easy to make but you’re giving people you care about the opportunity to pamper themselves! Bath bombs are also customizable which means you can make them unique to each person you gift to.

For a long time, I hated diy bath bombs- seriously! For some reason, I couldn’t get them to hold together. They crumbled, or they didn’t fizz or something else went wrong with them.

And being the frugal person I am, I refused to throw out the bad batches which left me with a jar of “random bath bomb fails” I would spoon into my bath. Since I don’t take a whole lot of baths this jar really just hung out in my bathroom for way too long 😛

Since then, I’ve figured out a few essential tricks to making bath bombs, mainly with how you press them. It sounds silly but it works for me!

Below is the formula I’ve come to rely on when making my bath bombs though I’m sure there’s lots others!

Diy Bath Bombs Ingredients

• 1 cup baking soda
• 1/2 cup citric acid
• 1/2 cup Epsom salt
• 2 tbs almond oil
• 3/4 cup cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon mica
• 3 tsp witch hazel
• 30 drops essential oil
• Small spray bottle with water

Note: all of these health boosting ingredients can be purchased through my favorite retailer Well.ca– and the best part is that they offer free shipping!

I use mica for coloring because it’s a natural mineral and I love the color it brings out! It’s only fair to warn you though that it does leave a nice shimmer in your bathtub. This means you’ll probably want to scrub the bath ring afterwards or shortly thereafter.

You’ll notice I also use almond oil. I find this helps hold the bombs together and also gives a little moisture to your skin! But again, warning: be careful getting out of the bath because the tub might be a bit slippery.

Lastly, witch hazel. This ingredient has a ton of uses but for homemade bath bombs I find it helps the essential oils really bind to the bombs creating a more potent smell.

A quick tip on molds! You can use any silicone mold for bath bombs (muffins, hearts, minis). The circle ones I bought I got locally so I don’t have a link for them (womp womp) but they’re similar to the medium size on these   ones here.

How To Make Diy Bath Bombs

This is where I always stumbled and failed. I could never for the life of me get the bombs to hold together! While the above ingredients do make it better here’s a few other tips:

Only fill your mold halfway. Then, using a silicone spatula, firmly press the mixture into the mold as hard as you can. Spray the top of each bomb ever so lightly with water and repress. Then, fill the mold the rest of the way and repeat (press down, sprat, press down).

I find I need the double press down or they crumble. There’s also a fine line on how much water to spray. 1-2 squirts in a small bottle is perfect. Any more than that and you begin to lose your fizz as the citric acid reacts with the water.

I can’t stress enough.. press down firmly.

My other tip is that when mixing the wet ingredients into the dry, mix for longer than you think. I used to just kind of throw it all together. But if you spend two solid minutes mixing you will notice a damp like consistency which helps hold the bombs together.

As I mentioned above, when you get them right, diy bath bombs make a really lovely and thoughtful gift because you can personalize both the color and the scent. Bath bombs in a spa store run anywhere from $3-7 Canadian per bomb- which is ridiculous!

Making your own bath bombs allows you to personalize your gifts and is beyond cheaper to do so.

Now into the fun stuff.. scent! As I mentioned it’s extremely thoughtful to give someone a bath of diy bath bombs specifically for them. Below are three of my absolute favorites when it comes to bath bombs

Sleepy Time Diy Bath Bombs

These bath bombs are perfect if you need to relax after a long day and get some rest. They help ease both your body and your mind into a relaxation state and prepare you for sleep.

• 10 drops lavender
• 10 drops chamomile
• 5 drops breathe (DoTerra specific blend)

Anxiety Reducing Bombs

This blend promotes happiness, clarity and calming properties which will help ease away tension.

• 8-10 drops lavender essential oil
• 10 drops grapefruit
• 10 drops orange/citrus
• 8-10 drops chamomile
• 6-8 drops clary sage

Mood Lifting Bombs

Perfect if you need a bit of a happiness sprung your way. These bombs make you feel light, energized and content.

• 20 drops citrus bliss essential oil
• 10 drops wild orange
• 10 drops lemon grass

Energizer Bath Bombs

These oils have been shown to release tension, stress and boost your alertness they also help to give your mood a bit of a boost.

• 25 drops lemon oil
• 15 drops peppermint oil

Headache Soothing Bath Bombs

These bombs promote relaxation, help relieve tension and help you slowly relax and unwind.

• 10 drops lavender essential oil
• 10 drops peppermint essential oil

Don’t forget to pin these Diy Bath Bomb Tips!

Diy Bath bombs are one of the easiest, most cost effective homemade gifts you can make for family and friends. They’re simple, pretty and best of all.. perfectly unique to the individual. Whip up batches of different scents and show your friends how well you know them- everyone needs a bit of pampering!