How to Make Homemade Bath Bombs

These homemade bath bombs were simple to make and turned out so well! With a few basic supplies (and a few not so basic ones) you can whip up a custom batch in no time! Save money and get crafty with this easy to follow DIY bath bomb tutorial!

Bath bombs have been so popular these last few years! Bath enthusiasts LOVE any excuse to take their soak to the next level. With ingredients like epsom salts, and castor oil, bath bombs are soothing and have great benefits for the skin. Not to mention, the satisfying fizz and delicious scent that adds to the whole experience.

Buying bath bombs is always a treat but can really add up over time. Making your own can save you money, and the process isn’t as intimidating as it seems. Once you make a couple you really get the hang of it! You can completely customize them to your liking and who wouldn’t love a set of homemade bath bombs as a gift? This is such a fun DIY project that anyone from kids to adults can make and enjoy.

Check out my video on How to Make Homemade Bath Bombs!

Supplies you’ll need to make them:

The full printable recipe is available at the end of this post, but here’s a list of affiliate links that will take you to products on amazon that are similar to the supplies I used to make these.

Ingredients:

Supplies:

Making your own bath bombs requires a few different ingredients. Start by mixing all the dry ones first then slowly add the wet ones. This recipe easily makes 3 medium and 4 small bombs.

Measure out your baking soda (reacts with citric acid), corn starch (binds and slows the reaction), epsom salts (good for skin and muscles) and citric acid (fizzy goodness.) Pour them all into large mixing bowl.

Give them a good whisk until all four are fully combined.

In a smaller bowl, combine your wet ingredients. Add the castor oil (hydrating), soap colouring (pretty), essential oil/fragrance (aromatherapy) and water.

Mix them together.

Take the wet mixture and slowly pour a small amount into the bowl with your dry ingredients. Mix a little at a time so the water doesn’t mix with the baking soda and citric acid to cause a premature reaction! Whisk the liquid into the powder mix.

You’ll start to see small, wet clumps of colour. That’s totally normal! Keep whisking until the clumps are broken up and the coloured liquid is mixed into the white powder.

Keep adding the liquid in small increments until wet and dry are fully combined. Your mixture should have a consistent texture and colour. Pick some up and give it a squeeze. The powder should stick together – like snow when you’re shaping a snow ball!

Filling the Molds

If your mixture is a good consistency, you can start molding it into balls. There are a few different types of bath bomb molds out there. The plastic ornaments that snap together work really well, and you don’t have to worry about the two halves falling apart like with the metal ones. They also come in a variety of sizes. The ones I used had 3 sizes – small, medium and large. I mostly used the small and medium ones.

Using your hands, fill one half of the mold with the mixture. Over-fill it and lightly press it down into the mold until you can’t fill it anymore. Take the second half and do the same. Add extra powder on top of each half and quickly press them together. Gently twist until the mold snaps into place. Dust off the excess powder and move on to your next mold!

Drying your Bath Bombs

When your molds are filled and snapped together, set them in a safe place to dry.

I came back at the 3 hour mark and tried to take one half of the plastic mold off. I found that if I left them in the molds overnight, they were a lot harder to remove in the morning and a few of them broke. Once I safely removed one plastic half, I completely removed the bath bomb and then put it back it into one of the halves for a few more hours to dry. With the top exposed, the drying process goes a lot faster, and leaving half the mold on, helps keep the shape while it stays protected.

After two more hours, completely remove them from the bottom half of the mold. Place them on some parchment paper or a non-porous surface that won’t absorb moisture and they can’t roll away on you. Leave them to completely solidify overnight.

IF you can’t possibly wait to try them out – you should be ok to use them after 3-4 hours:)

Before you know it, you’ll have your very own batch of homemade bath bombs! So much easier than you thought right?!!

These would make great presents for a Secret Santa, Mother’s Day, a teacher or for a friend’s birthday!

Who wouldn’t love getting these bubbly beauties as a gift?

Stick with one colour or mix and match a bunch of different ones! Gradients are my jam – naturally I tried to make one in each colour of the rainbow!

TIPS AND TROUBLESHOOTING

Making bath bombs is a bit of a science. Finding the right balance between dry and wet ingredients is the key to success! Here are some tips if you run into trouble…

Crumbly or cracking bath bombs:

The mixture may be too dry. Try adding a little extra castor oil to moisten it up.

Extra soft bath bombs:

The mixture may to too wet. Add a little extra corn starch to absorb some of the moisture.

Bumpy bath bombs:

The extra texture won’t affect the performance of the bomb, but it means the dry ingredients may not have been completely mixed together. Next time, try breaking up any large clumps with your hands or use a sifter for a consistent and smooth powder.

The colour is too dull:

Increase the number of drops. If you’re using soap dye you can add as much or as little as you want! The more drops, the brighter your bath bombs will be. Don’t worry, it won’t stain your bathtub!

The bath bomb won’t come out of the mold:

Grab a spoon and use the rounded side to lightly tap around the plastic mold. It should loosen it a bit so you can safely remove it without cracking the bath bomb in half.

Easy Homemade Bath Bombs

This is such a fun DIY project that anyone from kids to adults can make and enjoy.

Large mixing bowl
Small bowl
Whisk
Measuring cups
Measuring spoons

Dry Ingredients

1/2 cup Baking Soda
1/4 cup Epsom Salts
1/4 cup Corn Starch
1/4 cup Citric Acid

Wet Ingredients

3 tsp Castor Oil
1 tsp Essential Oil/Fragrance
1 tsp Water
4-8 drops Soap Colouring

Measure out and combine each of the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
Whisk the dry ingredients together until they're fully combined.
In a separate bowl, measure out and combine each of the wet ingredients.
Slowly add the liquid mixture into the powder ingredients in small increments. Whisk until it's been fully absorbed. Pour a little more and stir each time until all of the wet ingredients have been mixed into the dry ones.
Test the final mixture by squeezing it in your hand to see if it sticks together.
Fill your bath bomb molds generously, pressing down lightly to make sure they are completely full. Add extra to each half of the mold and carefully snap the mold closed. Continue to fill the rest of the molds, then set them aside to dry for about 3 hours.
After 3 hours, remove one half of the mold and gently pull the bomb out of the other half to loosen it so it doesn't stick. Put that half back on and let it sit for another 2 hours.
Fully remove the bath bombs from the rest of the mold halves. Place them on a non-stick surface to dry overnight.
Your homemade bath bombs are complete! Yay!

These easy homemade bath bombs are super fun to make and aren’t as difficult as you think! With so many options for colours and scents, the possibilities are endless! You can customize your own batch of bath bombs in one afternoon. Use them for a spa-like treat at home or gift them to someone deserving. This easy DIY project is satisfying, super addictive and will save you money in the long run!