DIY Fizzy Bath Balls

I don't know about you guys, but I love baths with bubble bath, scented bath salts, and especially fizzy bath balls!  Whenever I've seen recipes to make bath balls in the past, I always thought they seemed daunting and overwhelming, with ingredients that I was unfamiliar with.  However, thanks to the geniuses and DIY virtuosos at Pinterest, I found a very doable recipe, which uses only a few ingredients and is relatively inexpensive. 

 

(Image by Buzznet on their website: {http://cdn.buzznet.com/assets/users16/mizlulu/default/luxury-black-raspberry-vanilla-bath--large-msg-135587326361.jpg}.)

To Complete This Project You Will Need: 

• Baking Soda
• Citric Acid or Cream of Tartar
• Cornstarch
• Epsom Salts
• Oil (Any Variety of Your Choosing)
• Essential Oils or Liquid Scents
• Food Coloring
• A Cupcake Tin/Silicone Mold

Citric Acid is probably the trickiest of our ingredients to find.  If you're lucky & making this recipe in the fall during "canning season", you shouldn't have any probably finding  a 5 oz. jar at your local grocery or superstore.  Ball brand, who make a wide variety of canning supplies and mason jars, can be found easily during that time.  However, if you've missed canning season you can still find Citric Acid online at retailers like, Amazon and Walmart for just under $3.  If you'd rather not have to search the world for Citric Acid, you are able to complete this project with Cream of Tartar instead.  Cream of Tartar is a spice that can found at every grocery and superstore in their baking aisle.  However, if you do opt for Cream of Tartar over the Citric Acid, you will not have the same fizzy effect when it's thrown into your bathwater.  It'll still give the water a nice, soft, silky feel, but you'll miss out on the fizzy excitement.

Epsom Salts can usually be found anywhere with a health & beauty section.  The plain variety is most often sold in a 2 lb. bag for $3 or less.   These are also great for soaking your feet in with some hot water after a long day at work or school!  I found a 16 oz. bag at Dollar Tree for just $1.

For my liquid scent, I chose to use some of the scented candle oil from my last post, as well as a little bit of vanilla.  From what I've read, you can use practically any scented liquid (within reason) to give your bath balls a fragrance, such as hot tea.

Food coloring can be found at any grocery, superstore, or dollar store.  Depending on the size, variety, & brand, you can pay anywhere from $1 per color to over $5 a box.  As far as this project goes, I don't really think it matters whether you use liquid food coloring from the squeeze bottle or the gel variety.  Whichever you choose, you will only need a couple of drops to give your bath balls some color.

First, mix 2 tablespoons baking soda, 1 tablespoon citric acid (or 1/2 a tablespoon of cream of tartar), 1 tablespoon cornstarch, & 1 tablespoon of Epsom salts in a bowl with a fork, spoon, or whisk until there are no clumps.

In another container mix together the oil, scented oils (or other scented liquids), & food coloring.

Next, pour your wet ingredients into your dry ingredients while mixing or whisking.  Depending on the ingredients you've chosen, you may start to see a slight reaction from the citric acid, but just keep mixing until the mixture has come together & the food coloring is equally distributed. 

Then, begin scooping your mixture into your muffin tins or silicone molds.  I opted for a mini ice cream scooper to make things a little easier.  I'd suggest only filling them about 1/3 to 1/2 of the way full, due to some expansion from the reaction to the citric acid.

Once you've used up all of your mixture, you'll need to let your bath bombs set & dry for at least a few hours or more until they have solidified.



Once your bath bombs have dried in your tins or molds, just jiggle them out or turn them upside down carefully to release them.  Now you're ready for a heavenly bath!

 

Voila! You've Made Your Own DIY Fizzy Bath Balls!
Thank You & Enjoy!