The vegetable oil in a bath bomb recipe could be coconut oil, almond oil, jojoba oil, or any other plant-based oil. These oils are lightly scented and generally moisturizing.

Nasty stuff like acetone, camphor, ethanol, and ethyl acetate (just to name a few) can sneak into your bath bombs without you ever being the wiser. Worse still, these chemicals are known to cause asthma, headaches, nervous system damage, migraines, and a slew of other health problems.

Instructions

1. Place citric acid, baking soda, cornstarch, and oil in a bowl.
2. Add eight to 10 drops of the essential oil or blend of choice.
3. Mix well with spoon until soft dough is formed.
4. At this point, you may add food coloring, dried herbs, or flower petals to mixture.
5. Place mixture in silicone molds.

Adding too much butter or oil can sometimes cause the bath bombs to stay soft. If you have never tried oil or butter in your mixture but want to, start with about . 5 oz of oil per 1.5 cups of dry ingredients.

We will need a few basic ingredients, many of which can be found in most kitchens, including oil, to help hold it all together. The most common carrier oil found in bath bombs is coconut oil. Other carrier oils occasionally used include almond oil, jojoba oil, and rosehip oil.

Oils. There are two kinds of oils you can use in bath bombs, carrier oils and essential oils. A carrier oil is necessary to the shape and structure of these bath bombs, and essential oils can infuse them with natural scents and provide additional skin benefits.

While they may not be as fizzy or Instagram-friendly, you can also opt for all natural or organic bombs to play it safe, says New York City-based dermatologist Debra Jaliman, MD. “A natural one usually will not contain synthetic fragrances, artificial dyes, or ingredients that are skin-drying.”

A Basic Healthy Bath Bomb Recipe

1. ½ cup Epsom salts.
2. 2 tbsp. coconut oil.
3. 1 cup baking soda.
4. ½ cup citric acid (this can be found in baking section of a grocery store)
5. Olive oil or coconut oil, to oil the muffin tin.
6. Optional: essential oils.

Your bath bombs may be crumbling because your bath bomb mixture may be too dry, or not be packed hard enough into the molds. If you put your mixture into the molds and don’t press it in really well, then you will get crumbly bath bombs once the mixture is dry.

Cornstarch will manage the fizzing reaction of the ingredients, so if you drop your bath bomb in the water, they will not explode extremely. If you want your bath bomb to be colorful and scented, use the cosmetic-grade wet ingredients because their safe and will not cause any harmful reaction in your skin.

Ingredients you’ll need to make a basic bath bomb: any light vegetable oil (I used extra-virgin olive oil.) Make sure the ones you get are skin safe; some are just meant to be burned in an oil burner.

How to Make Bath Bombs. First, a note on ingredients: glycerine or vegetable oil? Personally, I like to use glycerine as it softens my skin—not only do you get bubbles and fizz, but it works wonders on your skin, too! You can use vegetable oil if you prefer.

These bath bombs can be plain white, or you can color them with natural food coloring. My daughter loves pink, so we went ahead and made them pink the first time I made them with her. You can use whatever skin safe essential oils for bath bombs that you like, either a single oil, or a blend.

If you’re using a small baby tub, use a bath bomb designed for babies, like the Ickle Baby Bot, or make your own with this fun recipe from Popular Science. If you cook up your own spa day, just be sure to use the amount of essential oils recommended for child baths.

You can modify this recipe by adding a foaming agent if you want your bath bomb to make lasting bubbles as well as fizz. Up to 3/4 tsp. water or witch hazel (usually found in the first aid aisles) 2 tsp essential oil (lavender, eucalyptus, rose are all popular for the bath) 2 tsp oil (jojoba, sweet almond, olive, mineral or baby oil)

Yes. If it’s cold outside, you can continue to let your bath bombs sit out on the kitchen counter, sans the mold. If not, you should transfer them to the refrigerator until you’re ready to use them. Can I add milk powder to my coconut oil bath bombs?