looking for bath bomb tips

Hi everyone

Hoping I could get some assistance on my bath bomb recipe.. I've been making these for about 4 months now.. reading one thing online, ordering new inputs, and testing and so far so bad.. They look and smell wonderful; foam, spin, and color the water beautifully... but the hardness just isn't there

My recipe is:

264 g baking soda
132 g citric acid
28g coconut oil
.28 fl oz espresso oil
.28 fl oz PS 80
7g coffee grounds
40g SLSA(10% baking soda + citric acid)
40 g Kaolin clay(10% of baking soda + citric acid)
1 tsp of Mica
1-2 sprays of witch hazel(usually don't only if mix seems dry)



Here are a couple things I've tried
1. Bentonite clay(removed from recipe because of moisture absorbing qualities and gray color)
2. Labomb colorants( was told the glycerin attracts water, substituted mica for it)
3. Using a dehumidifier to get humidity to 30-40% in house
4. Putting in oven for 45 minutes
5. Epsom salt
6. Dropping coconut oil to 20g( looked pretty but SO soft & powdery)
7. Removing coffee grounds( was told they draw moisture but I didn't see a big difference)

I'm open to ANY advice on this...

At this point, my next variables to try out are subbing apricot kernel oil for the coconut oil, using 99% rubbing alcohol instead of witch hazel, and if that doesn't work shea butter instead of oil

Thank you in advance for any help, I'm excited to learn!

what about adding corn starch and Cream of Tartar?

Bath bombs

I use oil that are hard at room temp.
I also add clay to retain fragrance and cream of tartar

I also add slsa and add coconut oil. shea butter. cocoa butter until they take shape and then press them.. they keep there shape wonderfully.

I used melted cocoa butter in my bath bombs and they get rock hard.

lsg said:

I used melted cocoa butter in my bath bombs and they get rock hard.

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As a substitute for the coconut oil or in addition to the coconut oil?

I don't know grams but I looked this up 28g is 4 tablespoons and my recipe calls for only 2 tablespoons of coconut oil and make sure it is solid coconut oil and not fractionated . I hope this helps.

sappington said:

As a substitute for the coconut oil or in addition to the coconut oil?

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I use cocoa butter instead of coconut or any other oil.

I'll add to the people saying to use cocoa butter instead of coconut oil, also agree on the cream of tartar.

Something else to try- instead of witch hazel use rubbing alcohol and add it with your wet ingredients so it's less likely to activate the citric

How much cream of tartar?

I made a batch using 1 tbsp of cream of tartar and so far they're looking like they won't harden but tough telling at this point...

lsg said:

I use cocoa butter instead of coconut or any other oil.

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Would you mind including your recipe so I can convert the amount of cocoa butter to my batch sizes please

First let me state that this is not my recipe, it originated with Kayla Fioravanti and can be found in her book, DIY Kitchen Chemistry: Simple Homemade Bath & Body Projects.


No Fail Foaming Bath Bombs

1 cup Citric Acid (7.4 ounces)
2 cups Sodium Bicarbonate (17.3 ounces)
¼ cup of Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate (1.6 ounces)
¼ cup Cream of Tartar (1.4 ounces)
½ cup melted Deodorized Cocoa Butter (3.2 ounces)
1 tsp essential or fragrance oil

Note: Ounce measurements given in () are by weight.

Make sure to wear a mask or tie a handkerchief over your nose when working with sodium lauryl sulfoacetate as it is very powdery and can irritate bronchial passages. Mix all of the dry ingredients until there are no lumps and all is well blended. Mix in the melted cocoa butter and the EO or FO. Mix until all is well blended.

I use decorative individual silicone molds for my bath bombs and call them bath tabs. You can find them at a hobby store or at Amazon.com I let them set until they harden and then remove them from the molds. They stay together and are easier to remove from the mold. If you don't want to use sodium lauryl sulfoacetate, then just use 1/4 cup soda and a little citric acid to make up the difference. Hope this helps.

sappington said:

How much cream of tartar?

I made a batch using 1 tbsp of cream of tartar and so far they're looking like they won't harden but tough telling at this point...

Click to expand...

I use about a third as much cream of tartar as I do baking soda