Monday, December 2, 2013

All Natural Coconut Oil Bath Fizzies

This is a project I have wanted to try for a long time.  Bath Fizzies.  Ok most people call them bath bombs but, aside from the alliteration, I am not a fan of that name so Bath Fizzies it is.

I think maybe it is the chemist in me to which these little gems have appealed.  This project harkens back to the ole' school science fair baking soda and vinegar volcanos.  In fact, that is exactly why these fizz when put into water; baking soda and acid, in this case citric acid rather than vinegar.  We use the citric acid instead of vinegar because citric acid is a solid at room temperature and vinegar is a liquid. Citric acid easily dissolves in water (like salt and sugar) and has about the same pH as most vinegars.  Citric acid is found in citrus fruit (oranges, lemons, limes, etc.).

When you drop these fizzies in water, instead of a volcanic explosion, you get cool fizzing, skin softening oil and salts, and yummy aroma therapy all from a little bath fizzie! 
 What you will need for this project is the following:

1 cup baking soda
1/2 cup citric acid (I ordered mine online but you may be able to find it in a well stocked canning supply section in a grocery store)
1/2 cup corn starch
1/2 cup mineral salts (I used real salt, the same stuff I cook with, kosher or sea salt works too, or you can leave the salt out)
2 Tbls coconut oil (you could use 2.5 tsp almond, olive, or other light liquid oil instead)
3-5 drops essential oil (I used lavender)
A spray bottle of water
Food coloring.  To keep this as safe and natural as possible I used 2 tsp dried beet root power but you could uses any food coloring with which you feel comfortable (you will only need 3-4 drops of liquid coloring)

You will also need a mixing bowl, some sort of mold to press the mixture into; I used a mini-muffin pan but there are many interesting mold shapes you can use.  You will also need either a fork or a pastry knife (see wire thing in picture above).

This recipe gave me 13 mini-muffin sized bath fizzies.
First put all the powered ingredients into a mixing bowl.  Since my colorant is a power it went in to the mix at this stage rather than with the wet ingredients.  Mix this well.  It is very dusty so you may want to use a mask or a handkerchief over your mouth and nose to keep from breathing in the baking soda and corn starch (not particularly harmful but uncomfortable and salty!)

See how the beet root made a really lovely light pink!  Once the dried goods are mixed cut in the coconut oil like you would cut in butter in a pie crust recipe.  Use the pastry knife (pictured below) or a fork to cut the coconut oil into the dried mix. Keep smooshing away until it looks like damp sand and all the coconut oil is incorporated.
When squeezed, this is how the mix holds together.
Lightly spray the mix with the water bottle then quickly stir the moisture into the mix.  Remember that when you put water on the mix it will start to fizz.  Our goal is to minimize the fizzing while getting the mix damp enough to mold.  Once dry, it should hold its shape.  Without the moisture added, the bath fizzies just crumble.  You will need to spray the mix with water then quickly mix it in several times.  You will be adding about 2 tsp of water, give or take, depending upon how humid or dry it is in your home. 

If you are using a liquid oil and liquid food coloring, instead of cutting the oil into the mix you will mix the oil, water, and food coloring together then sprinkle it on the mix a tiny bit at a time, combining it all together well before adding the next bit, repeating until it is all incorporated. 
Once it is all mixed together press the mixture into your mold.  Again I used a mini-muffin pan but there are a lot of very cool molds available.  I just didn't happen to have one handy (nor did I want to buy one).  Let the bath fizzies sit in the mold until dry to the touch.  In my very dry (and cold) climate, that took only a few minutes.  After drying, remove the bath fizzies from the mold and let sit out longer to dry further.
Once completely dry you are good to go.  These will be going out as Christmas presents.  Drop one or two in a warm bath and watch them go.  Because these used the beet root powder as the colorant, the bath water takes on a pretty pale pink which completely washes away (in other words it does not stain the bathtub).
These are for me.  Now I need to make a few more batches!


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57 comments:

  1. I can't wait to make some of these! Perfect tutorial :) We would love if you linked up to our Snickerdoodle Sunday! http://2crochethooks.com/snickerdoodle-sunday-8/

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  2. Oh my how fabulous are these and what a wonderful gift. Thanks so much for the tutorial and Thanks tons for linking to Inspire Me. Hugs, Marty

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  3. Great! Shared with our FB readers at homesteadlady.com.

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    1. Thanks Tessa. I left you a comment at homesteadlady.com and have added you to my blog list.

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  4. I love this idea! I am going to have to try this.

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    1. Robbie I was surprised at how easy these are. The hardest part was getting citric acid which I had to order online. Otherwise it is simple to put a batch together in 10 or 15 minutes.

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  5. These would make a great gift for Mother's Day, too. Thanks for sharing your gift idea at Motivation Monday!

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  6. Fun! Thank you for the great gift idea! :)

    Merry Christmas!
    ~Liz

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    1. Thank you Liz. They are surprisingly impressive, actually useful, and fun to make. Let me know if you give it a try.

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  7. Love these. I'm going to have to make some.
    Debi and Charly @ Adorned From Above

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  8. I am super looking forward to getting the ingredients for this project. I have pinned this to my Pinterest for future reference! Thank you so much for sharing on Meandering Mondays! Have a great week!

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    1. Stacey, if you make them, drop me a line and let me know how it goes. I found using the coconut oil is easier than using an oil that is a liquid at room temperature (like sweet almond or grape seed oil) because you can cut in the coconut oil with the dry goods then add the water last rather than try to mix the oil and water and add them at the same time.

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  9. This is such a cute idea! I love homemade gifts.

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    1. Thanks Carol. I have sent them out as Christmas presents inside of my Cone Ornament to the women in our family. My 6 year old daughter begs for them in her bath. I hope the grown ups like them half as much and the little one.

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  10. Will be a perfect gift! Thank you so much for the tip. New follower www.fashionphases.com

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    1. Welcome Glenda! Have a look around. We love having you here.

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  11. Hello coming over from My favorite Posts Show Off Blog Party! Thank you for sharing. What a wonderful idea. I'm pinning this to my pinterest board looks wonderful.

    http://www.thisolemom.com
    Merry Christmas,
    Kim

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    1. Hi Kim, Thanks for stopping by and for the Pin. These really are wonderful. I wasn't sure I would be happy with the homemade variety. They are every bit as good as store bought, actually better because I know exactly what is in them.

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  12. I totally need to try these out! I love coconut oil, and these look awesome! Thanks to your inner chemist. :) And thanks for linking up to the Do Tell Tuesday party--we hope to see you each week!

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    1. Yes my inner chemist gets the better of me sometimes. Thanks for leaving the comment Lisa. I will see you Tuesday!

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  13. Wow! Thank you for sharing with us how to make these. Very cool!

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  14. I prefer the word "Fizzie", too! ;-) Thanks for the recipe! This time of year, it seems like there's not enough lotion in the whole world! That coconut oil will feel GREAT! I'll be featuring these tomorrow at Tuesdays with a Twist! -Marci @ Stone Cottage Adventures

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    1. Thanks Marci! It always makes me so happy when I get featured! I will be sure to link up again tomorrow.

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  15. What a great tutorial and such a cute gift idea. I used to love the science fair volcanoes too. Thanks for sharing with us at Christmas on The HomeAcre!

    Please join us again Thursday for our special edition Christmas on The HomeAcre:
    http://summersacres.blogspot.com/2013/12/christmas-on-homeacre_17.html

    ~Ann

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  16. This is such a good idea for a gift to give to a friend or neighbor. I pinned it and I plan on taking a trial run and try to make myself some before I make them to give away.

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    1. Susan let me know how they turn out for you and if you have any questions. My second batch was better than the first. And the first was pretty good. Have a great day.

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  17. I'm going to give this a try - looks wonderful! I do appreciate you sharing with Home and Garden Thursday,
    kathy

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  18. Love it. I have tried mold of everything....went to home depot and just walked arounf. found like 10 cool things to mold bath bombs in.

    Steve
    cardinham | Killigrew
    C|K

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  19. These would be fun gifts, and something my kiddo could help me do! I'm a new follower via I Gotta Create! Have a great weekend
    Melanie
    violetsbuds.blogspot.com

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    1. Hi Melanie. My daughter has helped me before and thought it was very interesting. When she helped me I put a small air filter on the kitchen counter nearby to collect the "dust cloud" that forms while mixing the dry goods together and it really helped. Glad to have you as a new follower! I will make a visit to your blog world as well.

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  20. I would love to try this. Buying them is so pricey!

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  21. I've always wondered how to make these! Now I know! I'll have to give them a go for sure. Maybe now I don't have to spend a ton of money at Lush buying bath bombs and other fizzies!

    Tenns @ New Mama Diaries

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  22. I really appreciate your work and very amazing and important information about the say no to palm oil bath bombs which have share in this blog.
    say no to palm oil bath bombs

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  23. I know this is old, but I had to comment on the using saran wrap for making bath bombs without citric acid. I’ve been wrapping mine in Saran Wrap for years. I’ve had bombs over a year old that I’ve used that still smelled amazing. Just saying. Love the blog by the way. 😍

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  24. Ống gió tròn lượn là 1 trong những phụ kiện kết nối trong hệ thống ống gió hoàn chỉnh nhất, cũng giống như ống gió vuông, gió tròn lượn dùng để kết nối các đoạn ống gió trong trường hợp cần tránh chướng ngại vật, vượt qua dầm xây dựng trên đường đi của tuyến ống⛔️ Có thể dùng để check và kết nối với ống tròn thẳng có tác dụng di chuyển độ linh hoạt cao, lắp đặt đặt dễ dàng⛔️ Vật liệu sử dụng là tôn mạ kẽm, inox.: Ống gió tròn lượn






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  25. Can I substitute potato starch for corn starch. I have a lot of P.S. merry

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