The world’s best bath bomb recipe. - Yes, Seriously.
From 2020 - 2023 I owned a little shop called Ritual Clay Company nestled along the banks and waterfalls of the Genesee River in Rochester, NY. These bath bombs were one of our most popular items. To this day people tell me how much they love and miss them. When we closed up shop in October of 2023, I promised to share the recipe for anyone who couldn’t bear to be without these ultra-hydrating stress melters. Finally, I am making good on that promise. Below is the recipe that took us years to perfect and that up until now was a closely guarded secret.
Once you stock up on ingredients you’ll be ready to craft luxury bath bombs for MUCH less than store-bought. The best part? You can customize to make your dream bath experience!
Ingredients you’ll need:
2 cups of Baking Soda
1 cup of Fine Grain Unscented Epsom Salt
1 cup of Cornstarch
1 cup of Citric Acid
5 LIQUID tablespoons of Coconut Oil - melted to just above room temperature
3 tablespoons of 70% Isopropyl Alcohol
2 to 3 tablespoons ( to your own preference ) Fragrance or Essential Oil blend of your choice *see notes at bottom
Optional - 1 scant tablespoon dried flowers or loose leaf tea
Optional - Natural colorant of your choice - do not exceed 4 tablespoons *see notes at bottom
Tools:
Large Mixing Bowl
3” Metal Round Bath bomb Mold ( easiest for first time making )
Measuring Cups & Spoons
Rubber gloves
Microwave
Step 1: Combining baking soda, epsom salt, and cornstarch.
Step 2 & 3: Melt & add coconut oil & fragrance.
Step 5: Add Citric Acid, blend thoroughly
Step 7 & 8: Fill & Compress your first bath bomb!
Step 10: Carefully remove each bath bomb from mold & gently set aside.
Step 11: Leave bath bombs in a dry safe space for 24 hours to cure.
Compounding Instructions:
*Important: Going step by step is critical for good results. Please note: air temperature and humidity do impact results. Avoid compounding on extremely high and low humidity days and during extreme temperature swings whenever possible.
In a large mixing bowl, combine baking soda, Epsom salt, and cornstarch. If you’re choosing to use a colorant, add that at this time as well.
In a separate microwave-safe vessel, slowly melt coconut oil to completion in the microwave, paying careful attention to liquify entirety without overheating. Measure your coconut oil AFTER it has melted. You want 5 full liquid tablespoons. If your coconut oil is too hot to touch, please wait until it cools to just over room temperature before continuing to step 3.
To the large mixing bowl of dry ingredients, add melted coconut oil & fragrance. It is important to mix until ALL clumps are combined. Any remaining clumps will ruin your final product, so combine very, very well.
Add alcohol to the large mixing bowl and blend quickly and thoroughly for 60 to 90 seconds.
Add Citric Acid to the large mixing bowl and blend thoroughly.
If you’re adding dried flowers or teas, sprinkle them into your bath bomb mold now, being careful not to add too much. I find 1 pinch of petals or blooms are the most each bomb can handle.
Using your bath bomb mold, fill each side and give each half a quick thumb press to compact the very top and bottom. Then refill the mold until heaping over the brim and compress the two halves. Work quickly as your mix sets up fast.
Compression is key to keeping your bath bombs together! Now take both sides of your mold and press them together; excess mix will and should squeeze out from the center as you join your two molds together. Press as firmly as possible while joining your mold together.
With both bath bomb molds together, clean up the edges of your pressed mold.
CAREFULLY remove the top side of your mold, and with a feather-light touch with gravity doing most of the work, remove the bottom side of the mold to reveal your newly formed bomb.
Set aside on parchment to dry, making sure your surface is protected from water and mist for 24 hours.
Repeat these steps with the remainder of the mix. A typical batch with a 3-inch metal round mold yields 5 bath bombs.
Notes on Fragrance Oils & Essential Oils
If you’re using essential oils make sure to purchase *therapeutic grade which will give you the best quality as well as the benefits they claim to provide. There are a lot of poor quality essential oils out there there claim to be authentic but are not. Buyer beware.
Typically, essential oils will give a subtler scent than fragrance oil but are 100% naturally derived when you purchase high quality oils.
For the safest fragrance oil option, I always buy IFRA certified fragrance oils. These are lab tested and certified for safe use.
Make sure you check that fragrance oil is “soap safe” as each can vary in appropriate application. Some fragrance oil is not meant for skin, only candle & wax melt use.
Some of my favorite IFRA certified are: Egyptian Amber, Peppermint Eucalyptus, Dry Gin & Cypress, Fireside, & Blood Orange. We used them at the shop under the names: Signature, Exhale, Unwind, Grief, & Positive Energy.
Notes on Natural Colorants
If you’re looking to add some fun colorants to your bath bombs natural pigment powders are a great option. However, there’s a few things to keep in mind:
Some natural colorants can stain. Do your research before using anything we don’t suggest here so you don’t turn color in the tub.
Beet Root Power will give you a beautiful pink bath water.
Carrot Powder shows up as a light orange / tan.
Spirulina Powder will make your bathwater bright emerald. It takes a bit more clean up time to rise off the tub but kids love it.
Iron Oxide Powder will give you a grey / black bath without dying your tub and skin like charcoal is known to.
Notes on Ingredient Sourcing:
The initial raw materials can feel a bit costly when purchased all at once. Feel free to use the URL links as reference and shop around. Some items like citric acid are hard to find in stores, but things like cornstarch and baking soda are most affordable right at the grocery / superstore.
Epsom salts can be found in most superstores like Target & Walmart. Many times the most affordable option is in the first aid section towards the bottom shelves. Make sure to get fragrance free if you’re using your own fragrance or want scentless bath bombs.
My favorite places to purchase fragrance oils are CandleScience and FizzFairy
There are many misleading fake essential oil brands. Do your research.
