Each holiday season, I create new recipes to give as homemade gifts. My goal is to come up with crafts that are scalable, promote self-care and wellness, and are unique and useful. This year, I decided to create a bath bomb set themed after two of my favorite forces in the sky; the moon and sun. These recipes call upon the calming and reflective aspects of the moon and the uplifting and energy-giving qualities of the sun. Both recipes are created with skin-loving herbs and essential oils to help one settle into a restful slumber or bring more life and energy to the body.
The Moonbeam Blend features butterfly pea flowers, which are known to help soothe minor skin irritations and are great for maturing skin. This flower also yields a most delightful hue of blue in the bath water! The essential oils in this blend include sensuous vetiver, stress-supporting lavender, and soothing blue chamomile. I like this blend for those who may be feeling anxious and whose stress may be preventing them from getting a good night’s sleep.
The Sunshine Blend features bright and uplifting orange paired with benzoin which smells similar to vanilla. These two oils create a sweet bath bomb that can pick up one’s spirits. I also included chamomile flowers in this blend for added support and aesthetics. I find this recipe is great for those with more stagnant, ruminating thoughts and emotions who would benefit from energy movement.
Moonbeam Bath Bomb Recipe
Makes about 4-5 bath bombs.
Ingredients
Directions
- Mix the baking soda and citric acid together.
- In a separate bowl, combine carrier oil and essential oils of choice.
- Add oil mixture into dry mixture and mix until there are no clumps. You may need to use your hands.
- If making one color bath bombs, double the amount of butterfly pea flower powder and finish mixing.
- If making two colors, split mixture into two bowls and add the above amount of butterfly pea flower powder to one bowl.
- Slowly mist with witch hazel extract while stirring.
- Once thoroughly mixed, scoop into both sides of a bath bomb mold and squeeze the halves together. There should be mixture pushing out of the sides.
- Clean up the excess around the seam of the mold and gently remove.
- Set the finished bath bombs on a tray lined with parchment paper.
- Leave to dry for 3 to 4 days.
- Store in an airtight container.
Sunshine Bath Bomb Recipe
Makes about 4-5 bath bombs.
Ingredients
Directions
- Mix the baking soda, citric acid, and 2 Tbsp. of chamomile flowers together.
- In a separate bowl, combine carrier oil and essential oils of choice.
- Add oil mixture into dry mixture and mix until there are no clumps. You may need to use your hands.
- Slowly mist with witch hazel extract while stirring.
- Add a few chamomile flowers to the bottom of each bath bomb mold. Fill with mixture and squeeze both halves together. There should be mixture pushing out of the sides.
- Clean up the excess around the seam of the mold and gently remove each bath bomb.
- Set the completed bath bombs on a tray lined with parchment paper. Leave to dry for 3 to 4 days.
- Store in an airtight container.
Pro Tips
- Getting the moisture level correct is the most difficult and finicky part of this recipe. As soon as the mixture can be formed into clumps, do not add any more liquid. It should be the consistency of barely wet sand. If it gets too wet, the bomb will turn from a ball to a disk as it dries. It’s still usable but will yield less fizz and isn’t as pretty.
- You can make bath bombs without a mold; they will just look more rustic. You can also make this into a bath powder by not adding the witch hazel. You would simply mix the oils and dry ingredients and then add directly to a jar.
- This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled, but the larger the batch, the more difficult it is to get the moisture evenly distributed.
- You can make this recipe into half bath bombs. (You could even call them “half-moons”!) These make great foot baths.
- Most bath bombs are narrow enough to fit in a wide-mouth mason jar! They work great for packaging, and are inexpensive, easy to find, and can be reused. They can also be decorated!
Looking for other bath bomb recipes?
You may also enjoy: