bfroberts Posted September 7, 2016 Share Posted September 7, 2016 Recipe is baking soda, citric acid, corn starch, SLSA, kaolin, SAO, FO and RA spritzing. I use 91% RA only. The mixture is pretty dry when I pack them, and they are firm enough to hold them and move them around to get them in position for drying, but 20 minutes later they are mush. I've tried drying them in to oven on warm, and they will dry that way, but they always expand. I've tried drying them under a fan, and they always turn to mush within minutes. I molded them about 30 minutes ago, and they are now so wet, I can't even pick one up. How are they wetter now than when I molded them? Where is the moisture coming from? I've tried these dozens of times. I've tried leaving them in the molds to dry, taking them out of the molds to dry, everything. They always get mushy. Any ideas or tips or tricks? Thanks! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallTayl Posted September 7, 2016 Share Posted September 7, 2016 What recipe are you trying? Proportions are everything, when end I was making bath bombs (a once a year thing now because I just hate it so much) I heated my dry ingredients in the oven before beginning. It really seemed to help even out moisture and speed up the curing phase. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bfroberts Posted September 8, 2016 Author Share Posted September 8, 2016 (edited) It is 1 1/2 c. baking soda, 1/2 c. citric, 1/8 c. corn starch, 2 tbsp SLSA, 1 tbsp. kaolin, 2 tbsp SAO. Its just a recipe I downsized for small batch testing. I just use a few drops of EO or FO and spritz with RA. I've ends up with mush so many times that I've done all kinds of tweaks. Tried different oils....rice bran, sunflower, etc. I've tried with and without FO. I keep the RA to the bare minimum. They mold beautifully and always appear to be a success, but after a few minutes, they start to get mushy wet. Once, I used the same recipe with tea tree and lemongrass EO and molded them in a square silicone mold tray. I left them in the mold for about a week. They were total mush, and when I dumped them out, there was liquid pooled in the bottom of the mold. It's like there is something drawing in moisture. I am at a total loss. I think I have enough citric for two more tries. I'll try preheating the dry ing. and see what happens. Thank you! Edited September 8, 2016 by bfroberts 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moonstar Posted September 8, 2016 Share Posted September 8, 2016 (edited) Is it real hot + humid where you live right now. Im in the Mid West and the heat and humidity these last 3 days especially is insane . BTW whats SAO ? Edited September 8, 2016 by Moonstar 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bfroberts Posted September 8, 2016 Author Share Posted September 8, 2016 18 minutes ago, Moonstar said: Is it real hot + humid where you live right now. Im in the Mid West and the heat and humidity these last 3 days especially is insane . BTW whats SAO ? I'm in southern WV. It's not hot, but this is usually a pretty wet environment. Its been dry as a bone for a month now, and today was a 0 humidity day, so I thought I had a chance. I'm beginning to think they just cannot be made here SAO is sweet almond oil. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrazeKelly Posted September 8, 2016 Share Posted September 8, 2016 I use cocoa butter. I've never used any type of liquid oil in my bath bombs. I know others do but you could try a harder butter and see how it goes. Kelly 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bfroberts Posted September 8, 2016 Author Share Posted September 8, 2016 Thank you, Kelly. I will definitely try using cocoa butter. That's one alternative I had not even thought of. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallTayl Posted September 8, 2016 Share Posted September 8, 2016 Honestly, when I tried corn starch my bath bombs had a tendency to fail. I would drop the kaolin also. If you need a little bulking then Epsom salt might be a better option. Like kelly above, I chose hard oils (another reason I heated my dry ingredients). Heating prevented thermal shock as melted cocoa butter, etc. hit the mixing bowl. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moonstar Posted September 8, 2016 Share Posted September 8, 2016 Yes on cocoa butter ... I also use that on those rare occasions that I make them. They can be such a pain in the butt to make. Mine come out fine holding their shape fine, but where I struggle is making mine fizz strong + a lasting fizz. I know some on here also get theirs to spin too ... ahhh so envious of this. TallTayl I like your suggestion of drying ingredients - Ive never done this before. So you dry your salts etc on a baking sheet at a super low temp for a short amount of time ? interesting ... Ive used a recipe that has a small amount Koaolin clay - coconut milk powder - coconut oil + cocoa butter ( 76 degree) hoping to get a more moisturizing result. Im wondering if thats the culprit ? bfroberts let us know if adding cocoa butter yields better results for you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallTayl Posted September 8, 2016 Share Posted September 8, 2016 I just put my citric in one stainless steel bowl (the same I use to do the actual mixing), the baking soda in another stainless hard oils go into a small glass or stainless bowl in the oven. This way everything is at the same temp when it comes time to mix. And the bowls are warm, which keeps things mixing well. As the molded bits cool they get rock hard, i I use this method in N.IL where humidity is ridiculous. Have even made them as it rains with great results. To to make them fizz well and float, don't pack too hard. When I pack too hard they sink. Fizz is also linked to the amount of oils. The oils/butters tend to coat the citric particles which lessens the reaction since less of the base (baking soda) can reach to react. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faerywren Posted September 8, 2016 Share Posted September 8, 2016 I live in Alabama and while we are experiencing drought conditions due to no rain, the humidity is still anywhere from 35-60%. If we get rain, it will be much higher. I keep a dehumidifier in my craft room to prevent my bath bombs and soaps from "blooming" (absorbing moisture out of the air). A quick Google search showed me that WV can have high humidity in the summer months, so maybe that's the culprit? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jcandleattic Posted September 10, 2016 Share Posted September 10, 2016 I am so glad I live in a dry climate. My bath bombs dry evenly with no problems, no extra preparations for the ingredients. I'd probably go crazy if it was humid here and my fizzies didn't turn out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bfroberts Posted September 10, 2016 Author Share Posted September 10, 2016 I tried these dang bath bombs again, and I think I may finally have a successful batch. I used cocoa butter instead of SAO and I warmed my BS and CA first. I didn't warm them separately, but rather mixed together. The mix began to clump pretty badly even though I stirred several times with a fork as it was warming. I had a few chunks that were as hard as pebbles and I just tossed them out. So now I'm wondering....is it normal for them to clump when warmed? Or possibly my dry ingredients had trapped some moisture? I haven't a clue, but these bombs have been drying for 2 hours now and they appear to be perfect! So, again, thank you all for the great advice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scented Posted September 10, 2016 Share Posted September 10, 2016 Actually I'd keep the kaolin for the slip and softness that it provides ... this is me though. I'm wondering what the advantages are of warming ingredients? I don't add oil if I don't have to add oil ... so I don't add oil. I go with the butters, I use the clay, which yes is absorbent, but I use like 1 heaping T, not an 1/8 of a cup. Umm it's a crap shoot here for good day or high humidity, but if it's humid, I cut back on liquids. I have to ask though ... what is RA? I don't want to go on a ramble till I know what it is. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jcandleattic Posted September 10, 2016 Share Posted September 10, 2016 31 minutes ago, Scented said: Actually I'd keep the kaolin for the slip and softness that it provides ... this is me though. I'm wondering what the advantages are of warming ingredients? I don't add oil if I don't have to add oil ... so I don't add oil. I go with the butters, I use the clay, which yes is absorbent, but I use like 1 heaping T, not an 1/8 of a cup. Umm it's a crap shoot here for good day or high humidity, but if it's humid, I cut back on liquids. I have to ask though ... what is RA? I don't want to go on a ramble till I know what it is. RA = Rubbing Alcohol I have a no-fail recipe that works for me every time, and uses no water, no witch hazel, and no RA. Took me MONTHS to finally get it right, and I do believe one of the reasons it works so well is because we have such low humidity here. Not sure how it would react if the humidity got high. It did work well when I made them the week it rained for 3 days the the humidity got up to about 25% here (yes, for us that is HIGH) so there is that... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scented Posted September 10, 2016 Share Posted September 10, 2016 Oh no RA here. Completely WH and that's about it for me aside from fragrance that's liquid ... I guess melted butter counts, but only when it's melted lol. OK see I like the recipe I have which is a combo of salts to baking soda, citric, cocoa butter, kaolin, SLSA and then to keep from breaking a neck out trying to get out of the tub, we don't go with cornstarch ... it might that it's clumping and growing ... I don't know ... but you could get some Natrasorb ... Also take into account if your salts are wet that they are adding moisture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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