Bath Bombs not Foaming

[bathaway]

I added many ingredients to make a foaming bath bomb. 

 

1/2 cup baking soda

1/2 cup citric acid

1/4 slsa

1 teaspoon canola oil

1 teaspoon fragrance oil

1 teaspoon polysorbate 80

99% isopropyl alcohol

 

The bath bomb foams a lot If I toss it in the water immediately after pressed.

 

If the bath bomb dries in 24hrs, the bath bomb won't fizz much when in the water.

 

Youtubers don't have this problem, they all fizzed when slsa or polysorbate 80 is included. This seems like a unique problem.

[TallTayl]

the 1/4 SLSa, what measurement is that? Cup?

 

This is not uncommon. A lot of youtubers film soon after molding. If they waited for 24+ hours theirs would not perform the same either.

 

some comes down to your formula. The typical formula is 2:1 Baking soda to Citric. You are at 1:1 which is usually only used for embeds (which lush has a trademark on by the way).

 

some how tightly you packed. Some to how wet the batch was as you mixed it. If it began to react too much the fizz and related bubbles would diminish

 

When I learn a new product, I tend to buy from several of the top names. Then I test at home and judge for myself. I learned a lot about the marketing and youtubing angles played/

[bathaway]

oops. yes 1/4cup slsa

 

I purposely used alcohol instead of water to prevent fizzing when mixing.

I currently put 170lbs of force on my bath bombs when packing lol. I have to test that too.

 

That is a great idea!, I'll try other foaming bath bombs.

[TallTayl]

First, try packing more lightly, so air spaces can allow it float/spin. That action helps create more fizz, which then allows for more foam. 

 

SLSa slows the fizz. It is a balancing act between fizzing out too fast and fizzing wayyyyy too slow. 

 

 

[bathaway]

thanks so much. I think mine are too slow.

[Shari]

I agree with Talltayle. SLSA does slow the fizz.  I generally use 1/8-1/4 SLSA.  Also, Baking soda/Citric should be 2:1 not 1:1   I use shea butter or avocado oil and alcohol.  It takes a lot of testing to get them just right.  Also, temperature/humidity when making plays a big part. 

[Jcandleattic]

It also depends on if you want foam, or you want bubbles. SLSA is a bubbling agent and will create bubbles. I personally only use 1 teaspoon of slsa in my recipe, but I add a bit of coco-bentaine (sp?) to boost the bubbles. A little goes a long way. 

If you want foam but not necessarily bubbles, try adjusting your recipe and add some powdered milk, either buttermilk (best imo) or regular non-dairy powdered milk. I have not had much luck with powdered goats milk, and the gm has left the water a bit sticky, so I scrapped using gm. 

 

In my bath fizzies I use slsa, coco-betaine, and powdered milk. My fizzies will fizz, spin, foam and bubble when using them even months after I've made them. 

As others have said, fizzies are not an easy thing to master, it takes a lot of trial and error, and so much of whether they are going to turn out is determined by outside factors, such as was stated - temperature, humidity, etc., 

 

 

 

[Chariste]

On 8/24/2017 at 8:42 AM, Jcandleattic said:

It also depends on if you want foam, or you want bubbles. SLSA is a bubbling agent and will create bubbles. I personally only use 1 teaspoon of slsa in my recipe, but I add a bit of coco-bentaine (sp?) to boost the bubbles. A little goes a long way. 

If you want foam but not necessarily bubbles, try adjusting your recipe and add some powdered milk, either buttermilk (best imo) or regular non-dairy powdered milk. I have not had much luck with powdered goats milk, and the gm has left the water a bit sticky, so I scrapped using gm. 

 

In my bath fizzies I use slsa, coco-betaine, and powdered milk. My fizzies will fizz, spin, foam and bubble when using them even months after I've made them. 

As others have said, fizzies are not an easy thing to master, it takes a lot of trial and error, and so much of whether they are going to turn out is determined by outside factors, such as was stated - temperature, humidity, etc., 

 

 

 

Do you mean cocomidopropyl betnine?  I just happened to be perusing Etsy tonight doing price comparisons and saw this ingredient for the first time in a bubble bar recipe. lol I'd never heard of it but after reading this, I am interested in trying it out myself.

[Jcandleattic]

On 04/11/2017 at 5:50 PM, Chariste said:

Do you mean cocomidopropyl betnine?  I just happened to be perusing Etsy tonight doing price comparisons and saw this ingredient for the first time in a bubble bar recipe. lol I'd never heard of it but after reading this, I am interested in trying it out myself.

I believe that's what it is. I got it from Lotion Crafter. It's a bubble enhancer and a little bit goes a long way. This way I don't need to use as much SLSA, and still get the same amount of bubbles.