firegirl Posted April 25, 2007 Share Posted April 25, 2007 OKay.. I have read all the information that I could get my hands onto from both here and the internet. I have made bombs that started to grow and ones that cracked once dried. I have made several batches that no matter what I did I could not remove from the mold without seperating. ( I used the 60 mm plastic round mold) I want to post a recipe that to me has all the properties that I am looking for in a bath bomb. It fizzes and provides bubbles as well. I have added 1/2 white kaolin clay with 1/2 corn starch combo for extreme hardness. I only use hard butter for the added room temp firmness as well. I understand that you have to do what works for you, but I made these in pouring down rain and sunny weather.. both attempts successful. I thought I would share my findings with those that are struggling to get a nice round hard bomb. Here is the recipe that is working for me:1 Cup Baking Soda1 Cup Epson or Sea Salt1/8 cup corn starch1/8 cup white Kaolin clayMix or whisk until completely blendedAdd the following slowly until you get the consistency of wet sand:2.5 TBL Melted Butter ( the harder the better ie: cocoa butter, shea, mango)2 TBL Fragrance OilColorant of your choiceOnce all the above are completely blended, slowly incorporate:3/4 cup Citric Acid3/4 cup Sodium Laurel SulfoacetateNow, here is what really helped to get these babies out of the mold successfully! First I spritzed with witch hazel until I liked the consistency of the mix.. wet sand .. etc.. not too much or your Citric with start to react.. Next, I used a BBQ baster and brushed corn starch into each mold before I added mixture. Once I compressed these balls until I thought I would crack the mold, I used a fork or whatever utensil you have to gently tap each end to help the mold release from the bomb. I found that with these extra steps, even if you don't use my recipe, my balls came out 98% of the time without getting stuck or seperating when I removed the mold. You can play around with the recipe to meet your needs, but the added corn starch and witch hazel, hard butters, and kaolin clay has helped me make some great bombs!Thanks to all that have helped me so much since I found this board.. I know that some of these tips will help someone who has struggled to make a decent bath bomb! GOOD LUCK!!Teri Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denise2456 Posted April 26, 2007 Share Posted April 26, 2007 Thanks Teri, appreciate the sharing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tychels Posted April 26, 2007 Share Posted April 26, 2007 Your awesome! Thanks for sharing with us!! Can't wait to try this! Sharon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeavenScentU Posted April 27, 2007 Share Posted April 27, 2007 Thanks!!! I am going to have to try this one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seaglass Candle Posted April 28, 2007 Share Posted April 28, 2007 I am waiting for my citric acid to arrive and then I will have a go at these. Thanks for sharing your trial & errors to make life easy for those of us who follow you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gypsyjen Posted April 28, 2007 Share Posted April 28, 2007 Thanks for the recipe! I've been trying to make foaming bath bombs, so I will definitely be giving this a try! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcroome2005 Posted April 28, 2007 Share Posted April 28, 2007 Wow, I am going to have to try this. Thanks for sharing!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady_Sudz Posted May 5, 2007 Share Posted May 5, 2007 is the sls in this the bad stuff??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gypsyjen Posted May 6, 2007 Share Posted May 6, 2007 She's using SLSa, not SLS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smaddox Posted May 6, 2007 Share Posted May 6, 2007 My recipe is somewhat similar, except I don't use cornstarch. Thanks for posting the idea about brushing the molds with cornstarch. I used spray oil on the molds and sometimes the bomb would not release. I will definately try the cornstarch on the molds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantnaturals Posted May 12, 2007 Share Posted May 12, 2007 I don't have the white kaolin clay but I do have bentonite. Do you think I could sub? I have a couple of other bath bomb recipes I'd like to try too but this is the only one that calls for clay.TIA!April Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firegirl Posted May 13, 2007 Author Share Posted May 13, 2007 I don't have the white kaolin clay but I do have bentonite. Do you think I could sub? I have a couple of other bath bomb recipes I'd like to try too but this is the only one that calls for clay.TIA!AprilHmmm I am not sure.. Maybe someone will chime in on that.. I am not very educated on clays.. I will say that it has been a week and a half and my bath bombs are getting harder every day.. I could probably drop one on the floor and it would not break.. I just love this combination of ingredients! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seaglass Candle Posted May 22, 2007 Share Posted May 22, 2007 TWO thumbs up for this recipe!!! :thumbsup: I just made a batch last night and it was SO satisfying! They came right out of the molds nice and firm. I used shea butter and Monkey Farts FO. The hard butter and the clay really seem to be the magic ingredients. This morning, they are still firm and beautiful with no cracking or warts. Washing up my hands after making the batch was fun- lots of foam and my skin felt so smooth! Here's a pic:Thanks again for the awesome recipe!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firegirl Posted May 22, 2007 Author Share Posted May 22, 2007 Wow!! Those look great!!! I am so glad you like it! Your mold is inspiring me to mix it up and try some different shapes! I am very happy that this recipe worked for you. I can't tell you how great mine are coming out. I use the cocoa butter and my tub is not super slippery, but my water feels fantastic! Thanks for sharing your pictures. I was not sure if it was my location (Southern California) with our low humidity that helped. I hope to hear from folks in areas that have struggled with these with their high relative humidity!Teri Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantnaturals Posted June 22, 2007 Share Posted June 22, 2007 Firegirl,Did you ever do percentages on this? Do you know the total weight? TIA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firegirl Posted June 24, 2007 Author Share Posted June 24, 2007 Firegirl,Did you ever do percentages on this? Do you know the total weight? TIAI am sorry.. I never did. I just figured this recipe to make about 12-13 60 mm plastic round ornament sized bath bombs. I just took the best properties from several recipes and came up with this as my favorite mixture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantnaturals Posted June 26, 2007 Share Posted June 26, 2007 Okay, I finally made the recipe! Yea me! I used my humongous molds so the bombs are baseball sized. I hope it doesn't overflow the tub! Anyway, I weighed out all the ingredients from the recipe and this is what I got:1 Cup Baking Soda 8.1 oz1 Cup Epson or Sea Salt 9.3 oz (half Epsom, half brazilian fine sea salts)1/8 cup corn starch .6 oz1/8 cup white Kaolin clay .8 oz2.5 TBL Melted Deodorized Cocoa Butter .85 oz2 TBL Fragrance Oil .8 oz (I used Black Amber & Lavender from Brambleberr)Colorant of your choice (didn't use colorant in this batch)3/4 cup Citric Acid 5.95 oz3/4 cup Sodium Laurel Sulfoacetate 4.55 ozTotal of 30.95 ounces So the percentages are: 26% Baking Soda30% Epsom Salt/Sea Salt Mix2% Corn Starch2.6% Kaolin Clay 2.8% Cocoa Butter2.6% FO 19% Citric Acid15% SLSa Please note that I haven't used the percentages above, just the recipe as stated by Firegirl. I'd like to make larger batches, though, so the percentages will help when I do. Thanks, Firegirl! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firegirl Posted June 26, 2007 Author Share Posted June 26, 2007 Okay, I finally made the recipe! Yea me! I used my humongous molds so the bombs are baseball sized. I hope it doesn't overflow the tub! Anyway, I weighed out all the ingredients from the recipe and this is what I got:1 Cup Baking Soda 8.1 oz1 Cup Epson or Sea Salt 9.3 oz (half Epsom, half brazilian fine sea salts)1/8 cup corn starch .6 oz1/8 cup white Kaolin clay .8 oz2.5 TBL Melted Deodorized Cocoa Butter .85 oz2 TBL Fragrance Oil .8 oz (I used Black Amber & Lavender from Brambleberr)Colorant of your choice (didn't use colorant in this batch)3/4 cup Citric Acid 5.95 oz3/4 cup Sodium Laurel Sulfoacetate 4.55 ozTotal of 30.95 ouncesSo the percentages are:26% Baking Soda30% Epsom Salt/Sea Salt Mix2% Corn Starch2.6% Kaolin Clay2.8% Cocoa Butter2.6% FO19% Citric Acid15% SLSaPlease note that I haven't used the percentages above, just the recipe as stated by Firegirl. I'd like to make larger batches, though, so the percentages will help when I do.Thanks, Firegirl! You are so welcome! I sure hope you enjoy them as much as my family and friends are! I think I posted that I add 1 tsp of water as well for those in the drier climates. This seems to help minimize the spritzing a bit.. I am in Southern California and it is drier than a popcorn fart down here! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ah-soy Posted June 26, 2007 Share Posted June 26, 2007 Quick question...do you find that the oils/butters in this kill or reduce the bubbles? I was reading through some threads and some said this will happen. Sure would like to have a bomb that bubbles and moisturizes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firegirl Posted June 26, 2007 Author Share Posted June 26, 2007 Quick question...do you find that the oils/butters in this kill or reduce the bubbles? I was reading through some threads and some said this will happen. Sure would like to have a bomb that bubbles and moisturizes!nope.. with the added SLSA you will have loads of bubbles! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantnaturals Posted June 28, 2007 Share Posted June 28, 2007 As an afterthought, I think the best size for these bombs is the 60mm or smaller. The bombs I made over the weekend are just way too big not only for drying time but for sheer bubbling power!BTW I made mine on Saturday (I think) and they still aren't completely dry. *sigh* I'll try again this weekend with the smaller size and let youi know how it goes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firegirl Posted June 29, 2007 Author Share Posted June 29, 2007 As an afterthought, I think the best size for these bombs is the 60mm or smaller. The bombs I made over the weekend are just way too big not only for drying time but for sheer bubbling power!BTW I made mine on Saturday (I think) and they still aren't completely dry. *sigh* I'll try again this weekend with the smaller size and let youi know how it goes.Thanks so much for the update! I am always open for some modifications or improvements so that we can all enjoy a better recipe! I found that the 60mm mold was just right for my jacuzzi sized tub, so you can go even smaller for a regular tub. HTHTeri Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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