When making bath bombs...

[Barnaby]

does anyone here mix and wet their their dry ingredients minus the citric acid? I would think it's better to dampen sodium bicarbonate and perhaps epsom salt before adding the citric acid to help avoid the possible fizzing action. If anyone can attest to this being a better method please tell. I'm obviously a newbie to this:embarasse and want to make a very solid bath bomb.

Also, I want to use vanilla as part of a scent in my soaps and bombs but am unsure of the best option if I want it natural. Can I use extract? Or would it be better to use the seeds from a pod? Any advice would be helpful.

[gloworm]

I'm a newbie bomb maker also. Just did first two batches today but they seemed to come out fine. Drying them now. My recipe said to do just what you are suggesting. Mixed salts,baking soda,corn starch together well then FO and any oil called for(a hand whisk worked great). Then slsa & then citric real quick. I had no fizzing at all but we have a wood burner in my soap room so that keeps it nice & dry down there. Used a meatballer which was a little tricky at first but after a few I figured it out. Now if they dry hard and don't crumble I'll be in business.

HTH

GLO

[Melly]

I always add my citric last and move fast when I add it. Dont use vanilla extract, the only natural vanilla I can think of that would scent is vanilla absoloute, and its PRICEY, if you want vanilla , use FO, there are lots of other natural choices availalbe with other scents.

[Barnaby]

Tremendous thanks Melly and Gloworm:bow:

Still unsure of whether I want to add cornstarch to the bath bombs though. There seems to be two schools of thought on whether or not cornstarch can help induce yeast infection if used in bath products. Logic tells me that in all likelihood that is nonsense. Perhaps there is a small contingent of people who might experience this but it seems silly when you think they use cornstarch in baby powders etc. I have already made one batch of bombs using just sodium bicarbonate, epsom salts, and citric acid for the base. The bombs turned out lovely except I noticed they had inperfections such a small cracks and a little bit of pitting on them. I know this is not normal as most bath bombs I see in retail environments have pretty smooth surfaces aside from the seamline. I wonder if the cornstarch could help me achieve a smoother surface?

What is the primary reason for using cornstarch in a bath bomb anyway? Does it help in creating a more solid bomb?

Thanks again.

[Melly]

Helps it hold together, adding more seems to sometimes help prevent humidity reactions, and its cheap filler. I used alot of bath bombs when I was testing and never had a problem, all had cornstarch in them. Any bath product a female uses in excess will cause a yeast infection. Some females are just more prone to it then others, if you are selling make sure you put a warning on them that if any irritation occurs to discontinue use .

[KMommy]

I agree with Melly. I think some females are just more prone to the infection than others. They are probably more likely to read warning labels when using bath products so I think the corn starch would be ok. I did read some information concerning corn starch and talc. Seems that there is a link between talc and certain forms of cancer. So some people choose to use corn starch instead in powder products. If you notice that there is a concern with your customers regarding the corn starch you could offer some bombs without it.