melharma Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 Hi, I have been trying desperately to make bath bombs and every one I do it sinks. Here's the basic recipe I used:2.50oz baking soda1.25oz citric acid1.25oz cornstarch.30oz olive oilThis is the last recipe I tried today and I made one about 5 hours ago. I am very impatient and wanted to try it right aways so I put it under a fan to dry faster :smiley2:, and I plopped it in my tub only after 5 hours drying time. So It's definitely a possibility I screwed it up by not letting it dry. I'm going to make another one tonight and let it dry for a full 24 hours, but I wanted to see if anyone has any ideas in the meantime...like I said I'm very impatient. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallTayl Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 it may float better after a good cure. I don't generally worry about floating or sinking if they otherwise perform well. Those that I've made which floated used Witch Hazel as the moistening agent. These generally fizzed with a lot of vigor and fizzed out very quickly (90-120 seconds for 4 oz spheres) IME. slight hijack - When using oils in bath bombs, you may find benefit from a little emulsifier to keep the oil from forming a layer on the surface of the tub water. E-Wax, Poly 20 or 80, or even BTMS should work well. The emulsifiers may also help prevent the ring around the tub after the tub drains. End hijack. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melharma Posted October 21, 2011 Author Share Posted October 21, 2011 So, I tried another one after letting it dry for 24 hours. This time it floated for about 1/4 of the time then sank. I'm wondering if it's because it was drier on the outside? Is 24 hours enough time to dry these little buggers? Also, I had this one crack all over on me, is there any way to prevent this? Thanks everyone!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallTayl Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 24 hours is unlikely to be enough to cure the moisture out of the center. I'd go several days longer - esp before packaging.Cracking can be from a number of factors: drying too quickly, too much moisture added to the mix before molding, humidity in the air when curing, humidity in the raw ingredients drawing moisture and causing the reaction within the bath bomb... the list goes on and on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lsbennis Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 I could never get any of my bath bombs to float either, sank straight to the bottom! Do they need to float? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallTayl Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 a lot of the ones I have purchased, whether made commercially or hand crafted, sink. IIRC, one purchased from L*sh floated, but didn't really 'fizz' as much as melt and ooze colors. Kind of a drag really.Looking back, the oil I've been most pleased with without having to use an emulsifier was sulfated castor (Turkey Red/TRO). TRO is the only water miscible oil. It's also nice because it will help emulsify other oils, such as fragrance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asheebeans Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 Mine sink right to the bottom everytime, but fizz like crazy. I guess I never thought about them floating--just fizzing! LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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