We all have the best intentions when it comes to shopping for gifts during the holiday season. Some are lucky and are able to buy everything they need a few weeks before Christmas; but for the other 99.9%, there will always be someone you forgot to add to your list or who are just plain hard to shop for.
Enter the bath bomb!
They're cute, trendy, can predict what Hogwarts house you belong in, and will transform your bath into a fizzy constellation of colors and lovely smells.
It's the perfect gift for anyone who wants a mini spa experience in their own home.
And they're fairly inexpensive and easy to make. All you really need is baking soda and citric acid, which are the two ingredients responsible for the bubbling show.
Get creative and mix up colors, shapes and scents. It's also a fun activity for the kids while they wait for Santa.
Holiday bath bombs
Ingredients:
• One cup baking soda.
• 1/2 cup citric acid (we found this at Walmart in the canning section for about $3.50).
• 1/3 cup epsom salt
• 1/3 cup corn starch
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• One tablespoon water
• One teaspoon essential oil (check to make sure it's safe on skin).
• Food coloring
• Baking sheet
• Molds (we used cookie cutters, but anything from ice trays to candy molds will do).
We modified this recipe from A Beautiful Mess.
In a large mixing bowl, combine baking soda, citric acid, epsom salt and corn starch. Add coconut oil to the dry mixture and incorporate. Slowly add water and stir immediately, this is very important as adding the water too fast will activate the citric acid and baking soda. Next, add a few drops of whatever food coloring you like and stir again; the mixture should resemble damp sand.
We divided our mixture and created different hues using food coloring.
Once everything is combined, use a baking sheet to line out your molds. Fill in molds by lightly packing them with your mixture. Let set for 10 to 15 minutes.
Add your mixture to molds. We used a some cookie cutters found in our baking cabinet.
Carefully remove the mold; if your bath bomb crumbles, try adding just a little more water and try again. Let your newly-formed creation dry overnight before you gift it or use in your own bathtub.
Enjoy!
Fizz up with these homemade bath bombs.
