Essential Oil & Epsom Salt Bath Bombs

I love a bath at night time to help me unwind. I have also been reading lately about the health benefits of having Epson salt baths to ease pain and inflammation, help with stress and tension, detoxification and to also to aid digestion. Epsom salt can also assist in blood circulation, aid in wound healing, remove foot odour, soften your skin and increase your strength and stamina. (read more)
I thought this would also be a fun way for my son to receive the benefits of magnesium sulfate & lavender essential oil and help him relax before bedtime. It can sometimes be difficult to encourage him to take a bath ;)



Here is the recipe for some lavender & rosemary bath bombs I made. I used lavender essential oil in these and also added some lavender and rosemary leaves from my garden for a more rustic look. I did use some natural food colouring to make the pale purple colour but this is not necessary. ( Note that there is a water bottle in the photo below because originally I was going to use a different method with witch hazel instead of vegetable oil and forgot to take it out of the photo. )


Recipe:

•      Baking soda
•     Citric acid powder
•     Epsom salt (Magnesium sulfate)
•    Water
•     Vegetable Oil (I used extra virgin olive oil in mine)
•   Essential oils ( I used Lavender in mine)

Optional:

•     Food colouring (natural is best)
•     Dried herbs or flowers 

 Other Equipment:

    • a whisk (or you could use a fork)
    • two small mixing bowls (preferably glass due to use of essential oils)
    • a big mixing bowl (also glass)
    • a measuring cup and measuring spoons
    • plastic or silicon moulds to shape the bombs



[ Step One ]

Mix the dry ingredients according to this ratio: two parts baking soda, one part citric acid powder, one part Epsom salt. (I used two cups of baking soda; one cup of citric acid; and one cup of Epsom salt.)

 [ Step Two ]

In a separate bowl, mix the wet ingredients together. I used about 3-4 tablespoons of vegetable oil, 2-3 teaspoons of essential oil and 1 teaspoon of water. Be careful not to add too much water or your bath bomb will fizz away before it’s even fully formed.

[ Step Three ]

Using a whisk or fork, slowly mix the wet ingredients into the dry mix, one teaspoon at a time. If you pour too much in too quickly, it will start fizzing. If your mixture starts to fizz, add dry ingredients to the fizzing parts to stop the chemical reaction. You could also add a few drops of your food colouring at this point, whisking all the while. Blend everything really well. I used my hands in the end to mix. Your finished mixture should have the consistency of slightly damp sand and should squish in your hands without crumbling (if it doesn’t, add more wet or dry ingredients as needed).  Be careful not to add too much wet ingredients as they will puff and foam up when you put them into the moulds. They should be dryish but still stick together (you will know when it's not right believe me ). If you do add too much wet ingredients you can just add some more dry to make it the right consistency.

[ Step Four ]

Now for the moulds! Grease the insides of your moulds with a single drop of vegetable oil. You won't need to grease them if they are silicon. I actually sprinkled my silicon moulds with some baking soda. I placed some rosemary and lavender leaves and flowers in the bottom on my moulds. Then fill your moulds with the damp sandy mixture. Really pack the stuff in and squish it down. If it is the right consistency and not too wet it won't puff up. If it does seem to puff up put it back into the bowl and add more dry ingredients.



If you don't have moulds you can roll the mixture in your hands to make rustic ball shaped bombs. I made some using the moulds and the rest I rolled into balls.



[ Step Five ]

Take the bath bombs out of the moulds by flipping the molds over and lightly squeezing their sides. If you used silicon moulds without oil to grease you can leave them in and wait for them to dry more.



[ Step Six ]

If you used plastic moulds and greased them with oil then you don’t want these to fizz out at this point, so lightly tap them with a paper towel to soak up some of the dampness, then let them dry out for a while. I rolled mine in some Epsom salt to give it a crystalised look on the outside & to help dry them out more. I then put mine into airtight glass jars. I found that you could still probably use them within a couple of hours but it is probably best still to let them dry out more.

Play around with them. You could add rose petals, glitter or other essential oils for something different.

Thanks hope you enjoyed this post!