There’s nothing better than a long soak in the bath when pre-silly season madness starts to take its toll – and now, there’s even a better reason to get in the tub with these simple, DIY bath bombs.

They smell great, will leave your skin feeling like silk and are cheap and easy to make. And if you can save a few before you use them all yourself, DIY bath bombs make a great gift.

I’ve experimented with a few different recipes, and found this to be the one that works for me, but bath bombs also give you the opportunity to flex your creative muscle.  Think about adding fragrant herbs such as lavender, different colours, essential oils and even glitter (not too much!). If you don’t have any dried herbs on hand, I’ve found herbal teas such as peppermint can make a good alternative. (Just be careful not to overdo it – they can clog your drain.) Likewise about food colouring otherwise you’ll come out a different colour then you went in!

BATH BOMBS

Time: 30 mins Makes: 6 medium sized bath bombs

INGREDIENTS

½ cup of baking soda
¼ cup of citric acid (cooking citric acid can be bought from supermarkets, but I’d recommend getting the high quality stuff from a supplier like N-Essentials who ship national wide)

¼ cup of mineral salts (I used Himalayan bath salts from N-Essentials – you can also find them at health shops)

2 teaspoons of water 6 drops of essential oil 2 Tablespoons of vegetable or coconut oil

OPTIONAL EXTRAS

¼ cup of dried flowers such as rose petals Glitter Food colouring (you only need a couple of drops, use sparingly)

MATERIALS Moulds (I found rubber cup cake moulds worked a treat, avoid anything made of tin or metal)

Paper towel Large glass bowl Measuring cups

METHOD 1. Place all dry ingredients into a glass bowl, and combine well. Use glass over aluminum or metal, as sometimes the citric acid can react.

2. Combine all the wet ingredients into a jar and shake well 3. Very VERY slowly add liquid ingredients to dry, a drop or two at a time. If you see foam you are pouring too fast.

 

4. The ingredients will still be quite dry, but resist the temptation to add any more oil or water.

5. Tightly pack mixture into mould – I’ve used flexible rubber muffin moulds

6. Leave in the mould for around half an hour, then gently transfer to some paper towel, and leave to dry for a further hour.  Take note that in humid weather, you might want to leave them for a little longer in the mould.

7. When they’re dry, pop into a clean jar and present with a ribbon, fabric or doily tied around the lid with a ribbon.

Got any tips or tricks I should know about? I’d love to hear about it! Leave a comment below or at facebook.com/darnsexysecondhandtv and Instagram.com/Penelope_quinn

First published on Lifestyle Home