Learn how to DIY Bath Bombs easy with this step-by-step tutorial. You’ll be enjoying a relaxing bath in no time!
Though I don’t do it nearly often enough, one of my favorite ways to decompress after a long week (or sometimes a long day) is to pour a glass of wine, light some candles, and hop into the tub. To make the experience even more special, I toss one of these DIY bath bombs into the water. The fizzy bubbles, essentials oils, and beneficial minerals are a treat for the senses.
Today, I’m going to show you how you can create your own custom DIY Bath Bombs at home. If you’re anything like me, maybe having these on hand will encourage you to decompress a bit more frequently.
In an effort to bring some relaxation into my home and create a spa-like experience whenever I needed it, I decided to make my own DIY Bath Bombs.
Now, if you’re feeling intimidated by this process, don’t be. These bath bombs are so simple to make and really easy to customize. Let me show you.
First, gather all of your ingredients. I found everything online and linked things up below to make it easy for you. (This post contains affiliate links.)
Homemade Bath Bombs Shopping List:
- baking soda
- citric acid
- epsom salt
- cornstarch
- coloring pigment
- almond oil
- essential oils
- bath bomb molds
How Do you Make DIY Bath Bombs?
Begin by measuring out and whisking together your dry ingredients in a large bowl. I used a coloring pigment for my diy bath bombs. Since it’s a dry pigment, you’ll want to include that in this step. Add as little or as much as you’d like to achieve the color you prefer.
Next, in a small cup, mix together the wet ingredients. This is also where you’ll add the essential oils. You can get essential oils almost anywhere these days. I recommend shopping for these in person so you can find a scent you like. My favorite oils come from Young Living.
Also, pay attention to the benefit each oil offers. I made three different varieties. The purple bath bomb has an oil for stress relief, the blue prompts sleep, and the yellow promotes joy.
The next step is very important. You need to add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. You’ll want to do this very slowly, adding little drops at a time while mixing.
The citric acid is what causes the bath bombs to fizz when it comes into contact with water. Adding the wet ingredients slowly minimizes this affect, allowing you to create the ball.
Once mixed, you’re ready to mold. I picked up these bath bomb molds to create a ball shape. However, you can use things like a cupcake pan or silicon mold to achieve different shapes and sizes.
For this round mold, fill each half, packing it in slightly until it’s overflowing. Then, firmly press the halves together. Let the mold sit for one minute. Once set, tap the mold and pull it apart.
You’ll want to let the bath bombs dry for at least 24 hours before you create your own mini spa in your tub.
It’s that easy!
How long do Homemade Bath Bombs Last?
I’d say you’d want to use these DIY Bath bomb within about 6 months.
I liked to keep mine stored in a moisture-free clear glass jar.
DIY Bath Bombs
If you like this DIY project, you may enjoy these too:
- DIY Beeswax Candles
- Homemade Felt Ball Coasters
- Tassel Garland DIY
- No-Sew Burlap Table Runner
- DIY Vertical Herb Garden
If you have yet to make or even experience a bath bomb, I definitely recommend giving it a try.
What I really love about making these DIY bath bombs at home is that you can customize the oils and colors to create the best experience for you. Whether you want to relax, sleep more easily, or feel inspired, just changing a few things will help you achieve the mood you’re after.
These DIY bath bombs also make a great gift. Wrap up a few with a bottle of wine and a couple candles for the ultimate treat.
DIY Bath Bomb Recipe:
DIY Bath Bombs
Ingredients
- 1 cup baking soda
- 1/2 cup citric acid
- 1/2 cup epsom salt
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- coloring pigment - optional
- 2 1/2 tablespoons almond oil - or melted coconut oil
- 3/4 tablespoon water
- 12-15 drops essential oil
- Bath bomb molds
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, mix together all of the dry ingredients. Add as much or as little color pigment to achieve desired look. Whisk to combine.
- In a separate small bowl, mix together the wet ingredients.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones very slowly. (This is very important; otherwise you will activate the citric acid which is used to create the fizzing affect.) Mix until combined, and the ingredients look like wet sand.
- Fill each half of the mold, packing the mixture in slightly until it's overflowing. Press the halves together firmly. Let the filled mold sit for one minute. Lightly tap the mold and gently pull it apart to remove the bath bomb. Let the bath bombs dry for 24 hours before enjoying in the tub.
My boyfriend and I made some bath bombs when I was at his this summer. We tried one and we loved it. It’s really easy to make, and really not expensive. And I agree with you: it makes a wonderful gift.
xx
Renaud | http://xxmuchlove.blogspot.com
Roughly how many bath bombs does this make?
We just finished making some of these, amazing by the way! We used a number 2 mould and it made approx 5 per batch.
I found the comments to be more helpful than the post itself. I regret not reading them first or i would have done the citric acid last or used rubbing alcohol vs water. Like many other people mine won’t come out of the mold and split in half. Left to form them free hand which obviously is not pretty.
So cute! I love baths and I had no idea these were so easy to make. I’ll definitely try this out for myself and as gifts. Thanks Michael!
Where do I find the dry color pigment ingredients?
There’s a link to the pigments I used in the post above.
xo Michael
Hi there–I can’t get the link for pigments to work on either my old Chrome laptop or my brand new Edge one. Could you please just name the exact pigment you use here with enough details I can find it–brand, type, size, etc? Not sure why neither computer can get to it. It just says: “Sorry, we couldn’t find that page (with a dog illustration). Try searching or go to Amazon’s home page”. Thanks very much–I want to get the right kind the first time as yours are so nice & just what I want! Thanks!
Hi Barb! Thanks so much for bringing this to my attention. It looks like Amazon no longer sells the specific ones I used. However, I did find a substitution. (Basically the same thing just a different brand / seller.) The link above has been updated.
xo Michael
How many bombs does this recipe make? Thanks
I could totally imagine a bath bomb inspired by Carnivals Kiss on the Lips or Miami Vice cocktail. I’ll have to try your recipe with the tips from the tutorial at https://gospaces.com/blog/how-to-make-bath-bombs to make something special. Great post!
I got the liquid color instead of the powder on will it still work
hey ashley! yes it should still wrk, just maybe mix it with your wet ingredients and add a bit less than you would with the powder. its all up to you though.
xo
Does this recipe make the bath water turn the color of the pigment, or does it just make the bath bomb a pretty color?
Hey there! Yes, it will change the color of the bath water. The intensity of the color will depend on how much pigment you put into the mix.
xo Michael
I followed all directions and measurements to the dot Nd they looked great when we took them out of the molds to dry but after a few minutes they started slowlt bubbling and expanding! How do we prevent this??
This means that the citric acid is reacting to the liquid too fast. What i always do is mix the dry ingredients minus the citric acid, mix in the liquid, and then after its all mixed together perfectly i add the citric acid. That way no liquid is activating the citirc acid.
You should definitely re write the recipe and directions that includes this tip because I just ruined a huge batch of bath bombs for an event simply because I didn’t see this tip until I scrolled through the comments.
I write cookbooks as well so I understand the process of writing each little step that you do, it’s tedious but when I’m sharing a recipe with someone else I want to ensure that they do it correctly the first time to avoid wasting ingredients, time, and money.
Help. I added the citric acid after the wet ingredients like the comments suggested and yet my mixture is STILL foaming up. Is there a way to save it? If I start over… what do I do?
The humidity might be too high. Check it. I live in the Pacific Northwest, and I must use a dehumidifier to keep my mix dry.
Great post, ? This is definitely one I’ll be trying this week. I love bath bombs but never thought I could make my own ones. I usually just buy but this has inspired me to get cracking!
The best part about making them is that you can customize them to your liking. Have fun crafting!
xo Michael
Uhhhh. What are the measurements?
Hi, thank you for the bath bomb recipe. I’m a little confused by the “3/4 tablespoon” of water measurement. Will you please clarify? Thanks!
The recipe is very sensitive to water. Too much will make the ingredients activate and your bombs won’t sent. So only use 3/4ths of a tablespoon. How that helps.
xo Michael
Hi, You probably long ago got your own answer to this, but in case you never did and it’s stopping you from making these–there are 3 teaspoons in 1 tablespoon. One-fourth of 3 tsp. is 3/4 of a teaspoon. So, 3/4 of a tablespoon (equaling 3 teaspoons) is 2 1/4 teaspoons. You could do two tsp. + one 1/4 tsp. I had to stop and figure too.
It’s better to use rubbing alcohol instead of the water, as it won’t activate the ingredients, and will actually help the bombs to dry out a bit faster (24 hours)
Great tip, Tom! I’ll give this a try!
xo Michael
I wonder if witch hazel could be another alternative?
Yes I have used witch hazel and it works fine, just use a spray bottle and add a little bit at a time until you get the texture soft enough to mold, but not mushy. I don’t think it matters much if you use alcohol or witch hazel as long as you add it slowly enough so it doesn’t start to fizz. I completely omitted water from my recipe, too. I live in Portland and it takes two full days for them to dry before they can be moved or touched. So keep in mind humidity plays a big role in how quickly they dry and if you touch them before they are totally cured, they will fall apart.
I’d love to make these for Christmas gifts and maybe one or two for myself. Having never used one, do they need to be used in a certain amount of time, or are they good for a long time? Do they need to be wrapped or can I leave them sitting out?
Great questions! I would try to use them within a year. I have mine sitting out because they are pretty, but realize that the scent may dissipate overtime. It’s probably best to store them in a contain with a lid. Hope that helps! 🙂
xo Michael
They’re good for about 6 months. But remember as all ingredients have expiration dates, it’s best to keep them in air tight bags to prevent them from losing the fizz. 🙂
Would it work to use liquid food colouring instead of the dry colouring pigment?
I haven’t tried it with liquid food coloring. You could try, but I can’t guarantee any specific results.
xo Michael
I did…..didnt mix well at all
If you mix the liquid food colouring with the wet ingredient it works well. Otherwise it takes a lot and needs a lot of work.
I mixed liquid food colouring with my water. Worked great!
Mine kept expanding with food coloring, I think this maybe is what went wrong…
Did you use liquid food color? You need to use the dry pigment. Liquid food coloring will not work.
xo Michael
In theory food colouring would work (if you mix it with the liquid ingredients), though you need to consider that food colouring isn’t necessarily skin safe. you can purchase skin-safe, liquid colourants from soapmaking suppliers. if you plan on making these on a regular basis, i would definitely consider those!
For the recipe provided, how many bath bombs of your size mold, will this yield?
Hey, to Whitney above! For some reason the page won’t let me reply to you directly, but I wanted to let you know that I’ve tried food coloring in a similar recipe and it worked out just fine. If you know you want it lighter in color, just keep an eye on how many drops you’re using, because 1) you’ll need to mix it in like crazy to see how bright the color ends up being, and 2) it’s likely going to be a more intense shade more quickly than with powder pigments.
Also, keep in mind that most food coloring is water-based, so don’t add all of it in one spot without whisking it quickly. Otherwise, you’ll end up with a lot of foaming in that area, because chemistry!
We used liquid food coloring & added it to the epsom salts before mixing them into the rest of the dry mix. It worked great and we ended up with a soft colored bath bomb. It was much easier than trying to mix it directly into the entire dry mixture. I had looked at soap dye but found that it was basically food coloring so why buy something else, right?
What size mold did you use to yield 4 bath bombs?
Thank you very much, Michael – your beautiful photos and enthusiasm is really inspirational for me.
I have (and use) bath salts and sugar scrubs and have ALWAYS wanted to make bath bombs. I buy them occassionally at Lush (love me some Lush!) but they’re so expensive!
I am excited to give this a try, thanks again.
Does the oil in these make a greasy film at the waterline on the tub or when draining out? HATE scrubbing bath oils off the tub! Thanks!
Not that I really noticed. There’s such a small amount in each ball there might be a tiny bit, but nothing bothersome.
xo Michael
what is a pigment?
It’s what gives the bath bombs their color.
xo Michael
will thefoodcoloring stain the tub?
I’ve had no issues with staining. If you’re worried, just use a very small amount for a hint of color.
xo Michael
Amazing post. Loved it 🙂 Surely gonna try it in the weekend!
Where did you get the bomb molds???
Hi there! You can click on the word “bath bomb” in the recipe. It’s a link to the source.
xo Michael
My bath bombs wouldn’t stop expanding… not sure what went wrong?
I know this is a little late but i had the same problem when using this recipe and then some of them would start to react while they was drying.. i wasted a ton of money having to redo them and it was frustrating cause i had some that wanted to stick to the molds or both halves didnt want to stick together. The mixture is so wet that it’s fizzing, which causes it to expand. Use witch hazel instead of water, and avoid any colors or fragrances with water.
Hi. I molded them in clear plastic molds. Took them out and laid them to dry. They started to sink down and crumble after a couple hours. Any tip?
That typically means you used to much liquid.
xo Michael
Don’t add any water. Substitute water in recipe with additional oil. It will prevent bath bomb from crumbling. And make sure to leave the bathbomb to dry in the mold for 24 hrs before removing it
Where did you get the bathtub holder at?
It was from a store called Fishs Eddy in New York City.
xo Michael
i made the bath bombs for the first time and am having trouble getting them out of the mold. Should i have used a little bit of coconut oil to season the molds first?
Hmmm. I didn’t. Tapping them very lightly on the counter worked for me.
xo Michael
I had the same issue! I also had issues with the bath bomb splitting in the middle when trying to get them out. But then I took them out and sprayed a little more water and now they are indenting and not drying right- so added too much water. What’s the trick?! I was fighting my bath bombs….
Same problem
How many estimated bath bombs can be made for all the ingredients you linked in amazon?
Can I use avocado oil in place of the almond oil?
I’m not sure. I recommend the almond oil.
xo Michael
I used coconut oil, the solid sort. The mixture felt like wet sand & even mixing by hand & using food coloring, 2 drops for half a batch, my hands weren’t stained. Finding pigments at a last moments notice – not in this area. I wonder in colored chalk…yet the chalk…. well best for me to follow FOLLOW directions, I can lead myself astray! This IS easy, heck it didn’t take long. UNLESS you have a fan on blowing cornstarch, I made a fun mess…..Thank you for your ideas & I will be around for more!
Hi! I made 8 smaller bath bombs yesterday, running around town like a freak in search of citric acid. I thought it was some scientific additive, ha ha! Anyhow although I used a different recipe which lacked the Epsom salts & switched pigments for food coloring, we shall see. I also purchased a silicone mold for ice in shape of citrus wedgies, so that batch was a lemony euc. I made purple for the lavender & cannot wait to try! I saw above that the citric makes bubbly foamies so maybe I’ll package some for my grandies! Hmm ….thinking that those lemony ones would be perfect for the flea ridden fur-kid! I love it! thank you.
You can use any oil you choose, but with avocado oil which has a stronger scent, you may want to add more essential oil to overpower the smell of the oil….unless you prefer the avocado scent 🙂
Nice!
Hello! How many bath bombs does one batch make and can I use food coloring drops instead of pigment?
I would advise to use the pigment as the drops will add extra liquid which will affect the recipe.
xo Michael
Yes, you can use crystal colorants from Oregon Trail Soapers Supply or food coloring.
Instead of using water which will cause premature fizzing, only use the oil mixture. You can add a bit more oil to make mixture consistency of wet sand. Also, if you leave bath bomb in its mold to dry for 24 hrs, it will help keep it hard for longer. I’ve noticed when using water in mixture, bath bomb tends to crumble more easily
Hi, just wanted to double check that if we use coconut oil, it doesn’t have to be fractionated coconut oil, just normal coconut oil melted? Thanks!
How many bombs does this make? I only have two bombs molds at home and I do not want to waste the ingredients. Thanks!
I forget the exact number, however you just use the mold to form them. So you can make many with one mold.
xo Michael
Hi Michael,
Your bath bombs are so cute and super pretty! I’m excited to try out this recipe. Also I just HAD to mention you on my blog http://www.thebeautyinfoprovider.com . Drop by soon? See you!
Just wondering how many this recipe yields? I am wanting to make them for Christmas but don’t know how much ingredients I need for the amount I want to do.
None of the other bath bomb recipes worked that I tried, and then I did this one, and it worked so well! Very nice bath bombs. I made 6 of them with this mixture.
This is a good recipe. USE IT!!
I love this recipe as well! My only question is “how do you get the bath bomb from leaving a line of colour in the bath tub after draining the water”?
Your bath bomb recipe worked great! Made some with my 7 year old for her science fair project. (Best science fair project I have done – at least the best smelling one!)
Thanks for the links to amazon as well!
These look sooo pretty! Makes me wonder if you ground up your epsom salt before adding it. I’ve seen other recipes that look very textured and rough while your bombs look so smooth and effortless. ❤️❤️❤️
Thanks for sharing this! I want to get all of the supplies and make these immediately! They look like lots of fun to make with the added benefit of destressing!
I just discovered your blog a few months ago. My daughter and I made these bath bombs for Christmas presents & they were a big hit. We used green food coloring & peppermint oil and pressed into a baking pan with shapes of Christmas trees, stars, & snowmen. They turned out really cute! Thank you for the recipe and tips:)
I’m wondering if this is ok to use in a jacuzzi tub.
As long as you can drain the water when you are done, I would assume it would be okay.
xo Michael
I’ve used these in a Jacuzzi before, it’s a really fun idea, but I agree with Michael, in which it does need to be cleaned out afterwards.
Could you mix everything together except add the citic acid last? I wonder if that will be better this way mixing would be faster and you would lose any fix.
I absolutely love to make my own bath bombs! I like that you can control the ingredients you choose to put into them. I am definitely going to make these amazing bath bombs. I use Himalayan bath salt and really like it, so I am thinking about using it instead of Epsom salt. I have heard so much about Himalayan salt benefits for the skin and body.
Thanks for sharing such a nice and simple step by step recipe. I am definitely going to make these bath bombs.
These were fabulous! What a fun DIY. My family loved these homemade bath bombs. Thank you!
Your information is very interesting. Thank you for sharing
I have a similar post which cover ” 19 DIY BATH BOMBS SO EASY YOU’LL NEVER BUY ONE AGAIN”
I am not seeing this. How much of the wet and dry ingredients do we need? I don’t see measurements.
Thanks!!
Excited to try them!!
Kelly
The full “recipe” is towards the end of the post. 🙂
xo Michael
I tried adding the water to all of the dry ingredients EXCEPT the citric acid, then adding the oil and citric acid last of all. This has made a big difference; the bombs I made with that tweak don’t fizz too early and look/feel like store-bought ones.
Homemade bath bombs are so tempting. I would like to add some Shea butter or other moisturizing ingredient. Any suggestions as to how to do that?
If you save adding the dry citric acid until last (when the other wet and dry ingredients are already mixed) you will not have to go super slow to avoid fizz. There is not enough moisture in one place to activate it. You are welcome.
Tried this and it did not work at all. It turns out the PRINTABLE directions do NOT include baking soda. So… yeah. If you could update those instructions, that’d be great. I basically wasted a whole batch of ingredients for nothing. The blog does have baking soda on the shopping list and the on screen instructions but not the printable.
Super sad. I may try these again but not a good first experience.
Sandra,
I’m so sorry to hear this. I double checked and the baking soda is included on the website and the printable recipe. I even tried printing the recipe myself and it’s there. (It’s slightly indented as the first ingredient, so maybe you missed it?)
Hope you have better luck with them next time.
Thanks!
Michael
Mine didn’t work! I don’t know what happened, I followed the instructions….they just keep expanding and bubbling even after 12 hrs.
Tried this recipe tonight. I’m so excited.
This is my first time making bathbombs. I have a helpful idea to share. So I ordered all ingredients to make bathbombs. I received everything but the molds & being to excited to wait for them to come in I racked my brain on what I could use. I pulled out my Easter 🐣 tubs & grabbed me some Easter eggs. Worked beautifully!!! Also you can get 18 plastic Easter eggs for 1.00 online. NO EXPENSIVE MOLDS NECESSARY!! I hope this helps.
I would love to post a picture if someone can tell me how to do that here 😂
This recipe is extremely amazing. I would love to try this.
Dammit, I’ve never seen a fraction of a tablespoon done before so i read 3/4 tablespoons as 3 or 4… My mix messed up so bad!
Hi there,
How many bath bombs can you make with the listed ingredients?
So many ads and beating around the bush, I didn’t even get to the recipe.
Total disaster without measurements listed!
That’s why I listed all of the measurements in the printable recipe card. You should have everything you need.
xo Michael
They look like they’d smell fantastic and look beautiful in the water! I absolutely love bath bombs, simply for the fizzing and the beautiful smell! I do prefer to make them myself because then I can use more quality essential oils which produce a better scent than store bought I think. I like to use lemongrass oil in mine as they smell absolutely fantastic. But I usually keep it at that with no other addition. I don’t even add any colorants as I don’t need it.
Nice post. 🙂
This is my first time trying bath bombs and the wet ingredients were not enough to make the dry ingredients like packed sand. I kept adding melted coconut oil and water until I had the right consistency but right before putting into molds the mixture became fizzy/bubbly and I think it’s ruined 😔
What a tutorial. Nice Job. Very good tutorial. i want to try it at the weekend. Thnkx
We have a citrus allergy in our house. Is there anything we can use instead?
I have a question and I’m not sure its been asked yet. What if I have a nut allergy (I cannot use coconut or almond oil) I have safflower oil. Would that work as well? Or olive oil? Let me know because I would love to be able to make this recipe!
I use jojoba oil instead of coconut oil and it works just fine! I’ve never tried safflower oil, but my sister uses olive oil in hers (a different recipe, though), and olive oil works for her as well.
Amazing well done and I love it thats why I gave you 5 stars
Could you use eye shadow for the colour?
I don’t know. I haven’t tried that.
xo Michael
This is a GREAT recipe and I have made them many, many times!!! Thank you so much for posting it!!!
I did make some modifications: First, no matter how slowly I combined the wet ingredients, it always fizzed so instead, I add the citric acid as the very last step after mixing the wet and other dry ingredients. Second, I found that the success of the molds holding their shape seemed to be related to the relative humidity in my area, so instead of water, I use witch hazel – in the humid summer I use all witch hazel and no water, and in the arid winter I use 1 part water to 2 parts witch hazel. Witch hazel has a strong scent, but I find that by the time it is mixed with the essential oils and the molds dry out, I cannot smell the witch hazel anymore. (And I have given many of these as gifts and received input that others, also, could not detect the witch hazel in the final product.) Third, I prefer jojoba oil so I use that instead of coconut oil, though I can attest that the coconut oil works well – that is just my personal preference.
I modified to what I had on hand, so I used gel food coloring and coconut oil, and actually cooking vanilla. I did, however, measure out the additional liquid instead of the water so it wasn’t too wet. It was probably more forgiving, because I used smaller molds, but ultimately they were adorable and fizzy in the bathtub! I’d guess this is a pretty versatile recipe and plan to try oat flour instead of cornstarch next!
This recipe doesn’t work. I don’t recommend. i used all the correct ingredients and measurements and i spent 3 hours trying to make it work. don’t waste your time😡
I just made them… tested leftovers in water and it sizzles wonderfully… my first bath bombs and they came out great… thanks for staring.
Hello Michael,
Found the recipe to be very great and healthy.
I actually get used to the usual shower gel mostly, yet I think this is going to be a new try for me and my family.
On your word, it is going to give a relaxing bath in no time. 😀
Can you just let me know if I can use anything else instead of baking soda?
Wondering if it may cause some allergy issues.
I like your variation, especially with the orange zest. I recently made some for birthday gifts for some teenage girls and they were a hit.
This recipe did not work. I made the powder and followed the instructions exactly, but it turned out a mess. It was very crumbly and did not stick together, and broke apart into a million pieces even with the lightest touch.
These sound great!!
Love the idea and the DIY sounds fairly easy, I’ll definitely give that a try 🙂 ..I can already smell it in the air
i would like to know if a different oil can be used, like Jojoba oil, since I have this on hand?
Love the idea I’ll definitely give that a try