These homemade sticks of pampered bliss will instantly turn an ordinary bath into a rich and relaxing spa experience. They are easy to make and smell incredible, and are the perfect way to show a special someone just how much you care. Time to drop the love bomb.
08
TNT BATH BOMB
SKILL LEVEL:
EASY
INTERMEDIATE
ADVANCED
APPROXIMATE TIME:
45 minutes
WHAT YOU’LL NEED:
+ ¼ cup baking soda
+ ⅛ cup Epsom salt (or sea salt)
+ ⅛ cup citric acid
+ ⅛ cup cornstarch
+ 1½ teaspoons vegetable oil
+ 12–15 drops red food coloring
+ 1 teaspoon water
+ Measuring cups
+ Bowl with lid
+ Paracord or string
+ PVC tubing, ½ inch wide by 3½ inches tall
+ Essential oil for fragrance (optional)
PRO TIP: Vegetable oil works great, but bonus points if you use castor oil instead. And if you don’t have PVC tubing, a toilet paper roll will do the trick.
LET’S BEGIN
MIXING YOUR INGREDIENTS
1. Combine the baking soda, Epsom salt, cornstarch, and citric acid in your mixing bowl.
2. Pop the lid on the bowl and shake it as hard as you can for around twenty seconds.
FUN FACT: Citric acid, or sour salt, is made from ground-up citrus fruits, and is the stuff on sour candy that makes your lips pucker up when you eat them. You can find it at health food stores or online.
3. In a smaller container (like a shot glass), combine the oil and water.
4. Now add ½ teaspoon of the essential oil you want for fragrance and relaxation. This is a matter of personal preference. Eucalyptus smells great and makes your skin tingle.
PRO TIP: Try taking your aromas to the next level by mixing fifteen drops of eucalyptus, five drops of peppermint, and twenty drops of lavender.
5. Now add your food coloring. Fifteen drops of red is enough to turn your bath bomb pink without having to worry about it staining your skin or your bathtub. Mix with something like a toothpick.
6. Add your wet mixture to the dry mixture. When combined the concoction will begin to fizz. To minimize this effect, try stirring the powder continuously while slowly dribbling the oil into the mixture. Mix all the liquid into the powder and then put the lid back on and give it another twenty seconds of vigorous shaking.
FORMING YOUR BATH BOMB
1. Cut a seven-inch piece of string or paracord. Tie a simple knot as close to the end as you can get it.
PRO TIP: If you want, you can tie a tiny secret surprise onto the string and have it pop out in the bath once everything dissolves.
2. For the mold, use a piece of PVC tubing. Cut a piece of paper so it is just wider than the tube is tall, then roll it up and push it down into the center of your mold. When you let go, it will expand and fill the inside of the tube completely.
3. Hold the tube upright on a tabletop and carefully spoon the colored compound into the center, one scoop at a time. As it gets near the top you will need to firmly compact the mixture back down to the bottom with something blunt, like the butt of a hammer.
4. Continue filling the tube. When it is almost full, poke a small hole in the center and shove the string halfway down inside.
5. Using the butt of your hammer, ram the mixture slowly and carefully on either side of the string to help secure the rope in place, then press the other edges down. This recipe will give you just enough powder to fill the tube all the way to the top.
6. When it is packed down as hard as you can get it, move the container to the freezer and let it sit for fifteen minutes.
THE FINISHING TOUCHES
1. Once your bath bomb is done freezing it’s time to remove it from the tube. Using the butt of the hammer, apply firm and constant pressure at the base of the bomb. The package should pop out cleanly and in one piece. Remove the paper and you’ve got a cool little bath bomb ready for use.
2. To make it a touch more professional, add a custom label with a bit of glue at the bottom tab.
TO USE
Simply toss your bath bomb into a tub full of water. The citric acid will react with the baking soda to rapidly release carbon dioxide gas, instantly infusing the bath with color, fragrance, and relaxation. For a moment in time, you or a special someone will be immersed in a blissful utopia of rejuvenation.
ROMANCE, SHMOMANCE: There’s no rule that your bath bombs need to be pink or romantic. You can use blue food coloring and a novelty ice cube mold to make any bath detonator, like an exploding Death Star!
This TNT Bath Bomb may be a great way to unwind and pamper yourself or someone else, but remember, most important, it’s all about the bomb, baby!
