Fizzy Bath Bombs

Bath Bombs are a  popular and fun bath item. Plus, a bonus is that they can be beneficial to the skin as well, depending on the ingredients used to create them. The basic ingredients for bath bombs are citric acid and baking soda. In addition to these two ingredients, oils and / or butters are added, along with fragrance and color.

Basic Recipe:
1 part citric acid (1 cup)
2 parts baking soda (2 cups)
Witch Hazel in a spray bottle
Color
Fragrance

Blend the citric acid and baking soda. It is of utmost importance to blend these two ingredients extremely well. Failing to do so will result in a grainy bath bomb. This doesn't hurt the bath bomb or make it unusable, it just makes it less pretty.
After blending the citric acid and baking soda, add your colorant. Dry colors work best, however, liquids can also be used, but, you run the risk of setting off the fizz trigger and once that happens, you can't stop it. Color tends to show up after the witch hazel is added, so, don't get too carried away. Add the fragrance, according to personal taste, keeping in mind that the bath bomb will be adding fragrance to a tub full of water, so, will dilute considerably.
Now, for the trickiest part. Spritz the dry ingredients you have just mixed with Witch Hazel, mixing as you spritz to moisten evenly. Be careful!!! Too much will start the fizzing!!! When the mixture is just moist enough to stick together when you squeeze some in your hand, it is good enough. Time to put it in the mold. You can use any type of plastic mold, according to whatever size you want. Press the mixture firmly into the mold cavity, pressing as much as you can into it. Turn mold over and gently tap the bottom to remove the bomb from the mold. If it falls apart, you may need to add a wee bit more witch hazel. Work quickly tho because once the mixture starts to dry out, it will harden and you will not be able to get it to stick together.
You can also use a meatball maker to make round bath bombs. Once  you have the mixture ready for the mold, simply use the meatball maker, scooping up an excess amount of mixture, to allow for sufficient mixture for compression.
Allow bombs to air dry for 24 - 48 hours.

To make a more moisturizing bath bomb, you can add oils and or butters to your recipe. Using the basic recipe, add 1- 2 Tablespoons of Almond Oil or melted Cocoa Butter to the well mixed citric acid and baking soda mixture and proceed with the recipe. You will notice that you don't need as much Witch Hazel since the oils and butters help the mixture stick together.  **When adding oils or butters to your bath bombs, residual oil may lay on the bottom of the tub after the water has been drained, creating a slippery condition. PLEASE keep this in mind and use necessary caution when using your bath bombs. I recommend cleaning the tub immediately after using an oil rich bath bomb to resolve slippery conditions.

Additional ingredients can be added to bath bombs to make them prettier. Colored sugar sprinkles or glitter are a couple popular choices.  SLS Powder can also be added if you want a Bubble Bath Bomb. Just add 4 Tablespoons of SLS powder to the basic recipe. Bath bombs which contain oil do not bubble as much as the basic bath bomb, so, if you want lots of bubbles, skip the oil.

Bombs away!!!!! Here is a picture of some Beach Ball Bath Bombs I made this past Summer.