The First Attempt to Make Bath Bombs (aka Bath Fizzies)

I love the bath bombs from Lush.  However, they are expensive, and I'm cheap.  The general consensus on the 'net  is that bath bombs aren't hard to make, but there is a learning curve for getting the moisture and ingredient levels right.  Even better, most people say fails are still usable for the most part, just not pretty.

After sending away for the only ingredient I could not find on hand, the citric acid powder, and a round mold, the experimenting began.  My first attempts are NOT pretty.

Three different recipes

These were all supposed to be balls, but I could only get one out of the mold without splitting.  The extra half was just leftovers.  You know why they cracked?  According to internet sources, they are either too wet or not wet enough.  Oh, that helps.  What matters, however, is whether they work, right?

Yes!  This one did anyway.  It fizzed, gave off a beautiful orange citrus fragrance, and floated.  I really don't care about the floating, but some people apparently do care.  The only downside was that I had way too much oil in it.  I have a big tub, see: 

I made a BIG bath bomb.  I think the recipe was meant for making lots of smaller ones.  I felt like I was floating in a lovely smelling, ecologically acceptable version of the Valdez spill.  On the bright side, my skin looks freaking wonderful.  Cleaning the residual oil left in the tub: not wonderful.  I'll try using 1/4 of a ball next time.

Will I do it again?  For sure. I'm a sucker for bath products, take a lot of baths, and have trouble parting with money as mentioned earlier. Getting the oil situation in control will make mine just as enjoyable as the expensive Lush versions.