Add a Bang to Your Bath: Homemade Explosive Bath Bombs

 Aug 26,2022

What the bath bomb is made of

bath bombs are usually made from three key ingredients: baking soda, citric acid, and cornstarch. Often, bath bombs also include dyes and perfumes, and sometimes they have Epsom salt.

The fizziness of bath bombs comes from the chemical reactions that happen when baking soda and citric acid come into contact with water. Baking soda, or sodium bicarbonate, has the chemical formula NaHCO3. In water, baking soda quickly dissolves, and the positively charged sodium (Na+) breaks apart from negatively charged bicarbonate (HCO3-).

How Does it Work?

The “bomb” aspect of a bath bomb is the fizziness. But what’s going on in those spheres that make them so fizzy? Two of the key ingredients to a bath bomb are citric acid and sodium bicarbonate. You might also know sodium bicarbonate by its more common name, baking soda. These two ingredients are what cause the impressive and delightful fizz when the bath bomb enters the water.
When sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) comes in contact with water, the sodium (Na) molecules break off from the bicarbonate (HCO3). At the same time, the citric acid is dissolving, with a single hydrogen ion (H+) separating from the rest of the molecule. When the released hydrogen ion from the citric acid encounters the bicarbonate from the baking soda another reaction happens! This time, carbon dioxide (CO2) gas is released as one of the end products. The carbon dioxide forms bubbles in the soap and bath water, and rushes to the surface with a delightful fizz.

What causes bath bombs to fizz?

Bath bombs fizz when water triggers a reaction between an acid and a neutralising substance known as a ‘base’. Many bath bombs contain citric acid, as found in citrus fruits, and sodium bicarbonate, which is a weak base. The dry chemicals are stable, but in water they react together to produce carbon dioxide bubbles (fizz) and, as a by-product, sodium citrate salt. The reaction helps to break up the bath bomb, releasing fragrances, detergents and oils.

Here are key factors affecting bath bomb fizz:

Baking soda to citric acid ratio - Balanced ratio optimizes fizz
Particle size - Finer particles have more surface area to react
Humidity - Moisture starts reaction prematurely
Water temperature - Hotter accelerates reaction, cooler prolongs it
Water hardness - Minerals in hard water reduce bubbles
Binders like cornstarch - Help retain carbon dioxide
Packing density - Loosely packed fizzes more
Surfactants - Generate foam and bubbles
Getting the formulation and storage right is key for desired fizz intensity.

How to make explosive bath bombs at home

Homemade explosive bath salts balls at home, easy and quick way to make way, and readily available materials and environmental protection, three to the monotony of daily cleaning work full of fun, both pure and fresh and sweet atmosphere to relax, more pure natural plant energy nourish the skin, four to material itself can clean oil and soap scum, bubble bath and clean bath crock, really is a lot of good.

1. Prepare the materials

Baking soda, anhydrous citric acid, corn flour (or potato flour), cold pressed vegetable oil, essential oil, flower flour (can be added or not), mold, electronic scale, stainless steel basin, gloves.

2. Formula ratio

Baking soda: anhydrous citric acid: cornmeal = 2:1:1

3. Production method

(1) Put on gloves, mix anhydrous citric acid and corn flour and rub well.

(2) Add baking soda and stir well. You can rub and stir as you did in the beginning

(3) Randomly add a little grass powder (such as rose powder, combrosia powder, wormwood powder, green Dai powder, etc.) to adjust the color, some color materials may dirty the bathtub, so please consider carefully whether to add.

(4) After stirring evenly, add cold pressed vegetable oil such as sweet almond oil, which is 1% of the total powder amount, and then mix it into the compound oil required by yourself (the concentration of essential oil is 1%).

(5) All materials are mixed evenly, when the hand knead into a block will not immediately spread, it can be into the mold.The mold can choose cheap and easy to use PVC mold or jelly cup, a small piece of weight suitable for a bath.The trick is to press as hard as you can!It is best to add layer after layer.

If it is a three-dimensional round or heart bath ball mold, the mold is more difficult to enter.Can be half pressed into concave half made convex, and then the concave half from the top down tightly buckle convex, the success rate will increase.To prevent expansion and bursting, wrap plastic wrap around the tight mold.

(6) Wait patiently for 30 minutes, you can demoulding, if it is not urgent, or afraid that the bath ball will turn into bath powder after demoulding, it is better to put it on for 1 day and then demoulding.

(7) Bath salt ball molding after demoulding, placed in a ventilated place for a day, and then can be wrapped with plastic wrap or put into a sealed jar, so as not to wet loose.

4. Precautions

Some formulas will add Epsom salt, Epsom salt will produce a rotating effect to make the bath salt ball thrown into the water more interesting, but can not be used with foaming powder.Epsom salt defoaks, and the more you add, the faster it goes, so for lasting bubbles, don't add Epsom salt or sea salt to the recipe.

If you're looking to buy in bulk, Alibaba or wholesalers might be a good option. Boymay, as a bath bomb manufacturer from China, accepts wholesale and OEM orders. Feel free to Contact us for cooperation discussions.

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