Will a bath bomb clean you?

 Dec 08,2022

The base ingredient for bath bombs are
Bicarbonate of soda
Cornflour
Oil (coconut, sunflower, etc.)
Essential Oils (lavender, chamomile, et.c)
Citric acid
Liquid food coloring

Bath bombs' primary ingredients are a weak acid and a bicarbonate base. These are unreactive when dry but react vigorously when dissolved in water to produce their characteristic fizzing over a period of several minutes. This is an acid-base reaction that involves the conversion of citric acid and sodium bicarbonate to monosodium citrate and carbon dioxide:

C₅H₇O₅CO₂H _(aq.) + NaHCO_{3 (aq.)} → C₅H₇O₅CO₂⁻Na⁺_(aq.) + H₂O_(l) + CO_{2 (g)}

The other ingredients in bath bombs can vary considerably. However, most contain scented ingredients and dye to impart a pleasant fragrance and color to bathwater. Lathering agents, such as sodium lauryl sulfate, are also often added to create bubble foam.

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Bath bombs are well known for using natural ingredients such as essential oils and rich, nourishing butter such as Shea butter. However, they usually do not contain any traces of what we could call soap, so if that’s the case, do they clean you?

Well, the truth is that bath bombs release lots of emollients and softeners into your bath water, which help to cleanse your skin. Then, the essential oils themselves add extra, natural cleansing power.

But if you’re looking for a more traditional ‘soap’ type cleanse, you might be disappointed, as bath bombs don’t contain any of those ingredients. Instead, they clean you in a much more natural way, which is better for your skin.

Bath bombs cleanse your skin, and they have many other benefits over washing with plain old soap.

Good For Your Skin
A Relaxing Experience
Healing Properties
Aromatherapy

It is easy to see why some people might be confused and consider bath bombs to be soap. They smell fairly similar, and you can definitely feel the effects on your skin after bathing with one.
Bath bombs contain ingredients that can help cleanse the skin, but simply sitting in a bath with a bath bomb will not do much good when it comes to removing dirt and buildup.
You will either need to use a sponge to gently scrub your skin using the tub's water and the bath bomb mix, or better yet, enjoy your time soaking in the bath bomb water and then use your normal soap to wash your body.
Relying on the bath bomb alone to wash your body is not a good idea, and you should still do so yourself.
Think of bath bombs as a sensory experience, with the fizzing, the oils released into the bath, and the wonderful aromatherapy. Bath bombs should not replace your normal bath time clean or your soap!

So you have had a nice long soak in the bath and have used your favorite bath bomb. Should you now use some soap or shower gel to get a wash?

Of course, it is up to you and depends on how clean you already feel after your bath bomb. However, using soap or shower gel will break down the oils and butter that have coated your skin.

This leads back to the above about how these oils nourish and protect your skin. Washing them off with soap will remove them and stop them from doing their job.

Personally, I prefer not to wash off with soap after using a bath bomb.