These handmade fizzing bath bombs are a breeze to make for the kids, and are a fantastic handmade gift for friends, neighbors, or teachers! Don’t miss this detailed tutorial for step-by-step instructions on how to make your own homemade bath bombs.
My girls love taking bubble baths and I have been wanting to make them some homemade bath bombs for years now, but quite honestly I was always a little scared that it would turn into a complete fiasco and they wouldn’t work.
I shouldn’t have worried!
Not only are they fun and easy to make, but they also work like a charm! My girls love watching them fizz in the bath, and I love that the olive oil and cornstarch helps soften & moisturize their skin while the calming lavender essential oil helps settle them down before bed. (To find out more about essential oils & how they work, check out this post. They’re also the perfect homemade gift!
I did find the smaller molds worked a little better than the big size, as they dried faster and popped out easier. I also added a little too much liquid at the end and had a few that expanded into blobs while they were drying. They made little cow pie-shaped bath bombs but they still work great!
Handmade Fizzing Bath Bombs
Here is what you need:
Ingredients:
2 cups baking soda 1 cup citric acid 1 cup cornstarch 1 cup sea salt or Epsom salt 3 teaspoons olive oil 5-6 drops essential oil Approximately 2 teaspoons witch hazel or water (I recommend witch hazel!) empty spray bottle silicone moldDirections:
Step 1: In a large bowl, mix together baking soda, citric acid, cornstarch, and salt until well blended with no lumps.
Step 2: Mix in olive oil and essential oil until well blended.
Step 3: Spray the mixture with witch hazel until its just moist enough to form into shapes that hold. Be careful not to add too much moisture or the mixture will begin to fizz.
Step 4: Press mixture into molds; let sit for 5-10 minutes, then carefully remove from molds onto parchment paper and let dry for 24 hours.
Step 5: Package in cellophane or a mason jar to give as gifts, then finish with a pretty ribbon and a tag that states: To use, simply drop 1 large or 2 small bath bombs into the bath.
Other Handmade Gifts You’ll Love:

Handmade Fizzing Bath Bombs
Create these homemade bath bombs with your favorite essential oil! The perfect handmade gift for friends, neighbors, and teachers.
Ingredients
- 2 cups baking soda
- 1 cup citric acid
- 1 cup cornstarch
- 1 cup sea salt or Epsom salt
- 3 tsp olive oil
- 5-6 drops essential oil
- 2 tsp witch hazel
- 1 empty spray bottle
- silicone molds
Instructions
In large bowl, mix together baking soda, citric acid, cornstarch, and salt until well blended with no lumps.
Mix in olive oil and essential oil until well blended.
Spray the mixture with witch hazel until just moist enough to form into shapes that hold. Be careful not to add too much moisture or the mixture will begin to fizz.
Press mixture into molds; let sit for 5-10 minutes, then carefully remove from molds onto parchment paper and let dry for 24 hours.
Package in cellophane to give as gifts with a tag that states: to use, simply drop 1 large or 2 small bath bombs into bath.
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Where’s the free printable?
Hi Shea,
The printable has been discontinued. Sorry for any confusion this may have caused. If you register for our Holiday planner, you will be sent a link to download super cute gifts tags that you could use. I hope that helps. If not, please feel free to email me at natalie@ruthsoukup.com
so I’ve made a few bath bombs in my time and can definitely recommend that once you press the mix (very) firmly into the molds you need to let it dry in the molds for a couple hours and then 24-48 hours after to fully firm up before you package it.
if you just leave it 5-10 min in the mold of course it will crumble! its also why even the stars in the pic looked crumbly
hi, instead of using water in your mixture you use witch hazel correct? how do you get them to dry, do you leave them in their molds for a while or take them out? I’ve made some but they crack and crumble and remain soft. please h elp me if you don’t mind
These did not work! The bath bombs crumble in the molds! Luckily you can make them like normal and put the mixture in a jar. Then when you want to take a bath sprinkle some mixture in the water/bathtub and it will fizz! Yay! tip: you do not need to get Witch Hazel if you follow what i said because the witch Hazel makes it form.
This is a terrible recipe! It was very dry and crumbly and even the smallest spray of water caused fizzing. When enough water was added to make it stick together, he fizzing caused the bombs to swell up with gas. When I looked up other recipes to compare, most used half as much dry ingredient or twice as much wet ingredients. No wonder! Also, the acid is extremely irritating to hands. Wear gloves.