As the days begin to grow slowly shorter, harvesting picks up and all the good things that have been growing in the garden can be collected, combined and used in the creation of balms, ointments, jams, vinegars and all sorts of other good things.
This afternoon a little fun was had on the back patio of Jean’s garden with baking soda, citric acid and selection of fresh herbs, dried petals and some essential oils.
Bath bombs are a hands on project. It comes together by squishing all the components with fingers so do this somewhere that is easy to clean up or wipe down.
We used 1 cup baking soda and 1/2 cup citric acid per child and added in about 2 Tbsp, corn starch into each bowl. The cornstarch, which is good for the skin, also helps the additions slide down the tub, making clean up a little easier if you are adding petals and fresh herbs to your creations. You can use up to 1/2 a cup in your mixture but we were running out and this was an impromptu craft time. If you have Epsom or bath salts handy, you can also add 1/4 cup to the dry mixture.
Once the dry ingredients are in the bowl, the next step in to squish any lumps of baking soda. It is possible to do this with just one hand but what can I say, it is more fun to go all in.
We tore up fresh herbs and used some dried flower petals from the garden and added a total of maybe 10 drops of a mixture of essential oils. Once all the additions are in the bowl, the next step is witch hazel.
Using witch hazel instead of water will get your bombs to harden more quickly and the witch hazel also has soothing and healing properties for your skin. It is easily found in the first aid section of your local pharmacy. We had spritz tops on the containers to minimize the chance of too much being added. The bottles got covered with the baking soda et al as all fingers were involved with the squeezing but they wash off easily enough.
Spritz the top of the mixture 3 or 4 times and then mix through the dry ingredients by continuing to squeeze it together. Add more witch hazel and mix again. The purpose of the liquid is to add enough so that the mixture will hold together when squeezed in your fist or packed into a mold but not too much or the bombs will continue to interact with the dry ingredients and form all sorts of unusual shapes as they cure.
Pack the mixture tightly into a mold of some sort. It can be a shot glass, two spoons pushed together, a used small yogurt container, chocolate or soap mold. Even a Dixie type cup will work. We used votive candle molds and got 9 bath bombs out of 2 cups baking soda and 1 cup citric acid. Once the mixture is packed in, turn it over and tap out. Allow to dry for several hours and you are DONE! ( until bath time ).
Truth time. I find these great to make when I am using just essential oils. The ones with the flowers look lovely but the bath tub will need to be cleaned out afterwards which, in my opinion, kind of defeats the purpose of the relaxing bath in the first place. If you would like a fresh herb bath my alternative suggestion would be a tub tea and I will share that in a future post.
Bath Bombs from My Kitchen Wand
