These Homemade Cupcake Bath bombs are super easy to make and they make great gifts also! These homemade bath bombs are perfect for making as gifts or for personal use!
Homemade Cupcake Bath Bombs
I love giving homemade gifts for birthdays, anniversaries, and basically any and every holiday imaginable. Any excuse to get crafty, I’m there for it. When I discovered bath bombs, I was super excited to try them out but I found they were crumbly. I consulted a friend who is an expert on all things crafty, and she told me her secrets! So here I am with this DIY Cupcake Bath Bomb tutorial for you. The best part about this DIY gift idea is that you can mix and match the colors, and use them for so many events (think baby showers!).
DIY Cupcake Bath Bombs
If you haven’t used or made bath bombs before, you may have questions. I tried to answer them as best I could, but if you have other questions just let me know by leaving a comment below. You can print this tutorial by scrolling down, but before you do that make sure you read through the post for the tips because they’re important for newbies especially.
What are Bath Bombs?
Bath bombs are blocks (or cupcakes!) that fizzle and dissolve when immersed in your bath water. Depending on the ingredients you use (lavender for relaxation, for example – like my massage oil uses), homemade bath bombs can easily be designed to soothe your aching muscles and help you relax. Read on to find out more about the benefits of bath bombs.
DIY Bath Bombs
There are many benefits to making your own bath bombs: you know which ingredients are used, they’re 100% customized the way you like them, and they’re much cheaper to make yourself than to buy. The process of making DIY bath bombs is therapeutic for me, and when I give them as gifts it makes me – and the person I’m giving them to – very happy! If you know your mom really loves citrus scents, you can easily make her lemon and/or orange scented bath bombs for her birthday or Mother’s Day. If your spouse loves bergamot, guess what, you can make bath bombs for them, too!
Bath Bomb Ingredients
When making bath bombs at home, it’s important to use high-quality ingredients. In the tutorial/recipe below, you’ll see links to the products I used. Most of the stuff is easily found on Amazon, which is where I buy most of my supplies in bulk. You can buy them in smaller amounts but I’ve found the best savings when I buy them in bigger quantities.
You can also find great deals at Michael’s on some items, especially when you use a 40% off coupon! You can download the Michael’s app to be alerted when they have sales, and to get coupons.
The ingredients you’ll be using can clean, deodorize, and repair your skin, leaving you with healthier, younger looking skin. Think pregnancy glow, without having to get pregnant. 😉
Bath Bomb Cupcakes
- baking soda
- citric acid
- Cornstarch
- Kaolin clay
- pink Himalayan Epsom salts
- coconut oil
- polysorbate 80
- cupcake scented oil
- green glow in the dark colorant
- green glow in the dark cosmetic glitter
Bath Bomb Cupcake Frosting
- whipped soap base
- glycerin
- polysorbate 80
- cupcake scented oil
- corn starch
- white melt and pour soap base
- pink glow in the dark colorant
- pink glow in the dark cosmetic glitter
How to Make Bath Bombs
When making your own bath bombs, you’re going to use citric acid and baking soda. The reaction between the two is what makes the bath bombs fizz. When the bath bomb touches your bath water, the sodium bicarbonate reacts with the citric acid to release carbon dioxide (don’t worry, it’s a small amount and it’s not going to hurt you). Then the bath bomb starts to break apart, releasing the essential oils into your bath.
How to Use Bath Bombs
Store your bath bombs in a cool, dry place until you’re ready to use them. While you can cut them in half, it’s more fun to use the whole bath bomb! If you cut them in half, they tend to crumble.
Customize your bath bombs for your needs: oatmeal and honey work well for dry skin, lavender is best for relaxation, eucalyptus helps open up your airways, and citruses like orange and lemon are energizing.
Yes, these cupcakes GLOW IN THE FREAKING DARK! You can make them without the glow in the dark ingredients, but what fun would that be? These bath bombs are PERFECT for kids. I mean, who doesn’t love bath bombs?!
Easy Bath Bomb Recipe
Measurements aren’t usually something I worry about (even when I’m making soaps, I pretty much guesstimate), but with these bath bombs it’s important to pay attention to measurements. 🙂
I like to use kaolin clay in bath bombs that use a mold that is not the typical round mold to give them more stability when you pop them from their mold.
Tip: Coconut oil melts at 76*F/24*C so if your house is warm, you will want to store your coconut oil in the fridge until it’s time to use it. However, leaving it out is fine for this recipe because we melt it anyway. 😉
I use polysorbate 80 in this homemade bath bomb recipe. It helps the coconut oil disperse more evenly in your bath water, makes the bath bombs bubbly, and also prevents the mica from sticking to the side of the tub. While you mix in the oils, you may need to use your hands to break down any lumps and make sure everything is well combined. The mixture is perfect when it holds together when you press it into your hands and feels like wet sand.
I used a mini rolling pin to get the tops more even. Allow your bath bombs to dry a minimum of 24 hours. If these are not 100% dry, they will break when you take them out.
Supplies for Bath bomb “Whipped Frosting”
- Mini silicone muffin tin
- Spray bottle filled with rubbing alcohol
- 1 large mixing bowl
- Spoon
- Measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
How to Make Bath bomb “Whipped Frosting”
With the “frosting”, mix until the mixture forms peaks, just like when you make a meringue. If your frosting is not stiff enough, add a bit more cornstarch and mix in. Repeat until the mixture is nice and firm.
When frosting my cupcake bath bombs, I use a larger tip than you would on a cupcake because the soap mixture is thicker than edible frosting. Frost cupcake bombs as you would an edible cupcake.
Note: After 2-3 days, your frosting will harden enough that you can easily remove it from the cupcake and use the soap once you have enjoyed your soak in the tub with your bath bomb!
How to Make Cupcake Bath Bombs
Equipment
- Mini silicone muffin tin
- Spray bottle filled with rubbing alcohol
- 1 large mixing bowl
- Spoon
- measuring spoon
Ingredients
Bath Bomb Cupcakes
- 2 cups baking soda
- 1 cup citric acid
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1/4 cup white Kaolin clay
- 1/4 cup pink Himalayan Epsom salts
- 1/3 cup coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon polysorbate 80
- 1 teaspoon cupcake scented oil
- 1/2 tablespoons of green glow in the dark colorant
- 2 teaspoons of green glow in the dark cosmetic glitter
Bath Bomb Cupcake Frosting
- 3/4 cup whipped soap base
- 1 tablespoon glycerin
- 1 teaspoon polysorbate 80
- 1/2 teaspoon cupcake scented oil
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- 1/4 cup white melt and pour soap base
- 1 tablespoon of pink glow in the dark colorant
- 1-2 teaspoons of pink glow in the dark cosmetic glitter
Instructions
- Instructions For Cupcake Bath Bombs
- In a large mixing bowl, add the baking soda, citric acid, cornstarch, pink Himalayan Epsom salts, and kaolin clay. Whisk dry ingredients together.
- Add the coconut oil.
- Add the polysorbate 80.
- Mix in the cupcake scented oil. You may need to use your hands to break down any lumps and make sure everything is mixed in.
- Mix in 1-1/2 tablespoons of the green glow in the dark colorant and 2 teaspoons of the cosmetic glitter.
- Add the mixture into each cavity of the muffin mold until the mixture is packed in firmly. Allow to dry a minimum of 24 hours.
- Directions for Whipped Soap “Frosting”
- Add whipped soap base, polysorbate 80 and glycerin to mixing bowl. Mix on low speed until fluffy, or about 1 minute. Fold in cornstarch. Mix on low for 30 seconds.
- Melt your soap base in microwave safe bowl in 30-second intervals, stirring after each until melted. Allow to cool for about a minute. Mix in melted melt and pour soap base, scented oil, pink glowing colorant and glitter. Mix on high speed for 1 minute or until the mixture forms peaks, like when you make a meringue. If your frosting is not stiff enough, add a bit more cornstarch and mix in. Repeat until the mixture is nice and firm.
- Add whipped soap into the piping bag. I use a larger tip than you would on a cupcake because the soap mixture is thicker than edible frosting. Frost cupcake bombs as you would an edible cupcake.
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