Bathtime Gifts For Mother's Day

Bath Bombs

There are still a few days left to make bath and beauty gifts for Mother's Day and these bath bombs are really so quick and easy to make.

You will need:

1 cup baking soda- (bicarbonate of soda)
125 ml (½ cup) citric acid (from a pharmacy)
125 ml (½ cup) corn starch
1/3 cup Epsom salts (optional)
(2½ tbsp) carrier oil like sunflower or sweet almond oil, avocado, apricot kernel or coconut
¾ tbsp water
½ to 2 tsp essential oils or fragrant oils
food colouring
¼ teaspoon borax (an emulsifier)
moulds available from craft shops
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Sieve dry ingredients. Add Epsom salts after sieving.
Combine wet ingredients and borax in a jar. Cover tightly and shake vigorously.

Mixing: Drizzle wet ingredients slowly into dry ingredients and blend thoroughly. If it fizzes, slow down. If you add other ingredients, such as herbs, Epsom salts or dried flowers, you may need to add a bit more almond oil. The mixture should just start to hold together when pressed in your hand, like fine, moist sand.

Shaping: Pack each side of the mould quickly, then throw some loose mixture on top and firmly press the halves together, (the mould shouldn't fit together completely). If you cannot find moulds, you can shape balls using your hands.

Unmoulding: After a few minutes unmould onto a baking sheet. Remove mould, one side at a time, taking of the top half of the mould first. You may need to tap the top gently once or twice. Turn the ball over and remove the other side. Do not twist the top of the mould - this can split the bomb. If the bombs won't keep shape, add a bit more oil (quarter teaspoon or less). Allow to dry for two to three days.

Tip: If the shape breaks when removing it from the mould, it could be too dry. Mist lightly with a water mister and reshape.

Epsom salts give a shine to the bombs and seem to make the fizzing action more vigorous.
Slice a plastic Christmas ornament in half to use as a mould.
When moulding the bombs, press a small gift into one half before you put the two sides together.

Customise your gifts with your choice of food colouring and essential oils:

Relaxing: Lavender essential oil with purple colouring- you can also add 1-2 teaspoons dried lavender flowers.
Also- clary, sage, camomile, ylang ylang, tangerine, rose, lemon verbena.

Refreshing: Peppermint and bergamot with green or blue colouring.

Uplifting: Neroli with orange colouring -
Also - rosemary, lemon, lime, jasmine, bergamot.

Fragrant: Rose essential oil, pink food colouring, and 1-2 teaspoons dried and crushed rose petals.

Antiseptic : Tea tree, eucalyptus, lavender, rosemary, rose.