How to make bath fizzies
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EmailBath fizzies are a quick gift you and your kids can make for any occasion. Making them is great way to get kids in the kitchen and learn a little science, too.
Bath fizzies, also known as bath bombs, are expensive to buy but inexpensive to make. Using all natural ingredients, you can make homemade bath fizzies. Bath fizzies are a quick gift you and your kids can make for any occasion such as birthdays, Mother’s Day, welcome to the neighborhood or party favors.
Bath fizzies are a great project to make for yourself or for gift giving to anyone who loves to relax in a nice tub of hot water filled with fragrance and fizz. A spa-themed party for tweens or teens is fun; the young guests will have a blast making their own products and learn a little science, too.
There are several recipes for bath fizzies online. Many recipes interchange cornstarch, Epson salts and other “filler” ingredients. The two key ingredients you must use are baking soda and citric acid. This is where the science comes in.
The science of bath fizzies is fairly simple. Baking soda is a base, and citric acid is an acid. Once mixed with water, the two have a chemical reaction and fizz. The fizzing is actually the formation of carbon dioxide gas (CO2). This reaction is the same reaction you get from adding baking soda to vinegar to have an erupting volcano. The faster the bath fizzie dissolves, the more CO2 it is making.
Here is a simple recipe I use to make bath fizzies.
Bath Fizzies recipe
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Several drops essential oil (4-10 depending on the fragrance)
- 1 cup baking soda
- 1/2 cup citric acid
- 1/2 cup corn starch
- 1 tablespoon water
- Cellophane bag/ribbon
Directions
- Mix olive oil and essential oil together in a bowl.
- Mix baking soda, cornstarch and citric acid together in a separate bowl.
- Make an indention in the center of the mixture and drizzle the olive oil mixture into the indentation, then mix well.
- Add water a little at a time and blend. Adding water causes the fizzing. The cornstarch works as a dry filler. You want it to absorb the water into the cornstarch as much as possible so the fizzie does not fizz while you are mixing the ingredients.
- Once blended, scoop out 1 tablespoon of mixture. Shape into balls squeezing tightly. You can also use a mold, such as a decorative cookie mold. (I have also had kids pack the mixture in paper cups.)
- Allow to dry overnight before packaging.
- Place in cellophane bags and tie off with ribbon.
