Handmade peppermint bath bomb recipe – makes a great Christmas gifts under $5.
Hey crafty friends! I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Now that Thanksgiving is over I hope you’re ready for more holiday gift ideas! I have several handmade gift ideas to share with you over the next few weeks, especially new sugar scrub recipes. If you’ve been a reader for awhile you know that I’m obsessed with sugar scrubs, but if you know me personally you know that I’m also obsessed with bath bombs. It’s no secret that I’m a Lush addict! In case you’re not familiar with Lush it’s an organic handmade beauty store that makes bath bombs, hair products, soap, and so much more! Now you see this addiction is a little pricey to keep up with as much as I love a good bath, so I’ve recently started making my own bath bombs. Today I’m sharing a peppermint bath bomb recipe that’s perfect for the holidays!
Want to know a secret to making your own bath bombs in the shape of a ball? Use a plastic ornament ball! Head over to Michaels and buy the ornament balls that snap in two. Firmly press half the bath bomb mixture into one then press mixture into other half with a little extra above the rim. Press both sides together firmly and let sit until ball is set. Or you can use baking molds to make a snowflake shape. I’ve added Amazon affiliate links to the items I used below.
DIY Peppermint Bath Bomb – yields 3 bath bombs
1 cup baking soda
1/2 cup Citric Acid
1/2 cup cornstarch
3 tablespoon epsom salt
2 teaspoons Sweet Almond Oil
3/4 teaspoon water
15-20 drops Peppermint Oil
food coloring (optional)
I made a quick video tutorial with the updated recipe. Find the new recipe HERE – Hope this helps! :)
In a large bowl combine baking soda, citric acid, cornstarch and epsom salts.
In a small bowl combine almond oil, water, essential oil, and food coloring.
Pour wet mixture into dry mixture. Mix with a whisk until fully combined. Use your hands to press bath bomb mixture into mold.
You can use the ornament balls I mentioned above or make creative shapes with baking molds. I used a silicone snowflake mold from Amazon for mine. Tip: carefully press the mixture into the silicone mold, try not to press too hard to avoid having the mold widen and distort the design. I let the ornament balls set for 2 hours before removing the plastic ornament ball, then setting them on a towel to dry overnight. For the snowflake mold I let them dry overnight. The dry time will depend on the humidity in your area and home.
More gift ideas you may like:
Crystal, you have saved my day! I was just fretting over a set of bath bombs I added too much liquid to (what a disaster), and I saw this in my Bloglovin’ feed. Thank you! I have your recipe drying in the molds right now.
Thanks again for sharing this!
Thank you for the sweet comment! I hope the recipe works out for you. Adding too much liquid, especially water, can definitely ruin a bath bomb recipe – it will begin to fizz and not harden properly. Good luck, please let me know how they turn out!
Good idea. What temperature was your oven set at and how long did it take for them to dry?
Just made the bath bombs. They are Great!! My daughter is thrilled!! I did cheat and dried them in the oven.
I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe! I never would have thought to dry them in the oven..genius! I’ll have to try that sometime. :)
What was the temperature you put your oven on? And for how long?
Hi Patti. Can I ask you what temperature you set at and how long is the drying time in oven? Please reply. Thank you.
Isabella
Crystal, did I miss it or can you tell me how many bath bombs your recipe makes if you use the ornaments you described?
GREAT gift idea. Thanks so much for sharing.
I had the same question!
any idea on how many bath balls?
hey ladies, she says right there it yields 3 bath bombs, so plan accordingly! hope this helps.
Please keep in mind- NEVER used epsom salts before, but I am putting together my shopping list and was looking on Amazon. The pictures of the epsom salts look “rocky” or just too granular, is there a certain kind that gives it that soft powdery look or does that just happen when you mix everything together? Thank you for posting this recipe- I spend more at lush then I spent on my first car- so very excited to try it!
I used Epsom salt from Walmart. It was a little “Rocky” but mixed in well to a smooth powdery finish.
How much/what color of food coloring got that color?
I would love to know approximately how many bombs you can make with this recipe. I can’t wait to try it!
She stated that 3 can be made with the recipe.
If you want to switch scents from peppermint to say regular mint or lavender, do you just change that specific oil but leave the rest the same??
Yes, you can make these with any essential oil scent you like! Here’s a lavender bath bomb that follows the recipe almost exactly like the peppermint bath bomb. https://apumpkinandaprincess.com/2014/12/diy-lavender-bath-bombs.html
Great recipe, can’t wait to try it and look at more recipes on your blog. Also LUSH is not an organic store. They may have a few all natural or organic items but they have a lot of preservatives and other stuff in their product so homemade is even better!
oh my thankyou so much for the bath bomb tutorial your absolutely so crafty i made them with lavender as i like a good soak and i must say they turned out very well im making some for my mum but in shower form thankyou so kindly for sharing and i love your website carry on kind regards vicky united kingdom
What a wonderful Christmas or hostess gift! Love it!
Love the idea of the bath bombs for my cousins! But how many does this make?? Need to know how much of the supplies I need to purchase.
Thanks
Makes 3, see comments above.
What could I use besides almond oil? I have a tree nut allergy
I love this! I have been looking for a good bath bomb recipe to try out for our farm store. I think this may be the one. I assume that you can add various essential oils to make different scents right? Thanks so much!
Hi! I was wondering if I could possibly substitute peppermint extract for the essential oil? Or would that mess up the texture of the bath bomb? These are so cute! I am going to use these for a secret santa gift I am doing!!
love this idea!! i have all the ingredients in my home except the almond oil. i do have jajoba oil, can i substitute? thank you
These look so festive and fun! I can’t wait to make a batch for my coworkers. Never having done this before, is there any concern when using food coloring of it staining the skin, clothes, or tub?
Thanks!
Where can you get the citric acid
Amazing! Is almond oil a must?
Love it, nice and small batch!
I’m making these for Christmas for my grandma but it is about 3 1/2 weeks until Christmas. I want to make them now so I won’t have to worry about doing everything at the last minute. How long will these last (without being used) and will they go bad or something. (I’ve never used a bath bomb)
Hi Crystal! I love your peppermint bath bombs – I just had to mention you on my blog!