Handmade peppermint bath bomb recipe – makes a great Christmas gifts under $5.
Peppermint Bath Bombs
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:
Sarah Nenni Daher
November 30, 2014 at 7:57 amCrystal, 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!
Crystal Owens
December 1, 2014 at 11:16 amThank 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!
Saifrost
December 12, 2014 at 4:10 pmGood idea. What temperature was your oven set at and how long did it take for them to dry?
Patti
December 1, 2014 at 11:51 amJust made the bath bombs. They are Great!! My daughter is thrilled!! I did cheat and dried them in the oven.
Crystal Owens
December 3, 2014 at 9:58 pmI’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. :)
christina
December 14, 2015 at 4:36 pmWhat was the temperature you put your oven on? And for how long?
Isabella Tran
September 12, 2016 at 7:39 amHi Patti. Can I ask you what temperature you set at and how long is the drying time in oven? Please reply. Thank you.
Isabella
Melissa
December 6, 2014 at 12:26 pmCrystal, 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.
shannan
December 7, 2014 at 7:46 amI had the same question!
Christi
August 28, 2015 at 8:38 pmany idea on how many bath balls?
Serena
November 15, 2015 at 10:13 amhey ladies, she says right there it yields 3 bath bombs, so plan accordingly! hope this helps.
Cindy
December 9, 2014 at 5:38 pmPlease 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!
Laura
December 13, 2014 at 6:52 pmI used Epsom salt from Walmart. It was a little “Rocky” but mixed in well to a smooth powdery finish.
Olivia
December 12, 2014 at 10:53 amHow much/what color of food coloring got that color?
Lynn
December 14, 2014 at 11:39 amI would love to know approximately how many bombs you can make with this recipe. I can’t wait to try it!
Tina Levitt
August 6, 2016 at 7:32 amShe stated that 3 can be made with the recipe.
lee
December 16, 2014 at 6:08 amIf 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??
Crystal Owens
December 16, 2014 at 1:50 pmYes, 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
Emily
December 23, 2014 at 5:35 amGreat 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!
victoria j ingham
May 5, 2015 at 1:30 pmoh 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
Kelly Stilwell
September 18, 2015 at 9:27 amWhat a wonderful Christmas or hostess gift! Love it!
Linda Gross
October 30, 2015 at 5:59 amLove 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
Ann
November 20, 2015 at 8:49 pmMakes 3, see comments above.
Dana
November 19, 2015 at 7:40 pmWhat could I use besides almond oil? I have a tree nut allergy
Laura @ The Tiny House Farm
November 30, 2015 at 9:07 amI 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!
Caroline
December 9, 2015 at 7:08 pmHi! 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!!
laur will
December 14, 2015 at 10:00 amlove this idea!! i have all the ingredients in my home except the almond oil. i do have jajoba oil, can i substitute? thank you
Mallory
December 15, 2015 at 7:43 amThese 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!
Stephanie Santiago
June 9, 2016 at 7:02 pmWhere can you get the citric acid
Beth
June 28, 2016 at 12:26 amAmazing! Is almond oil a must?
Sharon
November 25, 2016 at 12:40 pmLove it, nice and small batch!
Charlotte
December 2, 2016 at 3:27 pmI’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)
Betty
December 8, 2017 at 6:22 amHi Crystal! I love your peppermint bath bombs – I just had to mention you on my blog!
Elaine Bell
December 14, 2018 at 12:00 pmYou can buy citric acid at the grocery store where the canning supplies are.