How to make Rose, Lavender, & Oatmeal Bath Bombs
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Learn how to make handmade bath bombs with a secret cache of rose petals and lavender. They emerge as the bath bomb dissolves in warm water.
Natural bath bombs are relatively easy to make since they require only a few ingredients and very little in the way of equipment. Making a small batch should take you about half an hour so it’s a great project for a weekend afternoon. In that short amount of time, you can make enough bath bombs for your own bath time and to give as gifts.
The essential oils in these DIY bath bombs are gorgeously floral and the perfect complement to dried lavender and rose petals. Not only do flower petals decorate the top but there’s a secret cache inside that’s released when the fizzy is in your bath. Although the fizz is fun, the ingredient that makes these bath bombs especially great for your skin is oatmeal. Oatmeal turns your bath water silky and is wonderful for soothing dry or irritated skin.
Getting the right bath bomb consistency
The one challenging part of making bath bombs is getting the right dry-to-wet consistency. This is described in step three and involves wetting the dry ingredients until they’re just slightly damp. There’s a chance you might get the mix too wet and in this case, keep a silicone muffin tray on hand. If the mixture isn’t sticking inside the 2-part molds you can press it into the silicone mold and save your batch.
Alternatively, you can make your bath bombs inside a metal measuring cup, like the one below. When you’re finished constructing your bath bomb, you can turn the measuring cup upside down to remove the circular, yet flat, bath bomb.
Rose, Lavender, & Oatmeal Bath Bombs
Makes three medium (6cm / 2.25″ diameter) round bath bombs and one mini. You can double or triple the recipe but I don’t recommend making more than that in a single batch.
- 1/2 cup (110g) Citric acid
- 1 cup (290g) Baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)
- 1/4 cup (25g) Quick oats
- 1/4 tsp Lavender essential Oil
- 1/8 tsp Rose-geranium essential oil
- dried lavender buds
- dried rose petals
- Witch Hazel (in a spray bottle)
- Bath Bomb Molds
Step 1: Sifting
Sift the Citric Acid and Baking Soda (Bicarbonate) into a bowl. Sifting removes any clumps and will ensure a smooth and even consistency in your finished bath bombs. If you’re using a scale to measure your ingredients, place the bowl with your fine mesh sifter nested inside directly on top and pour the ingredients in.
Step 2: Mixing
Next, drizzle your essential oils onto the baking soda and citric acid and mix everything really well. I find that using my hand is far better than a spoon since I can break any clumps with my fingers and make sure that the fragrance is evenly dispersed. If you decide to do this too, wearing a latex/vinyl glove will save your fingernails. Pour the oats in next and stir.
Step 3: Wetting the bath bomb mixture
Here comes the trickiest part to describe. You’ll want to spray the dry mixture with witch hazel until it reaches a slightly damp consistency. The best way to describe this is damp beach sand — the type that makes perfect sandcastles.
When making bath bombs, I spray three squirts of witch hazel and then blend it in with my hand. I keep adding three more squirts and mixing until the consistency feels right. What you’re looking for is the mixture just being able to hold form when you squish it in your hand. With my sprayer, this took eighteen squirts though yours may be different.
Step 4: Molding the top
Traditional bath bomb molds come in two pieces with one side fitting inside the other. Take the half that has the lip that fits inside the other half and place a few dried flower petals at the bottom. These will be the pretty decoration you see on the top of the bath bomb so arrange the flowers in an attractive manner.
Step 5: Create the filling
Take a handful of the damp bath bomb mixture and carefully sprinkle it on top of your flower arrangement. Use both of your thumbs to compact the mixture down but leave a hollow in the centre. Fill this hollow with more dried flower petals and then sprinkle more bath bomb mixture on top. Leave this top dressing of mix loose and set this half of the mold down for a moment.
Step 6: Finish Molding
Take the second half of the mold in your hand and fill it with bath bomb mix. Press down with your thumbs to compress but don’t leave a hollow this time. Top it off with a bit more bath bomb mix and like the other half, don’t compress this top layer yet. Carefully pick up both halves of the molds and place them together. Press firmly so that the mixture from both halves compresses together.
Step 7: Unmold the Bath Bombs
Pull the ‘bottom’ mold off your bath bomb then gently slide it out of the second half. I recommend that you slide it out and directly onto a folded towel with a sheet of cling film on top. You can leave it there to dry. If the surface you dry your bath bombs on has fibers, they can stick to the bath bomb. Use bubble wrap or a non-stick surface like I’m doing here with cling film.
Step 8: Drying Bath Bombs
Depending on size, Bath Bombs can take anywhere from twelve to twenty-four hours to dry. After this, you’re able to pop them into your bath for fizzy and fragrant relaxation. If you’d like to save them for later, store them in an airtight container to help preserve the scent. The container will also help stop them from getting damp. Bath bombs have a long shelf life but I’d recommend using them within a few months. Over time the rose petals may fade in color and you want to use the bath bombs when they’re at their best.
Thanks to my father who informed me on the topic of this blog, this webpage is in fact awesome.
Hi Tanya.
Love your website and everything that you share with us. Have tried already 4 different cold process soap recipes. They’ve come out brilliant. Very detailed explanation and I never had any problems. At the moment my soaps are curing)).
About these bath bombs – just perfect combination of colours. Really eye-catching. Planning to make them to accompany my Rose Geranium Soap. No questions today)
Just to say thank you and have a good day)))
Halyna
Very informative. however it was really a challenging part of making fizzies with the right amount of dry-to-wet consistency.
Well… These are delicious!!! I just made them and couldn’t even wait for my husband to get home to eat one!!! They are soooo good!!!
I certainly hope he didn’t eat one!
kikou ! Je viens de réaliser mes premieres bombes de bain et ce sont les votres. J ai galeré pour l une d elles….. FINALEMENT J ai réussi à la démouler….. Je les laisse tranquille jusqu à jeudi…. ELLES SONT BELLES ! merci beaucoup ….. JE VAI LES OFFRIR……..
Quick google translation into English: kikou! I just made my first bath bombs and they are yours. I gale for one of them … .. FINALLY I managed to unmold … .. I leave them alone until Thursday …. THEY ARE BEAUTIFUL ! thank you very much … .. I will offer them …… ..
Ours are expanding after we take them out of the molds and the bottoms are flattening instead of staying round even though we are using a towel & cling wrap. It’s like the consistency has completely changed! What should I do?
You’ve used too much moisture (witch hazel). You can still use the fizzies for yourself but they won’t look as nice. Next time, try with a small batch and really watch the consistency. The mixture should never get to a stage where it seems wet — if you can take a handful and squeeze it together and it holds it’s shape without immediately crumbling then you’ve got it.
Thank for sharing, this is amazing!
the bomb is dry and I cant get it out of the mold!! help
You’re going to have to wash it out and begin again — never leave the bath bombs in the mould unless it’s a flexible silicone style one.
Thanks for sharing. Looks great but hate the word ” B O M B ” especially because baths are so relaxing.
Hi! This might sound silly but will the oats and petals clog up the pipes? Would love to make this! Thank you!
They shouldn’t get down the pipes — the drain will catch them for later clean-up.
Would it be possible for me to schedule this recipe on the Facebook and Twitter account I manage for East Devon district Council Countryside service? Perfect for Valentine’s Day? – Great blog!
Of course! Schedule away :)
How long are you supposed to leave the bomb in the mold? I tried it as the above tutorial is worded but they all fell apart. I thought it was the citric acid I bought. But now I’m reading some things that say to leave them in several hours or overnight. It smelled wonderful though. Thanks!
I literally have them in my moulds for about 30 seconds. If you leave them overnight there’s a chance they’ll stick in the mould and be impossible to get out. If you’re using silicone moulds it’s okay though since they flex and you can push them out.
It sounds like your problem is that you’ve either not added enough witch hazel or you’re not working quickly enough. If you let the mixture set for too long the ingredients begin bonding together, making them less ‘sticky’ when you put them in the mould.
i have been trying to make bath bombs with rose petals, the petals are dry & have even tried freeze dried petals but after 24 hours or so they start going brown? Any tips for this, cheers
It’s possible that they’re getting too wet Dee but it’s hard to say. They shouldn’t turn brown that quickly – the bath bombs that I retail will often be stored for weeks.
Would the chunks of fruit and oatmeal be in chunks at the bottom of the bathtub??
There’s no fruit in this recipe Mia. The oatmeal and flower petals would be dispersed throughout the water but will need to be rinsed out of the bath afterwards.
I just tried these I was fine until the end maybe you can see what I am doing wrong. So I sprayed the mixture until it was a damp sand texture just enough so it holds a form then I put them in the molds all went well there. When I went to open the molds I notice the middle didn’t stick together so I had to pull them out and just try to freehand making them into a ball. Well I let them sit out to dry and now it looks like a cookie that is just starting to get its shape in the oven. Not sure what I did wrong :/
They were probably too damp Kim – it’s happened to me many times! What I’d recommend is squishing the bath bomb material into a silicone cupcake (or specialty shaped – hearts?) mould next time. That way you don’t have to worry about the two pieces sticking together properly.
All but one of my bath bombs melted into a squishy lump. Is this because the mixture was too wet? Or not compressed enough? Or is there something else that could’ve caused this?
Too much witch hazel probably!
Yeah it’s the witch hazel try using water next time and it should all work out just fine
It doesn’t have anything to do with using water or witch hazel actually – it’s how much liquid you use. Just try with A LOT less. I’m talking just a few squirts, mixing it in, then repeating. The consistency of the mix should not be wet. It should just be moist enough to hold its form when you squeeze it together in your hand.
wow this is amazing please make some more bath bombs I need the recipe for more maybe try violet? xxxx
I generally use essential oils and I’ve not come across one for a Violet scent…saying that, you could use fragrance oil in the same proportion (or less). Thanks for the lovely comment too Riley :)
You could use violet petals in the bomb, but there is no violet essential oil.
You can also infuse oil wit violet petals and leaves.
HTH
It would still make very pretty bath fizzies – thanks for the input Davette!
a quick question – what am I doing wrong because the two halves don't want to compress together. how long do you leave the ball before trying to take it apart…my keeps on coming loose from one another.
It sounds as if the mix is too wet and compacted. When you try again, fill the centre with flowers then add a loose covering of bath bomb mix on top. The mix should also be loose (rather than squished down) at the top of the other half of the mould. When you press the two pieces together, the loose mix from both sides should hold together more easily.
Hi there. I just made the bath bombs (sooo awesome thank you so much for this! Best I’ve researched!)
I am making Christmas gifts, so I doubled the recipe. First mold squishing went quite well. I had to spray a bit more for the second mold as it seemed to be drying out (it’s a mold with 5 round in a circle), half of them stuck together. As I’m filling, I notice the mixture is drying (am I doing this too slow?) So I had to spray more witch hazel. I think it got too wet – mixture wasn’t white anymore – more of a grey. By the third mold squishing, they would not hold together. I tried letting it dry out a bit, trying again, no go. Still grey too. I let it dry out a bit more and I also put it all through the sifter again. I can’t get the mixture to hold together anymore.
Did I ruin it? If I let it dry out overnight, do you think I’d be able to try again? I used roses, lavender, and chamomile (dry mix/blender to a fine powder with colloidal oatmeal) and roses/lavender in the bottom of the mold cups.
Hi Jennifer! What you’re running into is one of the biggest problems with making large batches of bath bombs. The dry ingredients start bonding with the wet and dry out. You can still squish it into moulds and it will be okay but if you’re using two-piece moulds they probably won’t stick together. More witch hazel doesn’t help but hopefully your batch dried in the moulds OK. Next time, make one batch then make a second afterwards :)
I would love to do this, but unfortunately I don't buy things online. If you can name anywhere to buy in Markham, Ontario, Canada, I would very much appreciate it. Thank you.
Hello, you can get the ingredients from Whole Foods/Ambrosia and bulk barn
Gorgeous! Does it have to be witch hazel, or could it be any kind of liquid, like rose water?
Rose water could also work…just be careful the mixture doesn't get too wet.
Where, specifically, did you get that exact mold?
Where is a good place to order Rose Geranium Essential Oil?
Check out my Amazon widget above Elvis!
Stick with making basic bath bombs then Kat :)
Quick question – won't the oats & flowers leave a mess in the tub once you're done bathing? I'd love to make those but am concerned about my pleasant relaxing bath being marred by having to clean up a messy tub afterwards?
You can try putting in cheese cloth or a Knee High Stocking
Thanks for sharing! What can I substitute for the lavender? Thanks!
It's really up to you! For the flowers you could use blue cornflowers and for the essential oil there are plenty of options that you can blend Geranium oil with – Sandalwood and Ylang Ylang spring to mind.
Your bath bombs are so appealing, they will be fun to make to use and to give as gifts. Great tutorial on making them.
Thanks Kathy and see you next week :)
Oh, I love these! Very similar to ones I make and sell at the Farmer's Market. They can be so delicate I always have to make and package them so carefully! These turned out so pretty. Pinning this as we speak.
Thanks for the pin Lindsey! :)
I have seen a lot of DIY recipes, but this is one of the best! Your explanation and step by step tutorial is awesome and simple!
Thank you so much. I can't wait to make some for myself.
Very kind words…many thanks Lorraine and hope you enjoy making your own bath bombs :)