Q&A for How to Make Bath Bombs

No. Perfume is not a substitute for essential oils, as the oils are safe for contact with your skin and genital areas, while perfume is strictly for use on certain parts of your body; it is not to be used as an agent to soak in.

The bath bombs will not react with the water, and will become a dud. A good alternative is to use cream of tartar.

Either use significantly less oil or skip it entirely when making the bath bombs.

You could use metal muffin or cupcake tins.

If your bath bombs break on the surface, it means either you didn't pack it tightly enough or you didn't add enough cornstarch. Try starting over and adding more cornstarch, because the cornstarch is what causes it to hold its shape.

Break them open and put them in a bowl and add more citric acid. Put the mixture in a mold and refrigerate. It should work.

The color of the bath bomb will not stain your bathtub. Even if the color comes on you tub, just rub it off with water.

Providing it is suitable for bath bombs, yes. Some fragrance oils are intended more for use in candles or potpourri than they are for skin contact, so always check on the bottle or with the supplier.

Though it will not produce the same result as citric acid would in your bath bomb, yes. Note that lemon juice is a slightly weaker, but it is still a viable substitute for citric acid.

You could try and do the spray bottle method and add in lemon too. Also, add some salt to the dry mixture at the start. Use fresh ingredients -- if the baking soda is old, it won't fizz.

Baking soda has been proven to be beneficial to the overall complexion and health of skin. Most people are not allergic to it. If you had a reaction to baking soda in the past, however, then it would not be a good idea to use it in a bath bomb.

You probably put the wet ingredients all together and stirred vigorously. Add them slowly: you want to save all the bubbles for later!

You can use any salt, but Epsom salts are ideal.

Fill up your tub (about 3/4 full) and then drop the bomb in. It will fizz until there is nothing left, and then just let the tub fill up for however more you want it.

No. Corn starch is a thickening agent, and as the name implies, a starch. Cornflour is very finely ground corn that has been milled into flour. If you don't have access to corn starch, then you can always make a bath bomb without it, as there are recipes for that as well.

Yes, you may.

Yes, you should be able to use them in a science fair because they are technically a chemistry project.

No, fresh petals can potentially rot inside the bath bomb. You want to dry the petals first.

No.

Yes. It will do the same thing.

The citric acid is what causes it to fizz in the bath, so no, you do need it for a bath bomb.

I have used Epsom salt crystals in a bath bomb with success. As long as there isn't any water in them, I don't think it would cause an issue.

Try looking for a place that sells them in bulk, or convince your friends to join you for a bath bomb making get-together and share the cost of the supplies.

This happened to me when my bomb recipe was a little too damp. I would scrape them back into the bowl and sprinkle in a bit more of the dry ingredients until it just holds together when squeezed. Then they should fall away from the mold when removed.

Citric acid (or a substitute like cream of tartar) is an essential component of the chemical reaction, the other being the baking soda.

Lemonade powder, orange juice -- anything with oranges, lemons or limes will work.

Yes because lemon juice is a good replacement for citric acid and great for your skin.

Just skip the coconut oil in that recipe or use one of the recipes that doesn't involve coconut oil. If you want to replace it, you can use olive oil, an extra dose of almond oil, etc.

Cream of tartar is stronger, so you should use about half the amount of cream of tartar as you would with citric acid.

You could use herbs or dried flowers, but honey, spices, rosewater and other floral waters can also make a pleasant scent. Do not use fragrance oils as they are unnatural and may cause allergic reactions. Also keep in mind that these substitutes are not very strong, and you may need to have more of the dry ingredients to be able to add more of them if you want a stronger scent.