How to Make a Homemade Bath Bomb

If you love taking a bath — and really, who doesn't? — you may have been intrigued by the lush displays of bath bombs on sale at your favorite department store or pharmacy. These fun and fizzy additions to your bath typically come in every scent, color and shape imaginable. They also tend to be a bit on the pricey side.

But don't worry: If you want to enjoy the luxury of a bath bomb without breaking the bank, we've got you covered. Here's how to make a homemade DIY version.

1. Assemble your ingredients.

Homemade Bath bomb ingredients baking soda, corn starch, citric acid, Epsom salts, olive or veggie oil, food coloring and essential oils — You'll need baking soda, corn starch, citric acid, Epsom salts, olive or veggie oil, and your favorite food colors and essential oils. (Photo: Daria_Cherry/Shutterstock)

You may not have all of the ingredients in your cupboard, but you can find everything at your favorite grocery store or pharmacy. You will need Epsom salts, citric acid, vegetable or olive oil, and corn starch as well as whatever food colors, essential oils and other additives you might want to throw in. Here are the measurements:

4 oz. baking soda
2 oz. corn starch
2 oz. citric acid
2 oz. Epsom salts
1-2 teaspoons water
1 teaspoon of your favorite essential oil (try lavender, ginger, rosemary, lemon or vanilla)
1 teaspoon oil (olive, coconut or veggie will do)
1-2 drops food coloring (if you want to add a pop of color)
Extras (such as chia seeds, green tea leaves, flower petals, sea salts or herbs)

You'll also need a mold. If you want to get fancy, you can buy a bath bomb mold in any shape you desire. You can also use an empty plastic ornament, a candy mold, cupcake tins or even just a measuring cup. If you need inspiration on what you want your bath bombs to look and smell like, head over to Pinterest for bath bomb recipes galore.

2. Mix it all together — slowly.

Woman wearing gloves mixing homemade bath bomb ingredients in a bowl — Mix your ingredients together slowly to keep them from reacting. (Photo: Daria_Cherry/Shutterstock)

Mix all of your dry ingredients in one bowl and your wet ingredients in another. Then slowly pour your wet ingredients into the dry, and mix thoroughly with a whisk.

3. Add your finishing touches.

Woman wearing gloves adding rose petals to homemade bath bomb mixture — Now is the time to add any final flourishes to your mold. (Photo: Daria_Cherry/Shutterstock)

If you want to get fancy, now is the time to do it. You can add chia seeds, rosemary leaves, flower petals or buds, or Himalayan sea salts to your mold to decorate your bath bombs and add some extra awesome to your bath. You can also skip this part and get right down to molding.

4. Fill the mold.

woman pressing DIY bath bomb ingredients into a round mold — Overfill your mold and squeeze tightly so that the bath bomb molds into shape. (Photo: Daria_Cherry/Shutterstock)

Now that you have your mixture looking and smelling how you want it to, it's time to press it into your mold. If you're using a sphere, the key is to overfill each half and then squeeze them together so that the bath bomb stays together. If you're using a candy mold or measuring cup, be sure to press the mixture into the mold so that it takes shape. Then gently tap the mold and release the finished product.

5. Enjoy!

Collection of DIY homemade bath bombs of various shapes, sizes and colors — Voilà!. (Photo: Daria_Cherry/Shutterstock)

That's all there is to it! Now that you're a pro at making homemade bath bombs, you can hand them out as gifts to your friends and family. But be sure to keep a few in your own private stash so that you can enjoy the finished product.

Need more help? This video does a great job of explaining how it all comes together: