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Enjoy the perfect relaxing bath with a little bit of
simple chemistry...
You know the things you put in the bath and they make the water
fizz and smell nice? They're bath bombs. You can
make your own!
What you need:
- Food colouring
- Sweet almond oil or other light vegetable oil
- Essential oil (make sure it is suitable to put in bath bombs
and that it's not for oil burners or candles)
- 10 tablespoons bicarbonate of soda
- 3 tablespoons of citric acid (you can buy this from chemists
and some supermarkets)
- Large mixing bowls - glass works best
- Muffin tray or other mould
- Small glass jar
- Mixing spoon
- Whisk
How to:
- Use the almond oil to lightly grease the muffin tray or
mould.
- Mix the citric acid and bicarbonate of soda together in a glass
bowl. Make sure you get any lumps out.
- Mix together 12 drops of your essential oil, 10 teaspoons of
sweet almond oil and 15-20 drops of food colouring. Don't use any
more food colouring, otherwise it will turn your bath a funny
colour!
- Gradually pour the oil mixture into the dry mixture, stirring
well. If the mixture starts to foam, you're adding the oil too
quickly. The mixture is ready when it has the consistency of damp
sand.
- Spoon the mixture into the muffin tray and press down firmly.
It should make 2-4 bath bombs, depending on the size of your muffin
tray.
- Leave the bath bombs to set for a few days.
- When you want to use one, carefully take it out of the mould
and drop it into your bath.
You can make different kinds of bath bombs, using different
essential oils, different food colouring, flower petals or body
glitter. They make great presents!
What's happening?
When you drop your bath bomb into water, this sets off a
chemical reaction between the citric acid and the bicarbonate of
soda. During the reaction, carbon dioxide is made, which causes the
fizzing. The almond oil moisturises your skin and the essential
oils smell nice.