Holiday Projects: Easy Bath Tub Fizzies

These super simple Bath Fizzies pack a serious punch of effervescent aroma! Bath Fizzies are quite easy to make, and even travel well, due to their finishing up hard as a rock.

Scents
Bath Tub Fizzies can be scented with natural ingredients such as Essential Oils or Absolutes, or they can be scented using synthetic Fragrance Oils.  Which ingredient you choose depends on your personal preference.

Essential Oils & Absolutes - Since Essential Oils and Absolutes contain active ingredients, they have the ability to add beneficial properties to your Bath Fizzies.  However, these same active ingredients can also make the Fizzies dangerous if used incorrectly, or by people with certain health conditions.  Most skin safe Essential Oils can be used in Bath Fizzies. However, it is very important that you research any Essential Oil thoroughly before adding it to any bath and body formula. Many Essential Oils will have usage rates particular to that oil. Heed the expert advice that you find during your research and never take a guess when it comes to using these potent natural ingredients.

Here are some Essential Oils that would work well in Bath Fizzies:

• Lavender
• Jasmine Absolute
• Geranium
• Chamomile
• Rose Otto
• Yuzu
• Sandalwood
• Patchouli
• Spearmint

Fragrance Oils - While Fragrance Oils are not natural, they have been specifically designed for use in skin care products, such as Bath Fizzies.  They are easy to use and come in a very wide range of scents.  Add less Fragrance Oil when working with spicy scents such as Cinnamon. Fragrance Oils can still contain components that may irritate the skin.

Here are some great Holiday Fragrances that would work well in Bath Fizzies:

• Brambleberry Preserves
• Caramel Apple
• Cranberry
• Dark Chocolate Supreme
• Easter Cookie
• Fig
• Gingerbread
• Hollyberry
• Moroccan Mint Tea
• Peppermint
• Pomegranate
• Snowberry
• Spiced Plum
• Vanilla Pumpkin

Color Additives
To add color to the Bath Fizzies in this recipe, we'll be using FD&C Liquid Dyes. These dyes can be left out to create all natural Bath Fizzies.  For an all natural alternative to dyes, try adding a small amount of tinting herbs like Cranberry Fruit Fiber, Red Sandalwood Powder, Parsley Powder, or Alkanet Root Powder to your recipe.

Molds
Unlike Bath Bomb recipes that use butters and oils to bind the ingredients, Bath Fizzies don't work well with Scissor Style Meat Ballers.  Instead, you'll need to use small soap or ice cube molds.  Silicone or rubber ice cube trays make great Bath Fizzie molds, but remember to only use these molds for craft purposes after using them for this project.  Residue from Fragrance Oils, Essential Oils, or Dyes can seep into the porous surface of these molds, making them unsuitable for use with food.

 

Ingredients
1 cup cups Citric Acid
2 cups Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Fragrance Oil or 1/2 teaspoon Essential Oil
FD&C Liquid Dye or Powdered Herbs for Color (optional)
1 1/2 ounces Witch Hazel Hydrosol
1/2 ounce Alcohol

How to Make Bath Fizzies
Mix 1/2 ounce Alcohol and 1 1/2 ounces Witch Hazel Hydrosol in a 2 ounce spray bottle.  In a large mixing bowl, combine powdered ingredients.  Add optional colorants to taste, followed by Fragrance Oil or Essential Oil and mix thoroughly. Next, you'll need to add the Witch Hazel and alcohol mixture.  This must be done gradually.  The first time you make Bath Fizzies you'll need to keep a close eye on the mixture to see when it is ready to be packed into the molds.  Spray 5 - 10 spritzes into the powders and stir well.  Repeat this step again and again until the mixture becomes moist.  The trick is to add liquid until the mixture becomes moist and compactable, but to stop before it becomes wet.  Getting the hang of this step may take a few tries, but don't be discouraged!  Once the mixture has reached the right moisture, it can be spooned into your mold.  Make sure to pack the mixture tightly into the molds, this will help them to retain their shape when they are un-molded later.  After the molds are filled, the Fizzies should be allowed to dry and harden for 2 - 4 hours.  Extra large Fizzies may need additional drying time.  Don't attempt to remove the Fizzies from their molds until you are sure they have hardened completely.  After you've removed them, Bath Fizzies should be packaged in colored foil, Cello Bags, or airtight plastic containers.

Comments

[Letrah Avery]

Can you use an alcohol base extract (ie: Almond,vanilla, Orange) in place of the alcohol and witch hazle?

[Emmy]

Since you cannot use those kinds of extracts in most skin care recipes (due to their being alcohol and water based) I never even thought of them for use in Bath Fizzies. Considering that your spray liquid in this recipe would be composed of alcohol and water anyway, I can't see a reason that using those kinds of baking extracts would be harmful (provided you steer clear of spicy flavors, such as cinnamon.) However, since the liquid in this recipe is added at such a small portion, the addition of these extracts might not add much, if any aroma to the final product. It could turn out to be an expensive, but lack luster addition. Having said that, experimentation is what makes handmade skin care so much fun. If you decide to give this a try please come back to the blog and let us know how it went. I am, indeed, very curious!

[Letrah Avery]

Ok! I tried the bath bomb with almond extract. I used the rescipe above minus the f.o, alcohol,and witch hazle. The bomb came out Great! The scent of almond was very faint at first, but after they dried out I can smell the almond extract very well. I will post again after I use a few in a bath to see how well the almond extract holds up in the water.

[Letrah Avery]

Also I found a great deal on extracts at Smart and Final I want to say I paid about $4-$6 bucks for 16oz.

[Emmy]

Thanks for letting me know how your experiment is going. I'm excited to hear about how they behave in the tub!

[Letrah Avery]

So sad to report that the almond fragrance did not hold up in the tub. I was so pleased with the scent prior to the tub. Crafter notes:
Almond extract: good smell, very hard fizzies, but no scent in the tub.

[Emmy]

Thanks so much for letting us know how your project turned out. Though the results weren't what you hoped for, we all know no more about how food extracts behave in bath and body products. Thanks so much for sharing your experiment with us. Good luck on your next project!