Sensuous Bath Bombs

After a long hard day of shopping or work, grab a little glass of wine, put on some relaxing music, and sink into the tub with a wonderful bubbling, scented bath bomb. It pulls out toxins from your body and softens your skin. You can make this your own by throwing in some dried rose petals or your favorite flower petals to pretty them up a bit. They look beautiful in a glass jar and smell great.

I made some up for my sister one year. She doesn't use scent (allergies), but said it was so great to sit and relax in the bubbling tub. She asked for them again. She said these were a keeper.

Ingredients:

• 1    cup of cornstarch
• 1    cup of citric acid
• 2    cups of baking soda
• 1/2 cup of Epsom salt
• 1/2 cup of sea salt
• 2    tsp. of distilled water
• 1/2 tsp. of borax
• 1-2 tsp. of essential oil or fragrance oil*
• 2    tbsp of light oil

*      You may also want to add a few drops of a soap safe dye colorant

Supplies:

• a big mixing bowl
• a whisk or mixer with a whisk attachment
• several measuring cups and spoons
• something to mix the wet phase in
• a sieve or sifter
• a spoon or two
• a spray bottle with distilled water in it
• a mold for the bath bombs

Directions:

1. You will need a cookie sheet with paper towels for the bombs to dry on.
2. Sift all of your dry ingredients into your mixing bowl and stir them well to make sure they are blended well and no clumps remain.
3. Put the water into your squirt bottle and add the borax.
4. Be sure to add the borax before you add the other ingredients.
5. If you are using a liquid colorant, add your colorant to the water/borax mixture.
6.  Add the fragrance or essential oil and your light vegetable oil.
7. Shake well so that the whole mixture becomes emulsified.
8. With your whisk in hand, squirt a few drops of the oil/water/borax mixture into the center of the dry ingredients. It is going to immediately start to fizz. Start mixing right away with the whisk.
   This stops the fizzing by incorporating the liquid into the rest of the dry ingredients.
9. Test the Bath Bomb Consistency, it should be like wet sand- just barely wet enough to stick together.
10. Pick up a half handful of the mix and squeeze it together. Does it clump into a ball or better yet, remain clumped? If so, great, you can begin molding. If they are still too dry, use your spray bottle of water to add just a bit more water.
11. The most popular mold seems to be ball-shape or use square ice cube trays. Using a clear, plastic, two-piece Christmas ornament  seems to work best. Overfill each half with the mixture, and press them together firmly. You want the edges of the mold to just barely come together while getting a really good pack on the mixture inside. Let the molded ball sit for a minute or two. Then tap the side of the ball firmly with a tablespoon. The side of the mold should gently lift off.
12. Repeat on the other side. Even with your mixture perfectly balanced, you will occasionally get a ball that will crumble or be flawed or broken. No problem. Just crushes it up, put it back into the bowl and remold it.
13. Gently lay the tablets or balls onto a paper towel lined cookie sheet or plate. At this point, they will still be a little bit soft, but after drying overnight they will be really hard and ready for the bathtub! Make sure you put them where they wont have to be moved to avoid breakage.
    
    *I have also made them for soaking in when your not feeling well. Change the scent to menthol and eucalyptus and breathe freely with open air passages. Great for a bad cold.

Source: Martha