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DIY Bath Bomb Trouble Shooting Tips (With Answers)

There may be more than one reason you are looking for troubleshooting tips for bath bombs. One of the most frequent problems is cracking when drying. Why do bath bombs crack when they dry?

Let’s find out more about cracking bath bomb problems, along with some more bath bomb troubleshooting tips for DIYers. Believe it or not there are even some who have only just discovered them and need to know how to use a bath bomb.

Cracking – My Bath Bombs Crack when Dry

The reason bath bombs crack is because of too much moisture. It is a two-fold process of expanding whilst still wet and placed into the mold and during the drying process when the moisture evaporates the cracks appear as the mix retracts once more.

Sticking – Why does my bath bomb stick to the mold?

Humidity is your greatest enemy when making bath bombs. It is most likely the main cause if you find your mixture sticking to the mold when you try to remove them. Of course, if the mixture is too wet when you have made it up, then this is also going to be a bit of a problem.

This article explains the best humidity to have when making bath bombs and how to check the humidity for making bath bombs so you can diagnose possible issues with drying

If the mix is too moist it may remain tacky as you put it in the mold and there is only going to be one result from that. Leaving half the bath bomb in the mold when you try to tap it out.

Sinking – How can I stop my bath Bomb sinking to the bottom of the tub?

The most likely cause for your bath bomb to sink to the bottom of the bathtub is because they have probably not hardened completely. This is probably no because you are using them too soon after making them, but some other aspect as prevented them from hardening completely.

Too much witch hazel or oil can do this, as can storing your bath bombs in a humid atmosphere.

Creme of Tartar is claimed to cause bath bobs to sink, although I’m not so sure. If you use too much, then yes this can happen, but bath bomb recipes with cream of tartar, when made correctly ill float just fine.

Not Fizzy Enough – How can I make my Bath Bomb more fizzy?

The first place to look if you are finding your bath bombs are not fizzing as much as you either expected or would like them to, is how much citric acid you have used.

Citric acid is one of the ingredients along with baking soda that creates the chemical reaction of fizzing when introduced to the water.

try adjusting your recipe to have more citric acid.

One other reason may not be the amount of citric acid, but if your bath bomb has been left unwrapped in a humid environment. This can have a detrimental effect, as jut that very small amount of moisture in the air can cause the reaction to happen in your bath bombs, it is being stored in such a small fashion as for you not to notice until you put it in the water and it doesn’t fizz as much as you want. Make sure your bath bomb is wrapped tightly and stored in a dry place away from any moisture.

Too Fizzy – WOW! Too much fizz in my Bath Bomb!

If you are looking for less fizz in your bath bomb, you can consider replacing some of the citric Acid with lemon juice.

The benefit is the reaction will be lesser, the fizz less volatile and you’ll also get the benefit of lemon added to the fragrance profile, all with a perfectly natural ingredient. 

Less fizz doesn’t get much better than that.

I have a handy DIY bath Bomb Recipe with lemon juice on-site you can use.

Bubbles – Why is my Bath Bomb not Bubbly?

Many bath bomb makers will create their bath bobs and then, with huge anticipation feel a real sense of failure when the fizz and the spin is great but you are left with colored water and nothing more.

In some cases, this may be your desired result, but if you are looking at this section then plainly you re missing the bubbles.

You do need some form of detergent to create the bubbles in your bath bomb and the very best options here would be to use Slsa. You can get a small foam from Milk Powder, leaving a more silky finish to the water, but they are bubbles as opposed to foam, and it’s that foamy bubble, I am sure, that you are looking for here.

So Yeah, find a recipe with Slsa, and your non-bubble woes will melt away!

Crumbling – Why does my bath bombs crumble when I take the mold off?

The fact that your bath bomb is crumbling when you take the mold off is almost certainly down to a lack of moisture, in turn ensuring that your bath bomb mix is not as tacky as it should be before being applied to the molds.

You should make sure that your mix will stick together before pushing into the mold.

The other possible reason is that you may have left it in the mold for too long.

In a perfect world, you should be able to place you mix in a mold and within just seconds remove it and place it on a tray for drying. in fact, this is the best way to ensure you have made your mix really really well.

Continue with a process of trial and error, and once you’ve got the mix right, remember it and stop that crumbling forever.

Spinning – My Bath bomb won’t spin!

The best way to ensure your bath does that wonderful spinny thing is to just push your thumb into one side of your mold just before you push the two sides together.

This little indentation which should be placed off-center will ensure a slight weight imbalance, which in turn sets it into a spin on your bathtub. Think of how a jumping bean works and how the imbalance created inside makes it move.

This is the same process taking place when a bath bomb spins in water, and so long as you have done it right, it will continue to spin in the water until the bath bomb ha dissolved to such a point that it reaches the center and the indentation.

Smell – How long does the fragrance last?

The fragrance will be at its best right after the drying process has completed, and from there will become less and less on a daily basis.

The longer you leave your bath bomb unused the less effective the fragrance you added in the making of it will be.

The scent will escape the bath bomb over time and eventually, after some months, will cease to be detectably present in your bath bomb. All you will get is a faint hint of a fragrance and just the fizz. Although even the fizzing action will not be as good over time.

The best tip for maintaining good fragrance in your bath bomb is to ensure they are used within a couple of moth of making them, 6 months is about as long as I would expect any of my bath bombs to have the main attraction elements such as fizz and scent still in place.

Drying – How long Should I leave my bath Bombs to Dry?

The length of time you would leave a bath bomb to dry will depend largely in the recipe you have used. Some bath bombs are good to go within a few hours, but ideally, you should leave them for 24-48 hours to ensure they have gone through the full process.

The length of time that you lave them may be determined by how quickly you need to move them, pack them or ship them, so always take into account the 48-hour drying process if intending to move your bath bombs onward.

Best Before – Do Bath Bombs have a Best Before Date?

Ultimately there is no danger to using a bath bomb many months after is was created, but best Before means exactly what it says. The longer you leave the bath bomb in storage before using it, determines how effective the ingredients will be when reacting in the water. The effects will be lesser and lesser, and the fragrance will eventually seep away to leave you a bath bomb with no aroma at all.

In an ideal world, I would say if you can use your bath bomb within a month or two of purchase you will get the best results. After that length of time, it is a degenerative process that is going to provide you with a more and more disappointing outcome.

So don’t sit on those bath bombs. use them, And go make some more.

Eating – My bath Bomb Smells so Good, Can I Eat it?

Seriously now, just stop it. I have seen this question asked so many times it drives me crazy.

Ok, so yeah, with the exception of essential oils the main ingredients are the type of products you will find in the grocery store and used for baking, but the aspect of the answer to this question is both quantity and recipe.

The ingredients used in a bath bomb are used in far greater quantities than when used as part of a recipe in baking. In fact, they make up a tiny proportion of the overall recipe and interact with the other ingredients for a range of potential outcomes.

Trust me, do not try this at all. If you were to consume a bath bomb, you would be very poorly indeed. Not to mention, someone would need to take a look inside your head as to why you were even thinking about it in the first place, let alone sitting down to munch through your favorite bath bomb

just stop it!

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