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DIY Bath Bombs Without Citric Acid

Science can be full of fun reactions in the kitchen, or in this case in the bathtub! We all love relaxing in the tub, or in the case of my younger children, playing in the tub. What could be more fun than fizzing color in the bathtub that smells good too? We love making and using these bath bombs.

DIY Bath Bombs Without Citric Acid

How to Make Bath Bombs Without Citric Acid

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We spent some time last week making bath bombs without citric acid, just using what we had in the house already.

We tried out four different bath bombs recipes, all four are without citric acid because trying to find it in our small town lead to very high prices that I didn’t want to pay.

The internet was full of ideas that we took and ran with, making our own. There are four of us that made bath bombs, each of us using and making a different recipe to test and enjoy.

The first two recipes use cream of tartar, which is supposed to be a good substitute for citric acid in bath bombs, but at least in Canada, can be a little more pricey than you might want to spend, and not everyone has it in their cupboard.

bath bomb google poster image

Coconut Bath Bombs Without Citric Acid

Yield: 2
Active Time: 5 minutes
Additional Time: 2 days
Total Time: 2 days 5 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Estimated Cost: $5

Make these easy, DIY bath bombs that don't require citric acid making them easy and affordable too at home with your kids for science class.

Materials

  • 1/2 cup cornstarch
  • 1/2 cup Epsom salt - we used coconut-scented
  • 1 cup baking soda
  • 4 tbsp cream of tartar
  • 2 1/2 tbsp coconut oil
  • water (in a spray bottle)
  • essential oil – optional

Tools

  • spray bottle
  • mold or ice cube tray

Instructions

  1. Mix together the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Mix in coconut oil. Spritz with the water, making sure to mix well in between sprays.
  2. Pack as tightly as possible, and let sit for at least 5 hours before removing from your mold or mini muffin tins. 
  3. Let sit for a few days before putting it into a jar for storage or before wrapping it into a gift.

Notes

This recipe was the only one that didn't fizz a lot, it dissolved nicely in the water, and I enjoyed it. This one might be more for the moms.

DIY bath bomb recipes - tub
Small Batch Bath Bombs Without Citric Acid on blue background

Small Batch Bath Bombs Without Citric Acid

Yield: 2 small
Active Time: 5 minutes
Additional Time: 2 days
Total Time: 2 days 5 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Estimated Cost: $5

Small batch of bath bombs Without Citric Acid

Materials

  • 2 tbsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tbsp cream of tartar
  • 1 tbsp cornstarch
  • 1 tbsp lavender Epsom salts
  • 1/2 tsp almond oil
  • 3/4 tsp water
  • food color – optional

Tools

  • bowl
  • spray bottle
  • mold
  • ice cube tray

Instructions

    1. Mix dry ingredients together in one bowl, and mix wet ingredients together in another bowl.
    2. Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry, making sure to continuously whisk to prevent a reaction in the bowl. 
    3. Pack as tightly as possible, and let sit for at least 5 hours before removing from your mold or mini muffin tins. 
    4. Let sit for a few days before putting it into a jar for storage or before wrapping it into a gift.
Lemon Juice Bath Bombs Without Citric Acid

Lemon Juice Bath Bombs Without Citric Acid

Yield: 2
Active Time: 5 minutes
Additional Time: 2 days
Total Time: 2 days 5 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Estimated Cost: $5

Lemon Juice Bath Bombs made without critic acid.

Materials

  • 1/2 cup baking soda
  • 1/2 tbsp coconut oil
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • food color - optional
  • essential oils - optional

Tools

  • spray bottle
  • mold

Instructions

  1. Mix together the baking soda and coconut oil, if adding essential oils, do so now. 
  2. Put your lemon juice into a small spray bottle.
  3. Spray the baking soda mixture once, stir, spray once, and stir until you get a clumpy mixture that is slightly wet. 
  4. Pack as tightly as possible, and let sit for at least 5 hours before removing from your mold or mini muffin tins. 
  5. Let them sit for a few days before putting them into a jar for storage or before wrapping them to gift.
DIY bath bomb recipes - 2 bath bombs sitting on tub edge
Epsom Salt Bath Bombs without citric acid in hand with a purple background

Epsom Salt Bath Bombs Without Citric Acid

Yield: 2
Active Time: 5 minutes
Additional Time: 2 days
Total Time: 2 days 5 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Estimated Cost: $5

Make these easy, DIY bath bombs that don't require citric acid making them easy and affordable too at home with your kids for science class.

Materials

  • 1/2 cup baking soda
  • 1/2 cup Epsom salt - we used coconut-scented
  • equal parts water and lemon juice
  • food color – optional

Tools

  • spray bottle
  • mold

Instructions

  1. Mix together your Epsom salt and baking soda, and spray equal parts lemon juice and (colored) water into your mixture, making sure to mix well in between each spray.
  2. Stirring while we sprayed the liquid in helped to prevent a reaction. 
  3. Pack as tightly as possible, and let sit for at least 5 hours before removing from your mold or mini muffin tins. 
  4. Let sit for a few days before putting it into a jar for storage or before wrapping it into a gift.

Amazon Moms Bath Bomb Options

I know that we aren’t all into making things such as bath bombs, and normally I’m not, I want to be, but I tend to worry about the mess, the cost, and such. I tried, and we all had fun doing it and enjoying the end product.

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