Mother's Day DIY - Rose Bath Bombs

Difficulty: Easy
Ages: Suitable for ages 5 and older, with supervision.

If you’ve got a bath-loving mum, we’ve got a DIY gift that is sure to win you a stack of brownie points this Mother’s Day. These rose-infused bath bombs are sure to make mum’s day—plus they’re a perfect craft activity for little ones to enjoy! When mum pops one into her bath, she’ll be treated to a soothing, rose-fragranced soak that will help to soften her skin, while melting all of her stress right away.

Ingredients

The following items are purchasable at Woolworths, Chemist Warehouse, and Watergardens Market Florist:

• 1 cup bi-carb soda
• 1/2 cup cornflour
• 1/2 cup citric acid (this is a naturally derived acid from citrus and is used in cooking. It can be bought easily online and from supermarkets in smaller quantities)
• 1/2 cup Epsom salt
• 3 tsp water

• 2 tsp rose essential oil (can be swapped with geranium, lavender, or any fragrant oil)

• 1 tbsp coconut oil, baby oil, olive oil, or almond oil

• 2 drops food colouring of your choice (we chose pink!)

• 1/4 cup dried flowers such as rose petals, lavender, or chamomile

Method

1. Sift bi-carb soda, cornflour, and Epsom salt in a large mixing bowl. Mix with a whisk till combined.

2. Mix all wet ingredients, oils, water, and food colouring in small jug. If you are using coconut oil, microwave for 10 seconds first to melt.

3. Add the wet mixture a teaspoon at a time to the dry mixture and whisk in well before adding the next teaspoon of liquid. Keep going until the full wet mixture is combined. The mixture should look dry but resemble semi-wet sand.

4. Add citric acid and mix in well with whisk. Mix your dried flowers through mixture.

5. Using a silicone cupcake pan, large ice cube moulds or bath bomb moulds, press mixture very firmly into pan, pushing mixture hard to compact it into the mould and level off top. If using a rigid metal pan, grease the cavity with oil first. You may sprinkle some petals into the base of mould if you like.

6. Allow the bath bombs to dry in a pan overnight. When dry, turn out onto a rack and allow to dry out completely over a few days.

 

Tip:

Get creative and switch out the colouring to make a bath bomb in mum’s favourite colour or fragrance—for example, you could try yellow colouring with lemon oil and calendula flowers, or purple colouring with lavender oil and dried lavender flowers.