Gone are the days when a bathtub soak meant a bubble bath. Bath bombs are all the rage these days thanks to mainstream brands like Lush. But what exactly are bath bombs?
Bath bombs are made from a mixture of baking soda, citric acid, Epsom salts, coloring, and a blend of essential oils. It is hard packed into decent sized balls which look like bombs. No, they do not explode when you put them in your bath water. Rather, they fizzle when wet thus giving the illusion that they’re about to explode.
They’re a fun and highly beneficial addition to your bath because not only does it add color and fragrance to your bath water, the essential oils bring in a myriad of therapeutic benefits you can take advantage of. It’s easy to purchase some bath bombs at a store but it’s much more cost effective – and not to mention fun – to just make your own at home! But first, you need to know what types of essential oils you can use to make your bath bombs.
In this article, we discuss everything you need to know about essential oils, their benefits, reviews of the best essential oils for bath bombs in today’s market, and we even threw in some easy to follow bath bomb recipes.
So without further ado, let’s get fizzing!
Table of Contents
The Best Essential Oils for Bath Bombs
1. ArtNaturals 8-piece Set – 100% Highly Grade Pure Essential Oils – Best Value for Money
First on our list is the ArtNaturals 8-piece essential oils set. This set is the best value for your money for a number of reasons. First of all, it comes with eight 15ml bottles – that’s enough oil to last you more than a year even if you make more than 2 dozen different blends to use for your homemade bath bombs. Next, the selection of oils is in this set is awesome. You have everything you need to make a variety of concoctions. Lastly, these oils are 100% pure therapeutic grade essential oils! Plus, they’re vegan too!
The ArtNatural 8-piece set comes with eucalyptus, tea tree, lavender, peppermint, rosemary, frankincense, orange, and lemongrass essential oils. You’ll also get free recipes plus tips and tricks on the proper use of essentials oils when you visit their online store.
Pros
- 100% pure therapeutic essential oils
- Certified vegan
- Ethically Sourced
Cons
- Some bottles may leak during shipping
2. Artizen 14-piece set: Wide Selection – Best Set for Beginners
- Favorite Scents – So many to choose from each day! Essential oils include...
- 14 Bottle Set in Amber Bottles – Esessential oils make unique gifts: pair...
- Tested for Purity – This essential oil set features popular scents and...
If you’re looking for an essential oil set that has almost everything you need to make a huge variety of bath bombs, this is the one for you! This Artizen set is comprised of the brand’s best-selling single oils and synergy essential oil blends.
This is the perfect essential oils set for those who are just getting into essential oils and bath bomb making. With the oils in this set, you’ll be able to make bath bombs for relaxation, anxiety and stress relief, immunity boost, sleep aid, and more!
The Artizen set comes with fourteen 5ml bottles of essential oils. Here the oils included in this set:
Pure:
Frankincense, eucalyptus, cedarwood, sweet orange, lemon, lavender, tea tree, and rosemary
Synergy Blends:
Stress Relief, Breathe, Goodnight, Muscle Relief, and Robbers Oil
Pros
- Wide selection of EOs
- Includes synergy blends
- Money back guarantee
Cons
- The scent of some of the oils in this set may be too overwhelming for some people.
3. Pure Body Naturals 6-piece Set: EVS Certified – The Perfect Gift Set
Next on our list if the 6-piece set from Pure Body Naturals. What makes this product different from all the others on our list is the brand partners with artisan distillers from all over the world who ethically source their oils ethically. Since they don’t get their oils from big companies, you can be sure that each bottle in this set is 100% pure therapeutic grade essential oils.
Whether you decide to give this product as a gift or buy it for your own personal use, you will have enough essential oils to make some of the most popular bath bomb recipes around. The Pure Body Naturals 6-piece set comes comprised of their most popular essential oils in 10ml bottles. Here’s what you’ll get: lavender, tea tree, lemongrass, orange, peppermint, and eucalyptus. See also our guide on best bath bombs with rings and which one to get?
Pros
- EVS Certified
- Sourced from artisan distillers
- Can be applied topically, inhaled, diffused, or infused in skin care products
Cons
- The bottles are prone to leakage
4. Radha Beauty 18-piece Set: The Perfect Starter Set
- HIGHLY RATED: Experience the epitome of aromatherapy bliss with our premium...
- PLANT DERIVED EXTRACTS: Only the world’s finest ingredients sourced from...
- BOTTLED IN THE USA: Embark on a sensory journey with our premium essential...
If you’re looking for a set that has a little of everything, this is the perfect one for you! The Radha Beauty set contains eighteen 5ml bottles of the most useful essential oils that you must have in your collection. If you’re worried that 5ml isn’t enough to make yourself more than 1 bath bomb, think again! Remember, you’ll only need a couple of drops of each essential oil you want to use to make 2 to 3 bath bombs.
Here’s a list of the essential oils you’ll get in this set:
- Lavender
- Tea tree
- Peppermint
- Lemongrass
- Orange
- Eucalyptus
- Rosemary
- Frankincense
- Lemon
- Bergamot
- Cedarwood
- Patchouli
- Geranium
- Pink grapefruit
- Cinnamon
- Oregano
- Clove
- Clary sage
Advantages:
- A very versatile set
- 100% pure high grade therapeutic essential oils
- Perfect for beginners
Disadvantages:
- After sales customer service can be troublesome
5. Urban Kangaroo Essential Oil Bath Bomb Kit: Everything You Need to Make Bath Bombs
Looking for a kit that not only contains essentials oil but basically everything you need to make bath bombs? Well, you’ve found it! The Urban Kangaroo Essential Oil Bath Bomb Kit has everything from bath bomb molds, soap making materials, essential oil blends, dried flowers, and the even threw in some Cello packaging bags and gold twist ties! This is really worth buying especially if you’re just making bath bombs for the very first time and aren’t ready to invest in the required materials and tools.
The Urban Kangaroo essential oil bath bomb kit is a 29-piece set. With the materials included in this package, you’ll be able to make more than 25 bath bombs which you can giveaway as gifts to your friends and family.
Advantages:
- Complete bath bomb making set
- Essential oils included are already blends, no more diluting involved
- Comes with easy to follow recipes
Disadvantages:
- Recipes that come with the set don’t have measurements, you’ll run out of ingredients by guessing
Everything You Need to Know About Making Bath Bombs with Essential Oils
What kind of essential oils can be used in bath bombs?
Adding essential oils to your bath bomb does more than just add a luxurious smell. These oils add a myriad of benefits to your overall well-being. This means you’ll be able to experience the therapeutic benefits of EOs for your physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Of course, this will depend on what type of essential oil you decide to add to your DIY bath bombs.
Here is a list of the best essential oils to add to bath bombs and their benefits:
- Lavender – this is the most versatile essential oil there is. Known for its calming and soothing properties, lavender essential oil is used to help treat sleep disorders such as insomnia, skin irritations, stress and anxiety, and many more! Putting a couple of drops of this to your DIY bath bomb can guarantee you the most relaxing bath you’ve ever had in your life!
- Ylang ylang – this essential oil has relaxing and aphrodisiac properties. It is also used to help boost one’s self-confidence. If you’re feeling a bit beaten down and lacking in self-confidence, soaking in a bath with an Ylang ylang infused bath bombs is a sure fire way to get your groove back!
- Peppermint – known for its invigorating properties, peppermint essential oils is a great addition to a bath bomb! If you’ve been feeling sluggish and unmotivated, grab a bath bomb that’s infused with peppermint essential oils! You’ll be invigorated, renewed, and your mind will feel so much clearer after your soak!
- Eucalyptus – feeling under the weather? A bath bomb with eucalyptus essential oil is your best bet to recovery! This essential oil is known for helping alleviate flu symptoms. It can help decongest your stuffy nose, alleviate coughs, and can even help strengthen your immune system during cold and flu season!
- Tea Tree – this is one of the most important essential oils to add in any bath bomb recipe. Tea tree has anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-parasitic properties. Soaking in a tub with a bath bomb infused with tea tree oil will not only cleanse your body of harmful elements it will also purify the air in the room. This will allow you to breathe in clean air – which is important for cell renewal and overall health! Another plus is, it will also help clean your bathtub. So, win-win!
- Geranium – if you’re looking for make a bath bomb meant for skin pampering, this is the essential oil to add to your recipe! Geranium is known for its skin rejuvenating properties. Throw in a geranium infused bath bomb into the tub once a week and soak in it for as long as possible. Doing so will help smooth out wrinkles and balance out the pH of your skin. Another plus point is the fact that geranium essential oil is great with soothing out tension and keeping stress and anxiety at bay!
- Sweet Orange – looking to make a bath bomb that can give you balance, upliftment, and create a sense of positivity after a soak? Add a couple of drops of sweet orange essential oil. This is known to help alleviate the winter blues and can help lift up your spirit after experiencing disappointment and frustration.
- Sandalwood – this essential oil is known for its grounding properties. When you feel you need a break because you’re losing focus and are feeling lost, have a soak with a sandalwood bath bomb. You feel renewed and focused after you’ve had your soak – ready to take on anything to achieve your goal! Another plus point is, sandalwood essential oil has been used for centuries to help nourish the skin.
- Frankincense – if you want to make a bath bomb that does it all, adding a couple of drops of frankincense essential oil will do just that! This essential oil has been used since ancient times. Remember the story of the three kings who went to visit bearing gifts after the birth of Jesus? Frankincense was one of those gifts! This essential oil comes with a myriad of benefits – relieving stress and anxiety, boosting your immune system, getting rid of fear, and of course, skin care benefits! You’ll feel like a new person after soaking in a tub infused with a frankincense bath bomb!
- Lemongrass – for the relief of muscle pains and aching joints, create a bath bomb with lemongrass essential oils. This essential oil is great for relieving sore muscles and inflammation. Soak in a tub with a lemongrass bath bomb after spending the day doing heavy physical activities before going to bed and you can be sure you won’t be waking up to a sore body the next day!
Read more about the effects of essential oils in your bath.
Essential Oils to Avoid Adding to Bath Bombs
Since 100% pure essential oils are extremely potent and volatile, it is important to note that not all types can be used in creating bath bombs. Some oils can interfere with the curing process of your bombs and can leave you with a pile of mush. Others are skin irritants or are too strong and can cause inflammation of the mucous membranes.
Here is a list of some of the essential oils to avoid when making bath bombs:
- Cinnamon
- Cassia
- Clove
- Oregano
- Thyme
How is the Quality of Essential Oils Determined?
The quality of essential oils can vary greatly and knowing how to determine the quality of the essential oils you are buying is important. This is particularly true these days because so many companies are coming out with essential oils and are claiming that theirs is 100% pure when in fact, they have been diluted. What’s worse is, there are those who label fragrance oils as essential oils just so they can make a profit.
There are tests to determine the quality and purity of essential oils such as a GC/MS test. However, these types of tests are done in labs so you can’t really do this on your own. However, there are ways you can determine the quality of the EOs you’re buying.
Here are a few things that can help you determine the quality of your EOs:
- Look a certification seal – having a certification seal ensures that the EOs a brand is selling have gone through tests and have passed the parameters to determine their purity.
- Read labels thoroughly – more often than not, the quality of the oil is indicated on the label of the bottle so make sure to read through it carefully. Watch out for words like diluted and infused because you can end up buying a bottle of a carrier oil that’s infused with the essential oil you were originally intending to buy.
- Only buy from reputable sellers – buying from the internet can be risky business. However, it is still the best way to go if you are looking for hard to find essential oils or need to purchase some out of state or internationally. The best you can do is to do a little background check on the seller you’re thinking of buying from, read their reviews, and ask friends and family for recommendations.
- Look at the price – essential oils are undeniably an investment especially if you really want to get into it and build a collection. The minimum price for high-quality essential oils is about $3 per 5ml bottle. So you find one that’s being sold by an unknown seller for $1 per bottle, walk away. You’ll likely end up with a bottle of fragrance oil.
What Defines the Quality of Essential Oils?
There are is a long list of things that define the quality of essential oils. To give you an idea:
- The quality of the seed that was planted
- The growing conditions of the plant (climate, temperature, air quality, etc.)
- The type of nutrients the plant was fed (organic, vegan, chemical fertilizers, etc.)
- The method the botanical was harvested
- The distillation method
- The part of the plant where the oil was extracted
- The machine used in the distillation process
- The bottles used
- Storage
- Shipping
- And a whole lot more!
Basic Bath Bomb Recipes Worth Trying
Making essential oils bath bombs is easy as long as you know the basics of making bath bombs. So before we talk about the different recipes you can follow, let’s start with the basics!
Materials and other supplies you’ll need to make the base for your bath bomb:
- 1 cup baking soda
- 1/2 cup citric acid
- 1/2 cup Epsom salts
- 1 tsp. water
- food coloring (gel food coloring is best)
- bowl
- whisk
- jar
- bath bomb mold
- your oils
- dried flowers and herbs (optional)
- Whisk all of your dry ingredients together (baking soda, citric acid, Epsom salt (why you should be taking a bath with epsom salt?), dried herbs and flowers)
- In a separate bowl, mix your wet ingredients together thoroughly (water, food coloring, your essential oils and carrier oil blend)
- Pour half of the liquid mix into your dry ingredients, then mix. Continue adding until you’ve achieved the consistency of wet coarse sand.
- Fill in your bath bomb mold with the mixture. Make sure to pack the mixture in tightly.
- Leave to cure in a cool and dry place for a few days to a week.
- Once it has hardened, remove from the mold and store in a dry place until you’re ready to use them.
Essential Oil Blend Recipes You Can Add to Your Bath Bombs
Now that we’ve gotten the basics out of the way, it’s time to start discussing essential oil blend recipes you can add to your bath bombs. It is important to remember that a few safety precautions are needed when handling essential oils because some can cause skin irritation when handled undiluted. That said, make sure to wear gloves and a nose mask (some even wear safety goggles) when diluting your essential oils.
Another thing to remember is you need to have a carrier oil when making blends to be used for making bath bombs. Carrier oils can be virgin coconut oil, grapeseed oil, tamanu oil, rosehip seed oil, olive oil, hemp seed oil, and so much more. Your choice of carrier oil should depend on your preference and the benefits each type can add to your blend. Make sure to read up on the different types of carrier oil so you have an idea of what is best to use for your bath bombs.
Keep in mind that the direction for these is all the same and is pretty simple – mix everything together! Yep, that’s all you need to do!
Now on to the recipes:
1. Blend for a Detoxifying Bath Bomb
- 4 tsp fractionated coconut oil
- 15 drops of clary sage essential oil
- 15 drops of lemongrass essential oil
2. Blend for a Relaxing Bath Bomb
- 4oz jojoba oil
- 15 drops of lavender essential oil
- 10 drops of vanilla essential oil
- 5 drops of clary sage essential oil
- 5 drops of geranium essential oil
3. Blend for Muscle and Joint Pain Relief Bath Bomb
- 4oz hemp seed oil
- 10 drops lemongrass essential oil
- 5 drops peppermint essential oil
- 5 drops eucalyptus essential oil
- 5 drop lemon essential oil
- 5 drops Helichrysum essential oil
4. Blend for Night Time Bath Bomb
- 4 oz sweet almond oil
- 15 drops lavender essential oil
- 10 drops clary sage essential oil
- 10 drops Ylang ylang essential oil
5. Blend for Invigorating Bath Bomb
- 4 tbsp virgin coconut oil
- 15 drops eucalyptus essential oil
- 10 drops clary sage essential oil
- 10 drops lemon essential oil
In Conclusion: Should You Invest in Essential Oils for Bath Bombs?
It’s easy to go to your nearest store and purchase a bath bomb. The thing is, you can never really be sure what ingredients went into making them and if they were made under the best sanitary conditions. That said, it is definitely worth the time and investment needed to make your own bath bombs.
Using the best essential oils for bath bombs to DIY will guarantee that you will be getting the most out of the experience of soaking in a tub. Remember, essential oils are not just about the fragrance, it also adds therapeutic benefits to your bath water.
Read about the best products from Bath & Body for a relaxing moment in your bath.