Have you been looking for zero waste gifts ideas, searching the internet for a handmade, natural project? Wether it's a gift for Valentine's day or Mother's day or even just a treat for yourself, the recipe I am sharing today is on the list of my favourite zero waste gifts ideas.
How can bath bombs be zero waste?
Bath bombs make a truly amazing zero waste gift they don't require any packaging and ingredients can be found package free and I love making them with all natural, non toxic ingredients.
Another reason why I love making and teaching people how to make bath bombs is that they are such a versatile product to learn to do that requires very few ingredients which are quite easy to find plastic free. There is no heating involved and all you need are very few ingredients and tools, and just a little bit of elbow grease!
Once you have learnt the base recipe, you can tweak it around and turn a bath bomb into a variety of other products that can be used in your home. For example, dishwasher tablets.
Whether you are making them for yourself or making them as Mother’s Day zero waste gift, you’ll surely have so much fun making them!
If you want to come and learn this with me, join my next workshop which will take place on 20th March at Mercato Metropolitano in London. I will teach you how to make these along with a moisturizing cream and a melt and pour soap - which you all get to take home. Plus, I will give you tips and trick on how to find the ingredients plastic free!
If you would be interested in a tutorial on how to make dishwasher tablets, simply let me know in the comments below :)
Tools
- 1 tablespoon
- 1 teaspoon
- 1 mixing bowl
-1 ice cube tray silicone mould such as this one - it needs to be one of those "firm" types rather than those "floppy" types, but also not too hard or it will be difficult to get the bath bombs out
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon citric acid
- 2 tablespoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon of a chosen powder
choose between: pink clay, arrowroot powder, colloidal oat meal (my favourite is arrowroot powder)
- 1 tablespoon of a salt
choose between Himalayan pink salt, Epsom salt or Dead Sea salt - I love Himalayan salt as it gives tiny speckles of natural white to the bath bombs. If you buy this coarse make it finer using a blender/food processor
- 1 small teaspoon of sweet almond oil
or any other lightweight oil, such as safflower oil, coconut oil, sunflower oil
- 1 to 2 teaspoons of rubbing alcohol - I recommend adding 1 teaspoon first and then check the consistency as you may not need all of it
this will make the mixture fit together nicely. The reason why we are using alcool is that we can’t use water here is that once water hits the mixture the bath bomb will start fizzing like crazy! Don't worry, the alcool will evaporate all, just make sure you leave the bath bombs to air dry for about a day before using them
- half teaspoon of your favourite essential oil. I love Freshskin essential oils, they are 100% pure, have a great quality and price. Plus, the company usually ships them plastic free.
my all time favourite for a relaxing bath is lavender essential oil but you can choose any essential oil of your choice
Directions
1. Mix the citric acid, baking soda, your chosen powder and salt into a bowl
2. Mix these ingredients well with a spoon until you see there are no clumps left
3. Add the sweet almond oil trying not to pour it all in one point but rather all over the mixture, and mix to incorporate well
4. Add the alcool and mix again just like you did with the oil
5. Same for the essential oil, add and mix well
Note: if you want you could add all of the liquid ingredients together in another bowl and pour them all at once. However if you add them one by one it will be easier to incorporate them. Plus, if your measurements are not very precise (since we are not using a scale) or depending on the temperature of the room (if its very humid, you may need a bit less liquid), you will be able to control how much of every liquid component you really need
3. Mix well until there are no clumps and you have obtained a lightly humid "sand" texture which holds into a shape when you squeeze it between your the palm of your hand
4. Fill your silicone mold and press very hard with your thumb or a spoon until you feel that the texture is super firm. You need to be able to press and not feel anything moving beneath your finger
5. Leave the filled molds to air-dry for a few minutes to 20 minutes and then release gently. If your mixture was of the right consistency and you pressed it well in the mold, you should be able to release them even after a couple of minutes
And voilà! You’ve just made bath bombs! Now all you need to do is gift them to someone tho love or pop them in a warm bath and relax!
Join Minimal – Bottega Zero Waste FREE Skincare Mini Course
Minimal is a free 4 DIY skincare projects mini course, designed to introduce you to the world of making your own products to truly reduce waste. Ready for your next adventure?
