Spending the time to hand-make a gift for Mother's Day is a really special way to say 'I love you.' Mums especially love home made presents, and appreciate the time, thought and effort that goes into making them.
Mother's Day may be on Sunday, but there's still time to make a couple of our scented bath fizzers. They are a College Green workshop staple for childrens' groups and are easy enough for children to make with minimal supervision (though they're such fun to do that you'll want to get involved too). You only need a couple of ingredients that you'll find in High Street hardware stores or the supermarket - you may even have them in your kitchen cupboard.
We made our bath bombs in the photos in paper cupcake cases, but you could also use silicone moulds or biscuit cutters, and they can be customised endless ways - add a cake candle and you've got a super cute birthday present or party gift!
Once you've mastered the technique we're sure you'll be whipping up batches whenever a gift is needed, or as a rainy day activity.
And best of all your bath bombs will be natural, non toxic, good for you, and you'll know exactly what goes into them.
Ready to get started?
To make two small or one large cupcake bath bomb:
- 1 cup of bicarbonate of soda
- 1 heaped tablespoon of citric acid
- 10 drops of essential oil
- witch hazel decanted into an atomiser OR
- 1 tablespoon of olive or sweet almond oil
- 2 cupcake cases (or 1 paper muffin case, a silicone mould or biscuit cutter)
- To decorate - a few dried flowers or a tablespoon of Himalayan sea salt
Instructions
Mix the bicarbonate of soda and citric acid in a bowl and stir together.
Add the essential oil and stir well until incorporated.
Next add either the olive or sweet almond oil OR spray around 5 times with the witch hazel then stir really well - you don't want to start the mixture fizzing, so keep mixing until everything is well incorporated and the mixture resembles damp sand. If it's too dry then add another 5 spritzes of witch hazel.
Now carefully divide between the paper cases or silicone moulds and gently flatten with the back of a spoon. If you're using biscuit cutters then put the cutter on a tray and carefully spoon the mixture in, pressing down and taking care that it doesn't escape under the edges.
If you're using paper cases or biscuit cutters decorate the tops with flower petals or Himalayan pink salt (left), pressing down lightly, or leave them plain and simple.
Leave overnight to harden, then they'll be ready to use!
How to use
To use, simply peel off the paper case and drop into a warm bath. The bath bomb will fizz releasing the scented essential oils into the bath, and the flower petal decorations will float on top of the water for a luxurious spa-like experience.
If you're giving a bath bomb as a gift then it's good practice to write the ingredients on a label (in case of allergies that you're not aware of.)
Happy Mother's Day!
