The weddings are coming! The weddings are coming!
I need to get used to the idea that being in my late twenties means being invited to at least two or three weddings per year. I also need to get used to the idea that, unlike when I was in my teens, at this point it actually makes sense for those I know to start musing about wedding ideas (whether or not they have a partner). It’s that…time. Of life. Or something.
I just received yet another “Save the Date” card, and on the same day I ran across a friend who was asking for creative wedding favor ideas. Someone mentioned Lush bath bombs, which made me think of the Lush store in downtown Seattle, which made me think of the Occupy movement (Occupy Seattle is occupying the park just outside Lush’s door), which made me think that if there’s a way to DIY bath bombs, that’s probably smarter.
And there is.
Make your own sex. Bomb.
The best recipe I found was from TeachSoap.com. Head to their site to nab the ingredients list, then follow the instructions below.
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BLEND BLEND BLEND BLEND the citric acid and baking soda – this step is super important – if you don’t blend well, you end up with a grainy bomb. We actually use a mixer on our larger batches. |
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Once you’ve blended really well, add your colorant. Dry pigments or a specialty bath fizzy colorant like La Bombes work best – don’t add too much though – the color shows up once you add the witch hazel. |
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Add fragrance oils to your personal nose preference. |
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Now, this is the difficult part. Spritz (with a squirt bottle) the witch hazel onto your batch while stirring with the other hand. When your batch sticks together when squished, you need to start putting it in molds – time is of the essence. If you wait too long, the mixture will get hard. If you spritz too much, the mixture will be too wet and “grow” (start the fizzing reaction) on you. |
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Put the bombs in molds – wait a few minutes and tap them out. Let them air dry for 3 or 4 hours and voila! Wonderful, hard bath bombs. The harder you pack the bath bombs, the more dense, heavy, and durable bomb you will get. |
To add my recommendation: while gathering your ingredients, go to a local natural goods store and make friends with one of the employees. Work together with said employee to find the perfect combination of essences – peaches and cream? rose and jasmine? blackberries and chocolate? – to create a well-rounded scent.
And don’t forget to grab some extra trinkets to place inside your bomb! Use Lush for inspiration: the Calavera Ballistic has marigold petals inside, Cinders uses cinnamon leaf (yeahohmygod), and Green Party contains recycled paper streamers, which fizz all over the place! (And if you don’t think you can recycle free, colorful paper, spend five minutes walking around in a major city. You’ll get enough color paper leaflets to fill a million bombs.)
Make your own Tisty Tosty with dried rose blooms and petals. You don’t have to use a circular mold – try various cupcake and cookie molds from the dollar store!
If you do choose to make your own bath bombs, for you or as gifts, I do have one favor to ask of you: please, for the love of god, don’t use glitter. As fun as it sounds to have a glittery bath, it can irritate sensitive skin and will never, ever come completely off of you or your bathtub.
What’s the most interesting wedding favor you’ve ever received?
If you are feeling lazy and think you might want to buy Tisty Tosty instead of making it yourself, check out this review by I Believe in Smiles. She loved it!
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