Hey everyone, I'm Leah your friendly Fabulous Farm Girl. I'm a wife, mama of 3 boys and surrogate mama to a dog, 2 cats, 8 chickens and a mess-load of bees. I grew up in the country, dreaming of the city. Now I live in the city and dream of the country. I blog over at www.fabulousfarmgirl.com where I show you that it's not the size of your property that matters, it's the size of your heart. Come on down and see me sometime.
For some unknown reason my youngest son hates taking showers. I mean the “kicking and screaming” kind of hate. He's almost 11 so I thought he might be in the “I'm a pre-teen and I know everything and I don't need to shower because I never stink, so there!” phase. But I don't recall his older brothers ever putting up this kind of hard-core resistance to basic hygiene when they were his age and I was growing tired of the fight. So one day I stopped fighting and started asking questions only to discover that getting clean wasn't his problem. The issue was simply that he would rather take a bath. Well, okay then.
Since one of my lofty New Year's resolutions was to take more baths I could hardly fault him for wanting the same simple pleasure. I decided to make some bath products specifically for him so he could feel special and enjoy his bath-time even more. All kids love a good explosion so the first thing I made was Bath Bomb Fizzies.
From a chemistry standpoint the only things you need for a bath fizzy to work is a base, an acid and water so they mix together. It's the old Brady Bunch science experiment where Peter makes a paper mache volcano using baking soda and vinegar and then Marsha breaks her nose because she can't catch a football. It's a classic. In this case were using citric acid instead of vinegar so they don't react until you add (bath) water. But I like my bath products to do more than just erupt so in this recipe there is some great skin-boosting additions that you won't find in the average bath fizzy recipe.Baking Soda-makes a wonderful spa-like bath for soaking away aches and pains and detoxing. It also cleans the tub and the drain, as a bonus!
Citric Acid-is a common ingredient found in face packs and skin products. It is considered an antioxidant that can help the regeneration of skin tissue.
Jojoba Oil-nourishes and revitalizes skin and is remarkably similar to the natural sebum secreted by our own skin.
EVOO-contains 4 antioxidants that help neutralize free-radicals. It is hydrophillic meaning it traps moisture in your skin leaving it softer and smoother.
Bentonite Clay-draws toxins out of the skin and body through the pours.
Vitamin E-powerful antioxidant, protects and repairs skin while restoring elasticity.
Lavender EO-anti-inflammatory, antifungal, moisturizing, regenerating, calming.
Citric Acid-is a common ingredient found in face packs and skin products. It is considered an antioxidant that can help the regeneration of skin tissue.
Jojoba Oil-nourishes and revitalizes skin and is remarkably similar to the natural sebum secreted by our own skin.
EVOO-contains 4 antioxidants that help neutralize free-radicals. It is hydrophillic meaning it traps moisture in your skin leaving it softer and smoother.
Bentonite Clay-draws toxins out of the skin and body through the pours.
Vitamin E-powerful antioxidant, protects and repairs skin while restoring elasticity.
Lavender EO-anti-inflammatory, antifungal, moisturizing, regenerating, calming.
This recipe is so easy you can, and probably should, get your kids involved. You can turn it into an interactive chemistry lesson. Just mix the dry ingredients together in a medium bowl. Then mix the wet ingredients and 1 tsp. baking soda in a small bowl and stir really well. Add them to the dry stuff, mix with a spoon and then rub it all between your hands to evenly distribute everything. I like to do 2 or 3 separate batches that are different colors. If you do that don't move on to the next step of spritzing with water until all your batches are ready to go.
You don't have to add food coloring but I guarantee it's more fun if you do. Not only does it make the bath fizzies prettier it will also color the bath water and what kid doesn't love that? My hubby, the artist, reminded me that if you combine colors that are across the color wheel from each other they make brown. I wanted to make a green and pink striped bath fizzy but he pointed out that it would turn the bath water the color of poo. Yeah, probably not a good idea so I did purple and pink stripes instead.
Now your going to spritz the mixture with water. You have to do this a little at a time and mix immediately as too much water will set off the fizzing reaction. A little fizzing will happen no matter what but don't worry, just mix it up and you'll be fine. Spritz 3 times, then mix vigorously between your hands. Repeat three more times. You don't want the mixture too dry and you don't want it too wet. If you squeeze a clump and it holds together, you're good to go.
You don't want to overwork the “dough” so immediately get it into whatever molds you are using. I like to use the round craft molds because they look the most traditional but other molds work too. I've used silicone baking trays, ice cube trays and soap molds, all with good results. The larger the mold, the bigger the eruption, but of course you won't get as many bath fizzies out of the recipe. You have to pack the mixture in really, really tight or the bath fizzies are prone to crack. They still work great but aren't as pretty if you intend to give them as gifts. Just keep pressing people, keep pressing.
My son was very excited to be the first one to test the bath fizzies. He picked the biggest one (of course) and the resulting eruption was, in his words, “awesome”. It bubbled for quite a long time and when it was all done the water was a lovely shade of blue. When he came home from school today and saw all the bath fizzies set up for my photo shoot he asked if he could take another bath tonight. Problem solved.Bath Fizzies
1 cup + 1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 cup citric acid powder
2 tbsp. bentonite clay (I use Redmond-brand–order it here)
2 tbsp. jojoba oil
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp. vitamin E (I used two 1000 I.U. capsules)
1/4 tsp. food coloring (optional)
10-15 drops essential oil of your choice (I used doTERRA lavender)In a large glass or metal bowl mix 1 cup baking soda with the citric acid and clay. In a smaller glass or metal bowl add jojoba oil, olive oil, vitamin E, food coloring and essential oil, mixing well. Add 1 tsp. baking soda and continue mixing until well combined. Make a well in the dry mixture and pour in the wet mixture. Mix with a spoon until combined, then use your hands to continue mixing. Rub mixture between your hands until color and scent are completely incorporated. With a spray bottle filled with water, spray the mixture 3 times, then continue mixing and rubbing between your hands. Repeat this process of spraying 3 times and then mixing, a total of 4 times (12 sprays total). Pack mixture into molds very tightly. Add more mixture as necessary, continuing to press until bath fizzy cannot be packed any tighter. Immediately remove from mold and let dry for 24-48 hours.
1 cup + 1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 cup citric acid powder
2 tbsp. bentonite clay (I use Redmond-brand–order it here)
2 tbsp. jojoba oil
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp. vitamin E (I used two 1000 I.U. capsules)
1/4 tsp. food coloring (optional)
10-15 drops essential oil of your choice (I used doTERRA lavender)In a large glass or metal bowl mix 1 cup baking soda with the citric acid and clay. In a smaller glass or metal bowl add jojoba oil, olive oil, vitamin E, food coloring and essential oil, mixing well. Add 1 tsp. baking soda and continue mixing until well combined. Make a well in the dry mixture and pour in the wet mixture. Mix with a spoon until combined, then use your hands to continue mixing. Rub mixture between your hands until color and scent are completely incorporated. With a spray bottle filled with water, spray the mixture 3 times, then continue mixing and rubbing between your hands. Repeat this process of spraying 3 times and then mixing, a total of 4 times (12 sprays total). Pack mixture into molds very tightly. Add more mixture as necessary, continuing to press until bath fizzy cannot be packed any tighter. Immediately remove from mold and let dry for 24-48 hours.
The image featured at the top of this post is ©MomsWhoThink Staff / fabulousfarmgirl.