BATH BOMBS

Ingredients

• 1 cup baking soda • 1 cup citric acid powder • ½ cup cornstarch • ¼ cup Epsom salt • ½ cup coconut oil, melted • Dried herbs and/or essential oils (optional)

Instructions

In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients. If you want a color, you can add it to the dry ingredients and stir slowly. You may also add a tablespoon of dried herbs. Melt the coconut oil in the microwave or on the stovetop. You may add some essential oils to the melted oil for scent. Slowly add to the dry ingredients and mix well; you will have a mixture that looks like wet sand. I use my hands, but a small spoon or fork works. Pack the mixture tightly in a mold — I use a plastic ball mold that comes apart in two halves, but you can use anything: muffin tins, silicon molds, and cookie cutters. I unmold after about 10 minutes and place my bombs on a cotton dish cloth on a tray and let them dry overnight. You could also leave them in the molds overnight.

Yield: 16 ounces, about 6 bombs To use: Drop one bath bomb in a tub full of warm water and enjoy!

Tips:

• Grease molds with coconut oil • Do not use any water and make sure all your equipment is dry • You can spray the mixture with alcohol or witch hazel if it starts to dry out or add a bit more oil

Bath Bomb Variations

You can change the scent and color of your bombs by adding different herbs, spices, and essential oils to the basic mixture. Here are a few to try: • Total Relaxation: 1 teaspoon each of dried lavender flowers, marjoram leaves, and chamomile daisies. • For Men Only: 1 teaspoon dried orange peel, 1 teaspoon dried bay leaves, ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon allspice. • Pure Joy: 1 teaspoon dried mint, 1 teaspoon dried lavender, 2-3 drops sweet orange essential oil, 1-2 drops peppermint essential oil • Romance: 2 teaspoons dried rose petals, 1 small piece of vanilla bean, 2-3 drops ylang-ylang oil

* Excerpted from Natural Beauty from the Garden, by Janice Cox, 2nd edition. Copyright 2018 by Ogden Publications Inc.