12 DIYs of Christmas: Bath Bomb Bonbons

This is a guest post by blogger Cat from Ctrl + Curate. Follow her on instagram @CtrlCurate or check out more of her projects at ctrlcurate.com!

I love love love holiday crafting. Truly, I can’t get into the full spirit without some dedicated DIYs. Handmaking gifts speaks both my DIY heart and gift giving love language, so I’m always trying to find that perfect sweet spot to create something that the recipient will, you know, actually enjoy. These DIY bath bomb bonbons are just as much fun to make as they are to gift, so go ahead and make a big batch for everyone on your list!

This is an adaption of my no-fail bath bomb recipes that I’ve been tweaking over the years. I love how a set of minis looks in a gift box, but you can of course spoil giftees a little extra by using larger molds for an even more indulgent bath.

I went with “chocolate orange”, “peppermint”, and “cocoa butter” flavors, but chocolate mint, chai, or coconut could also be fun to try! To keep the set cohesive and minimize the number of different oils you’ll need for this bonbon set, I relied on vanilla fragrance to play the base, middle, and top notes.

Note: The base recipe for all the bath bombs is the same, just the fragrance blend will differ.

Supplies + Materials:

Mini bath bomb molds*
1 1/2 c baking soda
1 c citric acid
1 c cornstarch
1 c Epsom salt
3 tsp Polysorbate 80
3 tbsp melted cocoa butter

*I LOVE these, but keep in mind minis will have less fizz! Mini is great for samplers for someone to try out different scents, but if you absolutely love the look of the minis, give 3-4 of the same kind for someone to use all at once.

Peppermint

2.75 tsp Peppermint essential oil
¼ tsp Vanilla fragrance oil*

Chocolate Orange

.75 tsp Chocolate fragrance oil
1.25 tsp Sweet Orange essential oil
1 tsp Vanilla fragrance oil*
Chocolate tea (optional)

Cocoa Butter

1.5 tsp Cedarwood (Atlas) essential oil
.25 tsp Vanilla fragrance oil*
1.25 tsp Jasmine essential oil
Organic cocoa powder (optional for drizzle)
Cocoa butter (optional for drizzle)

*Do NOT use vanilla extract as a substitute. Vanilla extract is purely for cooking, will not make your bath bomb actually smell like vanilla, and is not approved for bath products.

Instructions

Whisk the baking soda, citric acid, cornstarch, & Epsom salt together. Set aside.

Use a microwave to melt your cocoa butter in a heat safe container in 30 sec. bursts until completely melted. Add the essential oils/fragrance oils and polysorbate into the cocoa butter.

Mix the oil blend into the dry mix. This is easiest with your hands and gloves (you don’t want to handle essential oils without a carrier oil). Your bath bomb mix should clump and hold its shape. Don’t worry if it’s not coming together! Environmental humidity plays a role in getting your mix just right, so if it is too dry and crumbly, slowly incorporate more melted cocoa butter; if it’s too wet, add cornstarch. (Note: If you want to add the chocolate tea to the chocolate orange bath bombs, add them to the bath bomb mix after the oil and dry mix have been combined.)

Overpack each half of your mold and press together, gently twisting at the same time. Slowly twist off the bath bomb mold, one side at a time. If it feels stuck, just get one side off or leave in the mold. Set aside for 24 hrs.

Decorations

Once they’re dry, it’s time for decorating! I trimmed a small piece of plastic mistletoe and adhered with melted cocoa butter for the peppermint batch. Make sure the cocoa butter is somewhere in between a liquid and a solid – like a good body butter – for best adherence. You can try adding this in the mold before packing, but I found this method works best for smaller decorations.

You might want to consider adding a reusable tea bag to the chocolate orange bath bomb gift in case your giftee is not used to bath teas. It’ll make cleanup easier.

To make the chocolate drizzle, melt cocoa butter and add organic dutch cocoa powder or soap colorant until you reach the desired color. Pipe on top. The chocolate drizzle will break away in the bath but will easily mix in because of the polysorbate.

If you want to experiment with different decorations, please note that anything sugar based (like sprinkles) is typically not recommended for any kind of body product. There are soap sprinkles you can make or buy for the same effect. If you want to try more natural decorations, just make sure that they are completely dry! Any lingering moisture could activate the bath bomb.

That’s it from me! Thanks, Emily, for having me. If you’re interested in making other bath bombs or learning essential oil tips, you can find more self-care and modern DIYs at ctrlcurate.com.