Cocoa Butter Bath Bombs Project
This recipe is a simple mixture of baking soda, citric acid, cocoa butter, and Pure Honey Fragrance Oil. The inspiration for the topping came from Kristie with Odyssey Soap. We added cocoa powder to the cocoa butter for a rich brown color. It’s scented with Cocoa Butter Cashmere Fragrance Oil, which has notes of cedarwood, coconut, and jasmine petals. When that mixture is drizzled on top of the bath bombs it looks just like melted chocolate.
Dead Sea salt is quickly added on top while the cocoa butter is still warm. This project is a more advanced technique – the cocoa butter must be the perfect temperature and consistency in order to be drizzled. If the butter is too hot, it will absorb into the bath bomb. Too cold and it will not look smooth and may not stick. We experimented with adding baking soda to the melted cocoa butter to achieve a thicker texture, but found it didn’t make much of a difference.
We were concerned the Cocoa Butter Cashmere Fragrance Oil would bleed into the white bath bombs and discolor them so we added Vanilla Color Stabilizer to half of the cocoa butter mixture. So far there hasn’t been any discoloration in the mixture without stabilizer.
This is a nice large batch of bath bombs – it made about 26. If you don’t want to make quite that many, feel free to cut the recipe in half.
Want to try more bath bomb recipes? Check out the selection of bath bomb supplies and kits.
What You Need:
Stainless Steel Bath Bomb Mold, 2 pieces - 12 molds
Sodium Bicarbonate - 5 lbs
Citric Acid - 1 lb
Cocoa Butter Pastilles - 1 lb
Polysorbate 80 - 1 oz
Witch Hazel - 1 lb
Pure Honey Fragrance Oil - 2 oz
Cocoa Butter Cashmere Fragrance Oil - Trial Size
Dead Sea Salt - Coarse - 2 lbs
8 oz Clear Bottle with White Spray Cap - 10
Recipe
INGREDIENTS:
- Sodium Bicarbonate - 5 lbs
- Citric Acid - 1 lb
- Cocoa Butter Pastilles - 1 lb
- Polysorbate 80 - 1 oz
- Witch Hazel - 1 lb
- Pure Honey Fragrance Oil - 2 oz
- Cocoa Butter Cashmere Fragrance Oil - Trial Size
- Dead Sea Salt - Coarse - 2 lbs
EQUIPMENT:
- Stainless Steel Bath Bomb Mold, 2 pieces - 12 molds
- 8 oz Clear Bottle with White Spray Cap - 10
Instructions
You will need:
- Stainless Steel Bath Bomb Mold
- 64 oz. Baking Soda
- 32 oz. Citric Acid
- 8 oz. Cocoa Butter (mixture + topping)
- 0.8 oz. Polysorbate 80
- Witch Hazel in a Spray Bottle
- 0.9 oz. Pure Honey Fragrance Oil
- 4 mL Cocoa Butter Cashmere Fragrance Oil
- 1 tsp. Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder
- Coarse Dead Sea Salt
Note*: This recipe was originally made with coarse pink sea salt on top, which has been discontinued. Dead Sea salt will yeild a similar result but may look different than photos.
Follow these steps:
1
In a large bowl, mix together 64 oz. of baking soda and 32 oz. of citric acid. To get rid of clumps in the mixture, you can push the powders through a sifter or break them up with your fingers. Citric acid has a tendency to take off nail polish, so wear gloves to protect your manicure. Thoroughly stir the ingredients together.
2
Add 4 ounces of the cocoa butter to a small heat-safe container and melt in the microwave using 30-60 second bursts. Add 0.8 oz. of polysorbate 80 and 0.9 oz. Pure Honey Fragrance Oil. Use a spoon to fully mix the ingredients together. The polysorbate 80 is there to help disperse the cocoa butter into the tub.
3
Add the butter mixture to the baking soda and citric acid. Use your hands to thoroughly mix all the ingredients together.
4
Test the consistency of the bath bomb mixture. The perfect consistency is similar to wet sand that holds its shape when squeezed. If it’s too dry, use one hand to spritz the mixture with witch hazel and one to mix. Continue spritzing until the mixture holds its shape when squeezed.
5
Fill the two halves of the molds, gently pressing the bath bomb mixture in each so they hold their shape. Mound a little extra mixture in the center of each half of the molds. Wipe away any powder that got in the seams of the mold, match the eyelets of each side up, and press together. To avoid any imperfections on your bath bomb, make sure to direct pressure to the edges of the mold rather than the center. Continue filling up the bath bomb molds until the mixture is gone.
6
Remove the bath bomb from the mold and place on an egg carton for 24 hours to harden. Melt 4 ounces of cocoa butter in a small heat-safe container using 30 second bursts. You don’t want the cocoa butter to get too hot or you’ll need to wait a few hours for it to cool. Add 1 tsp. of cocoa powder and 4 mL of Cocoa Butter Cashmere Fragrance Oil and stir them in completely.
We found a good temperature for the cocoa butter is about 75° F. Once it’s a thick yet pourable texture (as shown below) it’s ready to place on the top of the bath bombs. Be ready to work quickly. Just a few degrees can make the butter too thick. If it does become too thick, place the mixture back in the microwave for 3-5 seconds. It doesn’t need a lot of time to warm up.
7
Use a spoon to plop a dollop of the butter on top of each bath bomb. Sprinkle the dead sea salt immediately on the top before the cocoa butter cools and hardens. Allow the butter to fully cool and harden for several hours.
NOTE: You can see that the butter in the photo below is starting to get a little cool and thick – be ready to work quickly during this step!
These bath bombs are rather delicate, so they may not be the best option to ship. If giving them as a gift, wrap them very carefully. To use, add them to a very hot tub. The hotter the water, the better. All the cocoa butter in this recipe needs high heat to fully melt.
We dropped one of the bath bombs in our kitchen sink to give you an idea of how they melt in the tub. The cocoa butter pools slightly in the tub, but it can be broken up with your hands. We found the majority of the cocoa powder went down the sink and didn’t create a ring. But, do be careful when getting out of the tub. All that cocoa butter does make it rather slippery.
Tutorial credits
Photographer: Amanda Kerzman
Cocoa Butter Bath Bombs Project
- LEVEL Advanced
- TIME 2 hours
- YIELD 26 bath bombs
Project Description
This recipe is a simple mixture of baking soda, citric acid, cocoa butter, and Pure Honey Fragrance Oil. The inspiration for the topping came from Kristie with Odyssey Soap. We added cocoa powder to the cocoa butter for a rich brown color. It’s scented with Cocoa Butter Cashmere Fragrance Oil, which has notes of cedarwood, coconut, and jasmine petals. When that mixture is drizzled on top of the bath bombs it looks just like melted chocolate.
Dead Sea salt is quickly added on top while the cocoa butter is still warm. This project is a more advanced technique – the cocoa butter must be the perfect temperature and consistency in order to be drizzled. If the butter is too hot, it will absorb into the bath bomb. Too cold and it will not look smooth and may not stick. We experimented with adding baking soda to the melted cocoa butter to achieve a thicker texture, but found it didn’t make much of a difference.
We were concerned the Cocoa Butter Cashmere Fragrance Oil would bleed into the white bath bombs and discolor them so we added Vanilla Color Stabilizer to half of the cocoa butter mixture. So far there hasn’t been any discoloration in the mixture without stabilizer.
This is a nice large batch of bath bombs – it made about 26. If you don’t want to make quite that many, feel free to cut the recipe in half.
Want to try more bath bomb recipes? Check out the selection of bath bomb supplies and kits.
You will need:
- Stainless Steel Bath Bomb Mold
- 64 oz. Baking Soda
- 32 oz. Citric Acid
- 8 oz. Cocoa Butter (mixture + topping)
- 0.8 oz. Polysorbate 80
- Witch Hazel in a Spray Bottle
- 0.9 oz. Pure Honey Fragrance Oil
- 4 mL Cocoa Butter Cashmere Fragrance Oil
- 1 tsp. Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder
- Coarse Dead Sea Salt
Note*: This recipe was originally made with coarse pink sea salt on top, which has been discontinued. Dead Sea salt will yeild a similar result but may look different than photos.
Follow these steps:
1
In a large bowl, mix together 64 oz. of baking soda and 32 oz. of citric acid. To get rid of clumps in the mixture, you can push the powders through a sifter or break them up with your fingers. Citric acid has a tendency to take off nail polish, so wear gloves to protect your manicure. Thoroughly stir the ingredients together.
2
Add 4 ounces of the cocoa butter to a small heat-safe container and melt in the microwave using 30-60 second bursts. Add 0.8 oz. of polysorbate 80 and 0.9 oz. Pure Honey Fragrance Oil. Use a spoon to fully mix the ingredients together. The polysorbate 80 is there to help disperse the cocoa butter into the tub.
3
Add the butter mixture to the baking soda and citric acid. Use your hands to thoroughly mix all the ingredients together.
4
Test the consistency of the bath bomb mixture. The perfect consistency is similar to wet sand that holds its shape when squeezed. If it’s too dry, use one hand to spritz the mixture with witch hazel and one to mix. Continue spritzing until the mixture holds its shape when squeezed.
5
Fill the two halves of the molds, gently pressing the bath bomb mixture in each so they hold their shape. Mound a little extra mixture in the center of each half of the molds. Wipe away any powder that got in the seams of the mold, match the eyelets of each side up, and press together. To avoid any imperfections on your bath bomb, make sure to direct pressure to the edges of the mold rather than the center. Continue filling up the bath bomb molds until the mixture is gone.
6
Remove the bath bomb from the mold and place on an egg carton for 24 hours to harden. Melt 4 ounces of cocoa butter in a small heat-safe container using 30 second bursts. You don’t want the cocoa butter to get too hot or you’ll need to wait a few hours for it to cool. Add 1 tsp. of cocoa powder and 4 mL of Cocoa Butter Cashmere Fragrance Oil and stir them in completely.
We found a good temperature for the cocoa butter is about 75° F. Once it’s a thick yet pourable texture (as shown below) it’s ready to place on the top of the bath bombs. Be ready to work quickly. Just a few degrees can make the butter too thick. If it does become too thick, place the mixture back in the microwave for 3-5 seconds. It doesn’t need a lot of time to warm up.
7
Use a spoon to plop a dollop of the butter on top of each bath bomb. Sprinkle the dead sea salt immediately on the top before the cocoa butter cools and hardens. Allow the butter to fully cool and harden for several hours.
NOTE: You can see that the butter in the photo below is starting to get a little cool and thick – be ready to work quickly during this step!
These bath bombs are rather delicate, so they may not be the best option to ship. If giving them as a gift, wrap them very carefully. To use, add them to a very hot tub. The hotter the water, the better. All the cocoa butter in this recipe needs high heat to fully melt.
We dropped one of the bath bombs in our kitchen sink to give you an idea of how they melt in the tub. The cocoa butter pools slightly in the tub, but it can be broken up with your hands. We found the majority of the cocoa powder went down the sink and didn’t create a ring. But, do be careful when getting out of the tub. All that cocoa butter does make it rather slippery.
Tutorial credits
Photographer: Amanda Kerzman