Our best selling bath bomb 7 years straight!
Free bath bomb recipe for our best selling butter bath bomb. It was our top seller at FizzButter for 7 years straight.
Butter Bomb embedded with fizzy frosting and dusted with gold shimmer.
Butter Bombs vs. Bubble Bombs
First, bath bombs fall into two broad categories: moisturizing bath bombs (butter bombs) vs. bath bombs that bubble (floating bath bombs).
So, if you prefer bubbles go to our floating Bubble Bath Bomb Recipe or Bubble Bar Recipe (solid bubble bath recipe).
Who needs a butter bath bomb?
People with dry skin love moisturizing bath bombs. In fact, during a warm bath your open pores drink in the luscious butters and oils.
I developed this formula because I had cracked, alligator feet. Not anymore!
Don’t like putting on lotion after a bath? No problem! Use a moisturizing butter bomb!
Select skin nourishing butters in their purest form without preservatives or chemicals. You won’t have to read the label because you know what is in it!
Use skin nourishing butters in their purest form without preservatives or chemicals.
Use your favorite Butter combo
From the beginning, our master formula included shea butter. If I was still manufacturing today, I would use shea. In my opinion, shea is the king of butters and the cornerstone of any butter combination.
It’s so easy to customize this master recipe with your favorite choice of luscious butters and oils.
Get Raw Shea Butter fast from Amazon.
Citric Acid – Ingredient Spotlight
Citric acid can be coarse or fine grain. In addition, grain size DOES make a difference in the finished product.
If you use a small grain citric acid, like Milliard you will get a harder bath bomb with a smoother surface. Fine grain will clump if exposed to humidity so be sure to store it in a tightly closed bag.
Citric acid can irritate the skin (MSDS sheet) so it is a good idea to wear gloves when you are making bath bombs.
Fine grain citric acid works best. Get Milliard at Amazon.
Butter Bath Bomb Recipe Master
Recipe author: FizzButter Yield: 7 Jumbo or 14 small bath bombs. Prep time: 15 minutes
NOTE: INGREDIENT NAMES LINKED TO AMAZON FOR EASY PURCHASE.
T = TABLESPOON = TBSP = 15ML
t = teaspoon = tsp = 5ML
Ingredients
- 2 cups of Citric Acid
- 4 cups Baking Soda
- 1/3 cup Epsom Salt
- 2 T Shea Butter
- 2 T Grape Seed Oil
- 1/2 t Wilton Gel Colorant
- 1 T Fragrance or Essential Oil
- 1/2 T cold water
- Round Stainless Steel Molds
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STEP 1: Mix your Dry Ingredients plus Oils
- Get a medium mixing bowl.
- Mix together: Baking soda, citric acid, epsom salt, melted shea butter, grapeseed oil, color, and fragrance.
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STEP 2: Mix cold water into your dry mixture
- Put half your dry mixture into a small bowl and add 1/2 T cold water on top.
- Mix just enough to get all the water dispersed and no more. You will notice the color has darkened and distributed more evenly.
- Test your wet/dry ratio: take a handful of mix and squeeze it in your fist. When you open your hand does it hold its shape or does it fall apart like dry sand? If it holds it shape, go ahead to the next step. If it crumbles like dry sand, add a little more water and mix.
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STEP 3: Mold your Bath Bombs
- Get your Round stainless steel molds lined up. Make sure they are cool and dry. Warm molds can sometimes stick.
- Pack and unmold one before you do them all so you can verify your wet/dry ratio. Once you have mastered the feel for how much water it takes, you have mastered this recipe.
- Place unmolded bath bombs on a waxed paper. These 18 x 26 sheet pans lined with wax paper work great.
Always Use Stainless Steel or Plastic Molds
Never use aluminum when making bath bombs because it can discolor your mixture and turn it grey.
Always use stainless steel molds. Aluminum reacts to citric acid and should never be used.
Cure your Bath Bombs like a Pro
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- Bath bombs cure best from 60-80 degrees. In fact, the cooler, the faster and better they cure.
- Do not put them in a high humidity area as it could cause pimpling on the surface of the fizzy.
- They really should not be packaged for 48 hours. Even if they look dry on the outside, there is usually still moisture in the middle.
- Never cure them or store them in direct sunlight.
Troubleshooting
Have I added too much water? If you added too much water the bomb may stick to the mold so bad that it won’t come out. You want the mix to be slightly damp, not wet. After you unmold, it should hold it’s shape and not flatten out on the bottom after a few minutes.
- Have I used enough water? If the mix is sandy and doesn’t hold together enough to mold, it is likely you need to add a little bit of water. Be careful to just add a little at a time.
- Have I undermixed my wet/dry mix? You can tell if you undermixed if you get warts on your bath bombs as they sit and cure. It usually shows up very fast. You usually cannot redo them at this point, so just let them cure and use them anyway.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=MWv-_PsHZPA
Pro Tip
If you add SLSA to this master recipe, it will emulsify the butters which does two things:
- Suspends the butter so it won’t stick to the side of the tub.
- Makes the bath bomb less moisturizing.
Note: In our best selling butter bath bomb, we wanted full-on, messy butter because there is nothing like it for dry skin. If you don’t want that, simply add 1TB SLSA COARSE to this master recipe.
Butter Bath Bomb with pink epsom salt on the white area. Use your imagination
Submit your reviewButter Bath BombAverage rating: 3 reviewsCasySep 26, 2018I love this bath bomb!!! I have very dry skin and this makes me so soft.
MarlaSep 22, 2018This has been my favorite bath bomb for years when it was sold at fizzbutter.
XiSep 10, 2018Best bath bomb i ever used.
Have any bath bomb making questions?
Use the comment button below and I will answer all questions.
Julia
Monday 21st of August 2023
Hi, I'm really excited to try this recipe with the SLSA, but I only have fine, not coarse. Are you able to explain why only coarse is recommended?
Thanks!
kcat
Wednesday 22nd of November 2023
For two reasons: 1) The fine powder gets on everything. When you measure it, what looks like a smoke cloud billows off of it. 2) Due to the extra surface area on the SLSA, the bonds get super tight and the product can turn out hard as a rock and difficult to break apart. You won't be able to break it apart as easily as the regular recipe.
Bottom line, if you want a harder product and do not care about the mess, you may like it.
Britt Ryan
Thursday 23rd of March 2023
Am I able to add Kaolin Clay to this recipe? If so, how much could I add without tweaking too much?
kcat
Wednesday 31st of May 2023
I wouldn't add more than a few tablespoons. You should experiment with results and look out for the bombs being less fizzy, and less hard.
Debbie W
Thursday 5th of May 2022
Thank you for sharing! This works fantastically. I've tried for so long to create a bath bomb that worked and made skin feel luxurious and rich.
kcat
Wednesday 31st of May 2023
So glad you enjoyed them!
Diane
Saturday 2nd of October 2021
What do I do if I add too much water? Is it salvageable? I tried adding more baking soda with no success. They won’t get out of the molds. :( this was $80 in materials.
kcat
Monday 17th of January 2022
Once you add too much water, you probably cannot do anything. Try to be conservative with the water because you can always add more but you can't undo it if you add too much water.
Valeska
Monday 24th of May 2021
Hello, will it be useful to grind the granulated citric acid, so that it is more finite? greetings from Chile :)
kcat
Sunday 26th of September 2021
Unless it is very chunky, I wouldn't go to that effort.