There is a saying among us bath bomb makers - You have to offer or pray to the Bath Bomb Gods so that your bath bombs will behave. LOL!
My journey in bath bomb making has been rather colourful - many trials , eureka moments, failed batches, head banging and tears. I remember my first time trying to make bath bomb using a recipe I found online and let's just say that the results wasn't a pretty sight.
In June 2018, I saw an ad for a bath bomb making class in Craftiviti by Daphne Loo of Loo Loo Soap. I quickly took the opportunity and signed up. That class taught me the basic principles of making bath bombs and I found out the reason why my first try didn't turn out well:
1) Using baking cups/teaspoon to measure
2) Using silicone mould
My first proper bath bomb was a success and I quickly tested out at a hotel bathtub. It fizzed well but to my horror, it stained the tub!
Image above shows our very first bath bombs
There is a saying among us bath bomb makers - You have to offer or pray to the Bath Bomb Gods so that your bath bombs will behave. LOL!
From then on, my search to perfect the recipe began. I joined FB bath bomb groups (there are many!!!) and from these groups, I had found out the dos and don’ts of bath bomb making, which includes using an emulsifier, polysorbate-80 in bath bombs. Adding poly-80 to the bath bombs will help the issue of a stained bathtub and slippery bathtubs (remember, oil and water don’t mix - adding poly-80 will help to marry them :P). Happy with the results of my research, I tweaked my recipes with this latest addition. I sold my first bath bomb in end 2018.
Months on in 2019, thinking i had the perfect recipe - I experienced my first failed batch. My bath bombs kept on cracking for no reason. Back to my research in the groups! That’s when I learnt that failed batches are offerings to the Bath Bomb Gods!! hahaha! Again, had another eureka moment from my research - my original recipe had Epsom salt and the amount of binder I was using. I learned that:
Epsom salt attracts moisture -> bath bomb cracks or activates -> removed them :( but this saved my wall-banging moments
How binder is poured in making the bath bomb too wet -> use a spray bottle so that you don’t over-wet the mixture. Yes! there is such a thing and there is no turning back if it’s too wet
Use Cream of Tartar: magic ingredient to harden the bath bomb plus skin-softening benefits
It is a never-ending journey to a perfect the best bath bomb - my next attempt was learning about using colours such as dyes and lakes. This creates pretty bath bombs out of the water and also inside the water!! How awesome is that? But, since it was not easy looking for these colourants in Malaysia, I had to import them from the UK and USA. Most importantly, they are batch certified by the US FDA.
The bath bombs designs have evolved since I started
My bath bombs kept on cracking for no reason. Back to my research in the groups! That’s when I learnt that failed batches are offerings to the Bath Bomb Gods!!
My recent research is making Malaysia’s best bath bomb by having the best of both worlds - the right fizz and foam to create beautiful bath art. Like I mentioned earlier, it is a never-ending journey as we makers want to perfect it , though, I can attest that there is never a perfect bath bomb unless you do more offerings to the Bath Bomb Gods.
I am proud to say that my best luxurious bath bomb has found its way to Singapore (Yay! An achievement!!). I’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone that has supported me in my journey as an entrepreneur, or rather, a mompreneur :)
Look out for my next post to learn about the ingredients I used to handcraft my luxurious bath bombs…all proudly handmade in Malaysia.
Check out my luxurious bath bombs here: Shop Bath Bomb
I am proud to say that my best luxurious bath bomb has found its way to Singapore