I love indulging in Lush’s luxury bath oils.
“Floating Island” and “You’ve Been Mangoed” are a couple of my personal favorites.
But it’s not practical to spend almost $4 per bath melt every time I want to treat my skin to a relaxing and moisturizing bath.
So I’ve developed my own super moisturizing, skin softening, and great-smelling bath melts — and they only cost a small fraction of what I spend on the bath melts from Lush.
What’s in homemade fizzing bath melts?
My DIY bath melts are loaded with decadent butters and good-for-your-skin essential oils.
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cocoa butter – super emollient and moisturizing that gives skin a soft, velvety feel
kokum butter – loaded with fatty acids and antioxidants, absorbed quickly by skin, and supports skin elasticity
shea butter – high in vitamins A and E as well as essential fatty acids, intense moisturizer for dry skin
baking soda – softens and leaves skin feeling silky
citric acid – reacts with baking soda to create gentle fizzing
essential oils – calms and soothes skin plus has relaxing & uplifting aroma
mica (optional) – adds shimmer and sparkle to the top of the bath melts
rosebuds and petals (optional) – decoration
How to make homemade fizzing bath melts? Recipe & step-by-step instructions:
step 1: add 1/2 cup of cocoa butter to glass measuring cup
step 2: add 1/2 cup of kokum butter
step 3: melt butters using the double-boiler method
Here’s how to use the “double boiler method”: heat 1-2 inches of water in the bottom of pot, place the glass measuring cup inside the pot of water, and simmer the water so that the butters melt slowly and gently
step 4: stir occasionally as the butters melt (should take about 3-5 minutes for butters to melt completely)
step 5: take the butters off the heat and allow them to cool slightly (just for 1-2 minutes)
step 6: add essential oils
Here’s what I used:
10 drops sandalwood essential oil
8 drops lemon essential oil
8 drops tangerine essential oil
It smelled amazing!!! And it’s super soothing and nourishing for skin.
step 7: now you’re going to mix together the fizzy part of the bath melt
— in a separate glass bowl or measuring cup, add 1 cup of baking soda
step 8: to the baking soda add 1/2 cup citric acid
step 9: stir baking soda and citric acid until they are well mixed
step 10: pour the melted butters (and essential oil) into the baking soda/citric acid mixture
step 11: quickly stir everything together
tip: the butters will start to solidify at this point, so stir well, but don’t take to long doing it as you’ll need to get the mixture into the silicone mold before it gets too hard
step 12: put the mixture into the silicone mold
tip: you can use a spoon and/or clean hands to get the mixture into the molds. I find that it works well to put dollops of the mixture around the mold and then press the mixture into the little squares in the mold using my clean (or gloved) hands.
step 13: Allow the bath melts to cool and harden (you can put them in the refrigerator to speed this step up)
then pop them out of the silicone mold by gently pressing on the bottom of the molds
step 14: place bath melts on a piece of parchment paper
step 15: for the decorative drizzle, melt 3 Tbsp of kokum butter and 2 Tbsp of shea butter using the double boiler method
step 16: once melted, allow melted butters to cool slightly, then add 1/4 tsp of mica powder (I used a soft gold colored mica, but there are tons of colors to choose from)
step 17: here’s what the drizzle looks like once the mica is mixed in
step 18: using a spoon drizzle the melted kokum/shea/mica mixture over the bath melts
tip: I let the mixture pool on top of the bath melts and, if needed, I use the spoon to nudge the drizzle mixture so that it flows over the sides of the bath melts.
step 19: quickly (before the drizzle hardens) add rose petals/buds to the top of the bath melts for decoration and, if you wish, give the tops an extra dusting of mica powder
Here’s the fizzing bath melts recipe one more time
1) make the butters for the base of the bath melts:
add 1/2 cup of cocoa butter to glass measuring cup
add 1/2 cup of kokum butter
melt butters using the double-boiler method
take the butters off the heat and allow them to cool slightly
add essential oils– 10 drops sandalwood + 8 drops lemon + 8 drops tangerine
2) mix together the fizzy part of the bath melt
in a separate glass bowl or measuring cup…
add 1 cup of baking soda
add 1/2 cup citric acid
stir baking soda and citric acid until they are well mixed
3) combine butters and fizzy stuff from steps #1 and #2 above
pour the melted butters (and essential oil) into the baking soda/citric acid mixture
quickly stir everything together (mixture will start to solidify)
4) form the base of the bath melts
put the mixture into the silicone mold
Allow the bath melts to cool and harden (you can put them in the refrigerator to speed this step up)
pop them out of the silicone mold by gently pressing on the bottom of the molds
5) make the drizzle for the bath melts:
melt 3 Tbsp of kokum butter and 2 Tbsp of shea butter using the double boiler method
once melted, allow melted butters to cool slightly, then add 1/4 tsp of mica powder
5) decorate the bath melts:
using a spoon drizzle the melted kokum/shea/mica mixture over the bath melts
quickly (before the drizzle hardens) add rose petals/buds to the top of the bath melts for decoration and, if you wish, give the tops an extra dusting of mica powder
How to use bath melts
- Add one bath melt to warm bath
- If you’d like, you can use bath melt alone, or for even more fun, toss in a bath bomb too (get the recipe for my favorite DIY bath bomb here)
- When you’re done with your bath, be careful getting out of the tub. Oils can make the tub a bit slippery.
- Pat your skin dry with soft, absorbent towel (don’t rub)
- Want an extra dose of moisture? finish your bath by putting on a bit of my luxurious whipped body butter. It’s the softest, silkiest body butter I’ve ever tried. Get the recipe here
Where to get supplies?
brownie bites silicone pan – watch for sales & use coupons at craft stores (like Michaels, Jo Ann’s, and Hobby Lobby) or can get online here
cocoa butter – this is my favorite cocoa butter
kokum butter – here’s where I get my kokum butter
shea butter – unrefined shea is best, but be careful of which brand you buy. Many brands of shea butter can have a strong unpleasant smell. click here for the shea butter I buy. It’s creamy, moisturizing, and has a nice, subtle scent. Other brands of shea butter can have a strong, kind of “funny” smell, not this one. If you’re not a fan of other shea butters, give this one a try. I think you’ll love it! I do.
baking soda – grocery store, Walmart, Target, or Costco (I get my baking soda at Costco – huge bag for less than $6)
citric acid – you can get small jars/bags of citric acid in baking section of grocery store. Here’s where I get my citric acid.
mica powder – here’s where I get my micas
rosebuds and petals – I got mine here
If you liked this post, here are a few other essential oil posts that I think you’ll like:
soft & silky body butter with essential oils
essential oil face wash for your skin type
super rich & creamy dry hand lotion
DIY Face serum with essential oils for your skin type (dry, mature, sensitive, acne, oily, normal)
20 Favorite Roller Bottle Blend Recipes and Free Printable Labels
How to make essential oil inhalers + 24 favorite inhaler recipes
Clever & Creative Ways to Use Empty Essential Oil Bottles
25+ Easy DIY Gifts Made with Essential Oils
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