How to Make Santa Bath Bombs

We usually don't send family Christmas cards around to our friends and relatives. The sheer thought of it is paralyzing to me. Maybe it's because Christmas cards were never a thing where I grew up or maybe it's because Mister Tinker could care less. And then there's the logistics of it: Am I supposed to have my mantle decorated in mid November so that I can pose the kids in front of it? Because let's face it - it will take me at least a month to design, order and mail them. And then there is the photo shoot itself. I don't have the worst photography skills, but trying to photograph my kids is equivalent to photographing wildlife. You have to be sneaky, you have to be quick, and forget it if they know you're lurking there with your camera.

Anyhow, to cut a long story short, instead of cards I'm doing little homemade gifts for my friends and family this year. These cheerful little Santa bath bombs are just perfect for that. Doesn't a jolly ol' Santa belly simply lend itself perfectly to a bath bomb? I think so!

And, of course they're packed with skin loving salt, oil, and uplifting peppermint essential oil. They're great as stocking stuffers, little holiday gifts, or maybe to put in a homemade advent calendar.

Ready to get into the holiday cheer? Here we go!

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you will I earn a commission if you decide to click through and make a purchase.

What you'll need:

• medium size bowl
• wire whisk
• 5 plastic bath bomb molds or empty Christmas ornaments
• spray bottle for the witch hazel
• 2 shot glasses or tiny containers to mix the 'paint"
• wide paint brush
• thin pointy paint brush

Recipe (for 5 bath bombs, 2 inch diameter each):

• 1 cup baking soda
• ½ cup citric acid
• ½ cup epsom salt or dead sea salt
• 10-15 drops peppermint essential oil
• 1 tablespoon sweet almond oil
• ½ tablespoon polysorbate 80 (this will prevent the coloring from forming a ring around your tub once the water has drained)
• ¼ teaspoon red lake dye 40
• witch hazel (as needed)
• ⅛ teaspoon black mica
• ⅛ teaspoon gold mica
• 99% isopropyl alcohol

If you've never made bath bombs before here's a video to guide you through and show you the right consistency of the batter:

Instructions:

1. add baking soda, citric acid and salt into a mixing bowl and combine thoroughly by whisking with a whisk first and then working all remaining clumps out with your hands
2. add polysorbate 80, sweet orange essential oil and sweet almond oil to the mix and combine everything using a whisk
3. add Red Dye 40 and work it in first with a whisk and then with your hands (you can use gloves for that)
4. spritz the mixture with witch hazel until it holds it's shape when squeezed in your fist (see video above)
5. if it falls apart when you open your fist, spritz the mixture with more witch hazel, checking the consistency frequently
6. now you can start packing the mixture into the mold, pack it in pretty firm on the bottom of each half and loosely heap the mixture on top so that the two halves firmly stick together after you remove the mold
7. make sure that the inside ring of the mold is clear of mixture so that the two halves can interlock together
8. now hold by the rim of the mold and press both sides together until you hear the halves interlocking
9. let the bath bombs sit in the mold for 12 hours
10. if the bath bombs are still pretty soft after unmolding, let them sit for another 30 minutes in one half of the mold so they can dry completely
11. mix ⅛ teaspoon of black mica with 2 x ¼ teaspoon of isopropyl alcohol together to make the "paint"
12. mix ⅛ teaspoon of gold mica with 2 x  ¼ teaspoon of isopropyl alcohol together Note: you will have to mix the paint frequently with your paint brushes throughout the process since mica tends to sink to the bottom of the container
13. dip the wide paint brush in the black paint and wipe off any excess on the rim of the container
14. paint on the belt
15. dip the pointy paint brush in the gold paint and wipe any off excess on the rim of the container
16. paint on the buckle
17. let dry and package taking care not to smudge the paint

Looking for more Holiday inspired bath bomb ideas? How about:

Holiday Cupcake Bath Bombs

Until next time. Happy Tinkering!