Why Are My Bath Bombs Expanding?

Making bath bombs is quite exciting, even for people who are doing it for the very first time. Of course, you may not get it right on your first attempt. But a little practice will help you get the desired results. Some of the problems you may encounter when making bath bombs range from over-expanding, cracking, and even fizzing.  So you may need to master the secret employed by professionals to perfect your skill.

Bath bombs will expand when any of the ingredients is too much or too little. Adding excess fragrance or colorant may make your bath bomb expand and fizz prematurely. The environment in which you keep them can make them expand if it is too humid.

Thus, when your bath comb over-expand, it may be difficult for you to use or sell them to someone else. Therefore it is important that they don’t expand or fizzle prematurely. But you need to know why bath bombs expand. It will help you improve on the strategies to use when making them. Continue reading this post to understand some of the reasons why the bath bomb may expand and what you can do.  

1. Too much moisture in the air

Bath bombs and humidity are not friends. So you will need to ensure that the environment in which you store them is dry. But this may not be easy if you live in humid areas.  It may be challenging to control humidity in such areas. Perhaps you may need to make the room humid-free to keep your bath comb dry. Alternatively, you may install a dehumidifier in a room where you store the bath bomb to control the level of humidity.

2. Too much salt

The recipe for making bath bombs may include salt, flagrant, and colorants. But too much salt will make the bath bombs absorb a lot of water and expand. Also, salt is hygroscopic, so it will make the bath bombs absorb moisture from the surrounding. It allows the citric acid and the baking soda to activate and react, leading to a failed bath bomb.

3. Fragrance

Fragrances are important ingredients when making bath bombs. Unfortunately, there are many types of fragrances that are likely to confuse you. Some may make the bath bomb mixture fizz, while others will not just give you the desired results. Besides, some of them contain too much water, which may activate citric acid and soda, resulting in fizzing.   So the first step you may need to take to avoid this is to use fragrances with some little water. Also, you may need to ensure that the ingredients used are well balanced.

Using an online calculator could make your work easier. You only need to input the ingredients you want to use, and the calculator will give you the exact amount of fragrance to use. It helps avoid having too much water in your recipe and plays a role in stopping the bath bomb from expanding.

4. Colorants

Choosing the right type of colorant is important, but you must also not use it in excess. Too much colorant leaves traces of color on the tub and the skin. Also, when it is used in excess, it makes the bath bomb expand. Ensure to use the right colorants, such as La Bomba colorant, which is specially made for bath bombs. The colorant is made with glycerin, so it does not contain too much water to make the bath bomb start fizzing.

5. Too much water

Too much water is the main reason why your bath bomb will expand. So ensuring that you use the right amount of water is vital.  In this case, you will need to use the calculator to know the right amount of water to reduce instances of having too much water. Alternatively, you may want to use other options such as oils or witch hazel instead of water. The oils will give you the right mixture to stop the bath bombs from expanding. But remember to use a calculator if you want to get the correct results. It helps to avoid getting failed bath bomb batches.

6. Wet mold 

One of the mistakes people make is to keep the bath bombs in wet molds.  When the bombs absorb the water in the mold, they start fizzing and expanding. Ensure to wipe the mold dry to avoid instances of having the bath bombs absorb the water and expand.

How To Stop Bath Bombs From Expanding?

Although the right way to stop the bath bombs from expanding is to follow the right procedure when making them, you can do many other things to stop the bombs from expanding.  They include:

1. Avoid making them on rainy days

When it rains heavily, there will always be too much moisture in the air. So the bath bombs will absorb water from the environment and start fizzing. As a result, it may be necessary that you plan your work and make the bath bombs during the drier days. But if you must make the bombs during the rainy season, you may need to use a dehumidifier.

2. Dry the bath bombs in an oven

Drying the bath bombs in an oven is the easiest way to dry them. Also, it comes in handy when a client wants them delivered on the same day. But letting them dry on their own may take ages. So consider drying the bath bombs in an oven for a period of 1 to 4 hours and you will be good to go.

3. Using air conditioners

If you cannot afford a dehumidifier, an air conditioner could be a good option for you. It will speed up the drying process and remove moisture in the air.  But it may take several days to have the bath bombs dry.

4. Make use of a fan

The fan serves the same purpose as an air conditioner, but it will allow air to circulate in the room faster. When it is powered, it eliminates humidity and allows the bath comb to dry. However, it is only suitable for people who live in areas that are not so humid.

5. Use hardeners

Using hardeners could be one of the options to employ to dry bath bombs. It helps to improve the rate at which the bath comb dries and saves time. However, when you use too much kaolin clay, it makes the bath comb heavy and sinkable. So ensure to calculate the weight of the hardener before you use them. 

6. Using alcohol in the binder

Using alcohol could help to stop the bath bombs from expanding. Alcohol evaporates quickly, so it leaves a hard and dry bath bomb behind. Thus, you may need to blend water and alcohol. The right mixture is 50 percent water and 50 percent alcohol. At the end of the day, you end up with a dry bath bomb that will not expand and disappoint you. But using too much alcohol should be avoided since it will only result in powdered results since alcohol cannot wet the mixture, and so you only end up with bath bombs that crumble easily.

7. Package them

When you leave the bath bombs in the open for too long, they absorb moisture from the air, expand and disintegrate. So the best thing you need to do is to package the bombs as soon as they are ready. But ensure that the packaging materials are airtight to reduce exposure. Use shrink-wrap or any other method that can guarantee airtight packaging.

8. Can One Recycle Over-Expanded Bath Bombs?

No, it is not possible to recycle over-expanded bath bombs. The reasoning is that the bombs expanded because of too much water. So to recycle them means you add more water to the mixture. It implies that you will make fresh bath bombs with excess water. They will fizz and expand even disintegrate.

How To Make The Bath Bomb Not Crack Or Crumble?

Bath comb will crack or crumble when they are too dry. So to avoid this, you must get the right mixture. If you are using witch hazel, ensure you spritz it using one hand while the other hand mixes the mixture. It allows the witch hazel to mix with the other ingredients proportionately to reduce cracks in the final mold. Note that too much witch hazel will make the bath bomb crack and crumble when they dry up. So having the right mixture should solve the problem. 

Well, when you decide to make a bath bomb, you must use a calculator to get the right mixture. Too much colorant, fragrance, or water could make the final product fizz and expand. If you are living in a humid area, it is even trickier. The bath bomb will absorb moisture from the moist air and expand or disintegrate. Having the right tools such as a dehumidifier, an air conditioner, or fans could help you achieve the desired results without struggling.