Messy, crafty, colorful art projects are my catnip! Many years ago, when bath bombs first became a thing, I visited a store in Downtown Disney called Basin, and it was overflowing with barrels of bath bombs in every color of the rainbow. I was like a kid in a candy store, except the candy was kind of expensive and I couldn’t eat it. Instead, I could buy it and wash it down the drain. Genuis! So that one trip to the bath bomb store was all it took. I fell in love so hard. After that, I became obsessed with learning how to make my own.
I made many mistakes along the way. One time my hands were blue for days because I used the wrong soap dye. Another time, I made a huge batch and accidently put too much water in the mix, which set off the “fizz” factor, which caused them to melt all over my kitchen. And let’s not forget the time I accidentally made Hawaiian plumeria chicken noodle soup for dinner because the pot somehow got perfume oil in it. Those were dark days.
But now I have a tried and true recipe for you. It’s called Juliette’s Lavender Bath Bombs. Juliette Holloway is the main character in my upcoming release, Don’t Touch My Petunia, the second book in The Holloway Girls series. She has garden magic, and she makes magical bath products to help people feel good. This recipe doesn’t call for a dash of magic, but if you happen to have some, go ahead and toss it in!
Juliette’s Lavender Bath Bombs
- 2 cups baking soda
- 1 cup citric acid
- ½ cup Epsom salt or sea salt
- 1/4 tsp. lavender essential oil (or 1/8 tsp. if you like a lighter scent)
- ½ Tbs. jojoba oil or sweet almond oil
- ¼ tsp. Wilson’s Gel food coloring of choice (Must be GEL, not liquid food coloring)
- 1 fine mist spray bottle filled with water
- Bath bomb mold (you can use almost any shape, but the easiest is a clear plastic ornament ball from a craft store—the kind with two halves that fit together)
Combine the first three ingredients in a large mixing bowl. (I use my Kitchen Aid mixer because it’s easier, but you can also use a wire whisk and mix it by hand.) Add the next three ingredients. Turn on your mixer and blend the heck out of everything for a couple of minutes. Then (here comes the tricky part) *while* everything is blending, start spraying a very fine mist of water into the mix. Just a few sprays—maybe four or five. NOT A LOT! Don’t use too much water or you’ll activate the fizzing process and your bath bombs will belly flop. When the mixture seems dry and crumbly, but you can clump it in your hand, it’s ready to mold. Scoop it into the molds, hold tightly for a few seconds, then release the bath bomb and set it aside to dry. You can use different colors and different fragrances for variety. Enjoy!
“I loved this book!” –Jude Deveraux on Don’t Call Me Cupcake
Pine Cove Island is the kind of enchanting place where anything is possible . . .
The Holloway women each have a special gift, passed down through generations, each one a little different. Juliette possesses a magical green thumb, which makes her job managing the local florist shop a dream. She may be a bit wild, but she knows what she wants: to save enough money to buy the shop from her boss. Then in marches Logan O’Connor, more annoyingly handsome than ever, turning all her plans upside down.
Logan hasn’t been back on Pine Cove Island since he was eighteen and broke Juliette’s teenage heart. Now it turns out he’s her boss’s nephew—and will be spending his days remodeling the shop and barking orders. At her.
For the sake of the business, Juliette will have to ignore their simmering attraction and work with Logan. But that doesn’t mean she has to make things easy for him. Because no one knows better than she that one tiny, perfectly planted bit of garden magic could uproot Logan’s own plans and keep him out of her way. And nothing would make her happier. At least that’s what she thinks . . .
Praise for Tara Sheets’ previous book, Don’t Call Me Cupcake
“I loved this book! Beautifully written and the story has stayed with me.” –Jude Deveraux
“Funny, sexy, charming and full of practical magic. . . . Fans of Sarah Addison Allen will love this novel.” –RT Book Reviews
Spooky Season Reads With Rebecca Zanetti