candy heart bubble bath bomb recipe

Candy Heart Bubble Bath Bars | Free Bath Bomb Recipe & Tutorial

Remember getting those chalky conversation hearts as a Valentine’s favor? Whether you love or hate those little candies, they’re still an iconic part of Valentine’s Day. Instead of getting your sweetie another box of candies this year, why not try a fun twist on the holiday classic!

Today we’re showing you how to make adorable conversation heart bath bombs that look just like the iconic Valentine’s Day treat. Not only do these bath bombs smell amazing, they also create luxurious bubbles that leave skin feeling soft and hydrated.  

Skill Level: Moderate

Hands-On Time: 1-2 hours

Drying Time: Several hours to overnight

Yield: 5 bath bombs

Supplies

Ingredients

Note: The SLSa in this recipe is used to make bubbles. While we love the end result, it can affect the consistency of the bath bombs, creating a slightly more fragile, powdery bath bomb that is a bit more difficult to work with. If you do not want to include SLSa, simply leave it out of the recipe. You don't need to adjust the quantity for any of the other ingredients. You will just need less witch hazel to bind the bath bomb mixture together.

candy heart bath bomb DIY

Project Overview

We will start by combining our dry ingredients to create a bath bomb mix. Fragrance oil is added to the mix, followed by a few spritzes of witch hazel until the mix reaches a damp sand consistency. The mix is then pressed into the mold and left to dry.

You’ll notice the bath bomb mixture itself will not have any colorant in it. Instead, we will use mica to paint color onto the bath bombs after they are dry. By painting the mica on afterwards, you don’t have to worry about separating your bath bomb mixture into 5 different bowls.

Not only is it a bit tedious to make 5 colors of bath bomb mix at once, it’s also challenging to keep each bowl from drying out as you prepare the other colors of bath bomb mix.

Painting with mica is fun and easy. As an added benefit, the shimmer can be seen much better when mica is applied to the surface of the bath bombs rather than being used as an ingredient in the mixture.

We’re leaving one of the bath bombs white to look like the white candy hearts (and cut down on the effort involved 😉). However, if you want them all to be colored, you can choose another pastel color of mica to use for the fifth candy heart. If using 5 colors, you will need an extra 1 oz measuring cup for painting and one additional micro scoop.

Making Valentine's Day gifts? You might also like these fun recipes!

Video Tutorial for Candy Heart Bath Bombs

If you’d like to follow a visual tutorial, check out our video for making these bath bombs! This recipe includes the measurements you need to make one batch of 5 candy heart bath bombs.

Step-By-Step Instructions for Making the Bath Bombs

We recommend wearing gloves for this recipe. Mixing by hand can be messy, but citric acid can also remove nail polish. A face mask is also recommended when mixing the dry ingredients. SLSa has a very fine particle size, and should not be inhaled.

  1. Place your mixing bowl on the scale and weigh out 7 oz of baking soda.
  2. Add 3.5 oz of citric acid.
  3. Add 1 oz of corn starch.
  4. Add 0.7 oz of SLSa (Lathanol LAL) powder.
  5. Stir the dry ingredients well to remove clumps and ensure even distribution.
  6. Use your plastic pipette to transfer 4 ml of White Prosecco fragrance oil. Stir to combine.
  7. Begin spritzing the mixture with the spray bottle of witch hazel. It works best to spray with one hand while pressing and stirring the mixture with your other hand. Prevent any fizzing that occurs by pressing down on the mixture with your hand.
  8. Continue spritzing and stirring until the mixture resembles damp sand. It’s ready as soon as you can form the mixture into a ball that stays together. If this is your first time working with SLSa, you’ll probably notice that the texture feels different than you’re used to. SLSa can make the consistency feel creamier and less coarse. 
  9. Press the mixture into each cavity of the candy heart mold. Press firmly to ensure that each part of the design is filled in.
  10. Let the mixture dry for a few hours or overnight if you wish. For best results, place the mold in a dry location free from excess humidity. If there is currently humid weather, consider using a dehumidifier in the room where your bath bombs are drying.
  11. Once completely dry, remove the bath bombs from the mold. SLSa can make bath bombs a bit more powdery and fragile, so use extra care when unmolding these bath bombs.

How to Paint Your Bath Bombs

We recommend wearing a face mask and gloves when painting with mica. Mica is a fine powder and should not be inhaled. The pigment can potentially cause staining, so gloves will protect your hands. Because the texture of these bath bombs is a little more powdery due to the SLSa, handle them extra carefully while painting.
  1. Arrange four of your 1 oz measuring cups on a clean workspace. You may wish to work over a piece of parchment paper to protect the surface from stains.
  2. Pour approximately 1-2 tsp of rubbing alcohol into each cup.
  3. Using a clean micro scoop for each color, add 2 scoops of Lavender, Pink, Light Yellow and Mint Cream mica to separate cups (save the Bright Red mica for later – it is for painting the letters). It’s a good idea to start with 2 micro scoops, then stir and test the intensity of the color to see if you like it. The other end of the micro scoop works great for stirring! Additional scoops of mica can be added if necessary. For the pastel background colors, you want a somewhat watery consistency, which will make it easy to apply the paint to the bath bombs.
  4. Dip your medium paint brush in one of the colors and apply it to one of the bath bombs, avoiding the letters. If you get some of the pastel mica colors on the letters, it shouldn't be an issue. Stir the paint with the tip of your brush each time you dip. This ensures the mica is evenly distributed. For best results, paint the sides of the raised letters with your pastel background color, leaving the top portion white. The red mica used to paint the letters should cover up any mistakes.
  5. Cover the front and sides of the bath bomb with mica paint. If you like, you can leave the back white or paint it. You may need to mix up additional mica paint depending on how much is used.
  6. Swirl the paint brush in a bit of clean rubbing alcohol to remove the paint.
  7. Repeat the painting process with the other colors of mica, making one heart in each color (we left one white). When switching colors, make sure there is no residue on your gloves from the previous color.
  8. Let the mica dry completely - you don't want to rush into the next step, as it may cause the red mica paint to bleed into the pastel background.
  9. Once the paint is dry, get out your remaining 1 oz measuring cup. Add about 1/2 tsp of rubbing alcohol and 2-4 micro scoops of Bright Red mica. This will create a thicker consistency than the pastel background colors. The thicker mica paint is easier to control for precision details. Thick paint will also bleed less, helping you maintain crisp lines. 
  10. Use your small paint brush to carefully paint the letters on the candies. For best results, paint only the top surface of the raised letters - not the sides (it's too easy to mess if you attempt to paint the sides of the letters in red). If you "paint outside the lines," the best way to fix it is to gently scrape off a thin layer of the bath bomb where you want to remove the paint. Then touch up the scraped area with the correct color of mica.
  11. Let the painted letters dry.

How to Package the Bath Bombs

Once your candy heart bath bombs are dry, you will want to package them in airtight containers or bags to keep them fresh. Bath bombs can be left unwrapped for a short period of time if you know they will be used right away. However, bath bombs can lose some of their fizziness if they are exposed to the air for too long. If they’re stored in a damp or humid location – like the bathroom – you’ll definitely want to keep them in an airtight package.

For best results, you’ll want to use the bath bombs within 6 months of making them. If giving these bath bombs as a gift, you can include a “use by” date on the label.

How to Use the Bath Bombs

Please use extra caution when getting in and out of the tub, and when moving in the tub. SLSa can make the tub very slippery.  

Run a warm bath and pop one of the candy heart bath bombs in. The SLSa creates bubbles, while the baking soda and citric acid react to create fizz. The fizzing action will be somewhat neutralized due to the SLSa, so don’t expect the same level of fizzing you might get with bath bombs made only of baking soda and citric acid.

Most of the bubbles will be foamy and smooth, but you can create big, lofty bubbles by holding the bath bomb directly under the running water for a few seconds. The bubbles will settle as you bathe, leaving the water luxuriously silky.

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