No, I don't have the swine flu, I'm just making bath bombs; lots and lots of bath bombs. (And I really am smiling behind that mask, really I am!)Now before you get to thinking my bombs are toxic, let me explain the process. Bath bombs are made by combining sodium bicarbonate (yeah, that's baking soda), citric acid, and cornstarch with water, oil, fragrance and color. Sounds like simple science right? Hmmm, not so much. The tricky part is getting just the right amount of water/oil to powder and then stirring the life out of it to keep it from fizzing prematurely. And when you are busy stirring it to death it puts a fair amount of dust in the air. Make about 100 of those puppies at a time and you'll wear a mask too.
But the trickiest of parts is the air in the room. Humidity or extreme dryness can mess the recipe up so you end up with fizzing or cracked bombs and so you must learn what the perfect batch feels like. I've read that some people wear gloves, but there is just no way I could or I wouldn't have consistent results.
When I first tried to make bath bombs I failed miserably, I thought I had it right but woke up the next day with about 70 bombs with large crater like cracks throughout. I didn't try again for two whole months. When I finally got it right I spent the next day making batch after batch to memorize the feel so I would know it when I had the perfect balance. Soon my bath bombs were beautiful!
Sometimes it still doesn't happen quite like it's supposed to. Today something bizarre happened making bombs. I must've somehow mismeasured because I ended up with this oozing pink and white thing that keeps growing, but not quickly, the picture shows it after 90 minutes. I'm not even sure I can add these to my "bag o' bombs" seconds stash because they are pretty ugly!
Oh well, eight bombs for me to use in the tub...Darn I have a tough job!
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