If you are a member of either my immediate family or Chad’s please skip this post until after Christmas!
I don’t want to spoil any surprises. 🙂
This year, my family has decided to be budget-friendly with our gifting choices. My brother and parents just bought houses, we are saving for one, and raising kids ain’t cheap, among other reasons.
With that in mind, Chad and I have made a list of items that don’t require expensive materials to make, which we also wouldn’t mind receiving. At first, I thought I’d be able to teach myself how to knit and master the craft in time for the holiday, but that idea grew to seem very silly, very quickly.
Instead, we chose three simple-yet-effective options. Here’s our first homemade holiday gift: a set of bath bombs.
Homemade Bath Bombs
Equipment
- bath bomb mold (easily found on Amazon)
- large bowl for mixing
- fork and spoon for mixing
- optional: gloves
Ingredients
- 3 cups baking soda
- 1.5 cups citric acid
- 1.5 oz oil I used vegetable oil, but you can also use liquefied coconut or hemp seed
- 3-5 drops essential oil
- 3-5 drops soap colorant this came with our bath bomb making set, found on Amazon
Instructions
- Combine the baking soda and citric acid in a large mixing bowl. Use a fork to mix, breaking up any large clumps.
- Add your oil to the mix, stirring it in. Use your fork to mix fully with the dry mix. This can take several minutes, until the oil is fully incorporated. It should feel like wet sand.
- Add your essential oil, and stir it in.
- For multiple colors, separate the mix into several smaller bowls. Then, add 3-5 drops of soap colorant into those individual bowls, or until the desire color is achieved. For example, one bowl can be red while another is green.
- Once the colors are ready (feel free to add a little more oil as you go, especially when the mix is feeling crumbly), stuff the mix into the molds. Be as creative as you'd like, mixing colors or keeping things solid. Once both sides of the mold have been filled (slightly over-stuffing), press the two halves together. Let sit for several minutes.
- After letting them sit, remove the molds. This is best done gently, by tapping the mold slightly before slipping the bath bomb out. If the two sides come out separately, gently press them together and shape as necessary, like a snowball.
- Allow a few hours for the bath bombs to air dry before placing in any kind of container. The goal is for all the moisture to be out of the bomb. Consider shrink wrapping the bath bombs for the best storage option.
- Place in bath, and enjoy!
Here are the products I used, which made the process incredibly easy!
- Bath bomb kit, Amazon, $15.99+
- Includes molds, soap dye, and shrink wrap
- Citric acid, Amazon, $14.49+
- 5 lb. bag of baking soda, Amazon, $3.09+
- Essential oils, Amazon, $12.85+
Love this idea – I’m also going homemade this year and making soap for everyone. Not only is it cheaper but it’s much more thoughtful, too!
That’s a great idea! I’d love to receive handmade soap. And you’re totally right—there’s something really special about both giving and getting a present that was made with love and care. Thank you for reading and commenting!
Thanks for sharing! Love the bath bombs idea! I personally love homemade gifts more than store bought ones. After all, anyone can buy the latter, but only one person can make a specific homemade gift to give to you! That makes it so much more special!
I got to use one and it was amazing! Also, so true. It means so much to receive something that was made with thought and care and is one-of-a-kind. Thank you for reading!
Homemade gifts are so lovely! They’re so great for budgeting and I feel like they always feel so much more personal
I couldn’t agree with you more! Thank you for reading!