This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and PEOPLE® and InStyle®, but all my opinions are my own. #PMedia #NewYearMeTime http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV
With 3 boys and a puppy, my life is clearly not dull or boring. It’s actually a little insane most of the time. So naturally, I don’t get a whole lot of time for me. Most of the time, I worry way more about the rest of my family than I do about myself.
So this year, one of my resolutions is to take care of myself a little bit more. So I’m gettting some me time, y’all.
We have a jacuzzi tub in our master bath that we were so crazy excited about when when we first moved in. I think we’ve used it approximately 4 times in the past three years. But I’m not entirely sure why, because a nice, relaxing soak in a tub, with some candles, yummy-smelling bath bombs, a little music and a few magazines is an amazing way to end a hectic day.
So the other day when I was at Walmart, I grabbed a PEOPLE® and an InStyle® and I decided to make this “me night” a reality. {Walmart is currently offering a digital coupon for $1 off selected magazines! Click here to download the coupon now. Available 1/14/15 through 2/16/15, or while supplies last.} PEOPLE® andInStyle® are two of my very favorite magazines. I love that PEOPLE® not only covers celebrities in a non-tabloid way, but they also cover real stories of every day people who have done something extraordinary.
I’ve been reading InStyle® since college, and was actually a subscriber for many years. Unlike some fashion magazines, they show style and beauty tips that normal people can use, with prices that normal people can afford. I mean, seriously, I’m a mom. I drop my kid off at preschool every day, I’m not headed to Oscar parties or walking the runway, and I certainly am not spending $1,400 on a t-shirt.
The more I thought of this “me night”, the more excited I started to get. And because I’m me, I can’t just buy some bubble bath or bath bombs, I needed to try to make them myself.
Bath bombs are something I’ve always wanted to try to make, so I was super excited to tackle this project.
These DIY bath bombs were so easy to make, smelled absolutely amazing, and contained some awesome moisturizing ingredients that made my skin feel so soft and smooth. Even better, all of the ingredients are easy to find at any store — I got almost everything for mine at Walmart.
To start making your bath bomb, you’ll need some baking soda, corn starch, epsom salts, and citric acid. Yeah, I panicked a little when I was checking out recipes online and saw citric acid. I was all, “What the heck is citric acid and where in the world am I supposed to buy that?!?”
You know where I found it? Walmart. Seriously. It’s apparently an additive that some people use in canning, so it’s in the housewares department, in the canning section, right next to the canning jars. {And it’s not some scary mad-scientist-style bubbling acid, it’s actually a very tame powder.}
Just whisk all of your dry ingredients together in a glass bowl, and then start on the wet. My skin gets crazy dry in the winter, so I wanted to make a bath bomb that was really moisturizing, and for that reason I decided to use coconut oil in mine. {I’m sure by now you’ve heard all of the hype surrounding coconut oil. It’s an amazing product that you can use in a bajillion different ways. Just Google “uses for coconut oil” if you don’t believe me.}
Mix together your coconut oil {microwave it for a few seconds to get it into liquid form, if necessary}, food coloring and a tiny bit of water in a small glass measuring cup. If you want to use essential oils, go ahead and throw those in there as well, but I absolutely love the subtle scent of coconut oil, so I decided to leave them out this time.
Slowly mix your wet ingredients into your dry until the mixture is the consistency of wet sand. Then just pack it into whatever mold you decided to use {I used a star-shaped silicone mold and a muffin tin, but if you want a ball-shaped bath bomb, then you can use a snap-together fillable plastic Christmas ornament or an ice cream scoop}. You want to pack it in as hard as you possibly can so the bath bomb stays together, let them sit in the mold for a few minutes, and then pop them out. Let them sit out to dry overnight, and you’ve got yourself some fabulous bath bombs!
Grab your magazines, and head off to the bath. Go ahead and throw a glass of champagne in there too: it’s your night!
DIY Bath Bombs
Ingredients
- 1 c baking soda
- 1/2 c corn starch
- 1/2 c citric acid
- 1/4 c epsom salt
- 3 T coconut oil in liquid form {see notes}
- 3/4 T water
- 2-3 drops food coloring {optional}
- 1 1/2 t essential oil {optional see notes}
Instructions
- 1. Prepare your molds by oiling each cavity with a drop of two of coconut oil. In a glass bowl, whisk together baking soda, corn starch, citric acid and epsom salt until well combined.
- 2. In a separate glass bowl or measuring cup, whisk together coconut oil, water and if you're using them, food coloring and essential oil.
- 3. SLOWLY add wet ingredients into dry, while constantly whisking. {If you add the wet ingredients too quickly, the mixture will start to fizz. If that happens, just whisk quickly and it should stop. You want the mixture to be the consistency of wet sand, and to stick together when you squoosh it.}
- 4. Pack the mixture into your prepared mold. Pack it in as tightly as you can. Let molds sit for 15 minutes or so, and then remove bath bombs from mold. {If you're using a mold with a lot of detail, leave the mixture in the mold for longer -- even overnight -- so it will dry completely and won't crumble when you remove it.} Allow to dry overnight and they're ready to be used in your bath!
Notes
1. If your coconut oil is in solid form, microwave it for 15-30 seconds to melt it down into a liquid.
2. If you decide to use essential oil, be sure to make sure you are using a skin-safe oil. Some essential oils are irritating to skin. If you are not using the essential oil, you may need to add in a bit more water and/or coconut oil.
What do you do to create me time?
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I’m going to make a few of these and hand them out to the ladies at work for Mother’s day.
That’s such a great idea! I wish I’d done these before Christmas, because a lot of people would have been getting them from me! 😉