Why are we obsessed with Bath Bombs?
Bath bombs, we all know about them, but perhaps you haven’t tried them, perhaps you’re more of a shower person. Well, let’s talk about exactly why we’re making these at Aveea, and maybe then we’ll show you how we make them.
First and foremost, it’s extremely practical and visual. It allows children to see first-hand, exactly what it is they’re creating, but unlike the classic experiment of a volcano, we aren’t just making a bubbly mess over some rocks. Instead, creating a practical item that we can use ourselves really gives us a sense of satisfaction—anyone who can remember the first time they cooked their own meal can probably relate.
Now, that isn’t to say that seeing your own volcano erupt isn’t satisfying, I’m sure to some people it is, but it has also been overdone. With how much of a staple it has become in the science scene, it’s very likely that at some point in children’s lives that they will be given the opportunity to create one themselves. With that being the case, why waste our opportunity at Aveea doing that? Why not let them try something that they won’t ordinarily have a chance to do, and while we’re at it, we can get a luxury item out of it too, instead of a mess to clean up afterwards.
Now, while we have been calling bath bombs practical, we’ve also called them a luxury, while these two are not necessarily contradictory, it’s a good segue into our next point.
Bath bombs are extraordinarily expensive for their production cost, while this is a whole other can of worms that has its own ups and downs, the main thing we’re concerned about here is the fact that we’re given the opportunity to make something expensive and luxury ourselves for a much cheaper price. Maybe you aren’t actually a big fan of bath bombs though, well, given its luxury status, it makes for a great gift—and it’s even handmade.
It's really down to ratios
Bath bombs are pure science, pure chemistry, and they allow us to teach all sorts of topics. For example, the importance of ratios. Asides from this being another showcase of how maths is everywhere, ratios are vital in production of countless things out in the world, some which you use every day, some which are life changing.
We’ve all heard those tales, some fruits contain cyanide, or eating too many bananas will cause an overdose. While there is some truth to those, they’re generally harmless tales that play on science, but what we’re interested in is the fact that these tales exist at all.
It’s true, some fruits do have cyanide in them, something as harmless as a fruit does in fact have small dosages of what is essentially poison, and it really brings to light how harmless things in our world can be useful and deadly.
Equally, too much of something can also be deadly, this is why ratios are so essential to ensure that our medicine is perfectly safe to take, to ensure that our glue we use is perfectly safe to spill, to ensure that our lives are safe when we use these things, so much so that we don’t give them a second thought.
What about mass production?
Ratios lean more towards the academic side, but we also get a chance to teach about the more practical side of things. How the manufacturing of such a product, like a bath bomb, comes to be. The various thoughts that need to be considered before a product like this becomes mass producible.
While we can’t go into the exact specifics of every single intricate detail of the challenges of producing bath bombs (if we could, we’d be selling bath bombs ourselves), we can discuss some of the more clearer details. The need for a mould, the effects different ingredients might have, perhaps on the scent, maybe even the colour, why exactly things like colour matter—there are endless discussion points that come about from these bath bombs.
Let's make a Bath Bomb!
But enough of that, let’s talk about how exactly we make these ourselves. Before we start, let’s think safety – gloves and a clean area, citric acid can sting a little on bare skin.
- Add ⅓ citric acid with ⅔ bicarbonate of soda to a mixing bowl. Usually we do 1 tablespoon of citric and 2 of bicarbonate.
- Then we add some colouring, we want our bath bomb to look appealing after all, it’s amazing what a little colour will do to your perception.
- Add some scents, of course an essential part of bath bombs, but also a chance to really personalise the end result!
- Find a mould to place this in, you can even use a shot glass or a mug, it doesn’t have to be something fancy like what we have.
- Let it rest for about 12 -24 hours to dry out.
- Voila!!
