Teach Soap

I make bath bombs as a hobby for myself and now I am getting cracks along the two sides. I am loosing my patients here, as I have never encountered this problem before. I do add clay to my bombs, and I even reduced the amount of oil I have been using only wake up to cracks along the sides.

Any ideas what could be causing this?
What percentage of clay do you use? I have been using lower amounts, but I have seen people using up to 10% clay.

I have started to weigh out all my ingredients, maybe this is the problem, because before I have been using measuring cups. And I do notice that the cups aren't as precise, so maybe this is causing the unbalance.

Please help!

Since you used cups before and now you weigh all your ingredients, that will make a difference. You're going to need to tweak your recipe til you no longer get cracks.

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

Yup, as Irena said. Since you're now weighing your ingredients, you will need to tweak and play until you get it right again.

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The Soapinatrix! *whip-crack*
- Posting the trials and tribulations of my Soaping Journey!

Thanx guy's...that's what I thought. I am playing around with the measurements as we speak.

I would make a batch the way you used to do it with the cup measurements and weigh everything as you go and write it down and use those measurements afterwards.

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~Kelly~

i converted the ml measurements to oz, then to grams. and apparently that solved my problem. no more cracks! but yes i am using less powders it seems. but since they are in gram measurements, it is for example: 8 oz baking soda, to 4 oz citric acid, etc...seems to be working out for me now. glad to have solved that problem.

I make bath bombs. I do not use clay at all. My recipe is:

1/4 cup epsom salts
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup citric acid
1 cup baking soda

For every two cups of dry goods above, you make a wet solution of:

Two Tablespoons olive oil
One Tablespoon water
1 - 2 teaspoons EO or FO (skin friendly, of course)
Colorant
1/2 teaspoon borax

I do not spritz with witch hazel. I do not worry about exact measurements. What I am careful about is mixing the dry ingredients really, really well before adding moisture. I do not always use all the wet solution; however, half way through forming my bombs I sometimes have to mix in more wet solution.

In all my batches I've only had a couple with cracks. I use them for my daughter's baths. She doesn't care about the cracks! I hope this helps.

I think its just really humid here right now or something because every batch im making is soggy and not setting up. its been a week now and none of them even the ones with salts arent hardening up. I will try a de-humidifier, but other than that I dont know what else I can do. I love making bath bombs, and now i have to wait.

I must have jinxed myself because I haven't been able to make a bath bomb since I replied before. They aren't holding together or they're cracking like crazy. Maybe it is just the phase of the moon? Or humid? I can truly emphathize with your frustration now.

Hello ladies and gents!!! I have a question, it's driving me nuts.....I have polysorbates 80 and 20. I have mastered a great core bath bomb recipe, but my customers like a bit of sparkle here and there, and I didnt want it sitting on top of the oils in the tub. Hence, the polysorbates. The problem NOW is, though the oils are dispersed and its a pretty bath that fizzes or foams (sometimes I add slsa) for almost 4 minutes, the water has lost all of it's moisture. I don't get what happened. I'm guessing I need less? I melt butters down (shea, mango, cocoa, just got avacado) and add them to my bombs. If anyone can help, I'm in dire need!! P.S I made the most AWESOME bubble bars last night, WITH poly 80, and the only oil was castor, along with glycerin and the rest, and the water was smooth as silk!!!!! HELP!!! Thanks a bunch guys....Jaime at Bomb Diggy!