Teach Soap

...I need to ask it.

Last night I made a batch of bath bombs and after 24 hours of drying, they're totally soft and crumbly. They held their shape perfectly while drying, but as soon as I picked them up, they fell apart in my hands. I've been experimenting with some different techniques and since I've had problems with my bombs cracking with the use of water and/or witch hazel, I made the bombs without either. After mixing in all the oils, the mixture was wet enough to pack into molds, so I didn't spritz with witch hazel like I usually do.

So here's my question--do bath bombs NEED water or witch hazel in order to stay together? I just assumed that if they were wet enough from the oils they'd stay together, but maybe you do require a water-based binder?

It's something that never occurred to me, but this is the first time this has happened and it coincides with the fact that I used ONLY oil as a wetting agent.

Thoughts?

Witch hazel helps. The only time mine fell apart was because I didn't pack them in tightly enough in the meat baller.

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

So when you say "witch hazel helps," does that mean that something water-based is REQUIRED to hold the bombs together? Or can oil theoretically hold them together by itself?

No, witch hazel is NOT required. I don't use any. It really depends on your formula, or if it's humid where you make them.

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

Hmmmm, I'm still trying to figure this out. So my bombs totally crumbled yesterday. I put them back into a bowl, re-mixed them with a few spritzes of witch hazel and re-molded.

This morning the bombs are hard, though they have cracks in them (I probably used too much witch hazel to re-wet). BUT the fact that they are hard when they weren't before seems to indicate that they DO require some sort of water-based ingredient to hold them together. Is this observation correct, or is it just a coincidence?

What I'm trying to get at is this: do they require some sort of WATER (whether witch hazel or water itself) to hold them together?

I am by no means an expert. I have checked quite a few recipes for bath bombs and all require around 12 spritzes of either witch hazel or alcohol. I have tried and tried to make these bath bombs and most of the ones that I have made have had cracks so I have given up.

But to answer your question i would say that most need either spritzes of witch hazel or alcohol.

I have made them with just oil - and they worked - but the ones that I've made that have water or witch hazel come out harder and are a lot less crumbly when dried. so it isn't completely necessary, but it does help.

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Water isn't necessary. I'm sure I read something somewhere that said to use only oil in humid areas, or if you want lots of moisurising oil in them.

I've made them with only witchhazel and with only oil. I think I prefer the oily ones- they seem a bit more luxurious (esp when packed with grated coco butter

BTW this is my 1st post- hello!

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