Bath Jellies and Bombs

So - now that I've gotten back into the swing of things, it's time to catch up on summer.

Bath jelly!

I had never heard of that stuff until a couple of years ago, when I went into a LUSH store for the first time. Never heard of it either? It's basically a gelatin soap. Well at some point in time this summer, I was in a scramble for something to do with my teens, when I stumbled across a recipe for bath jelly. (I was actually looking for a craft to do with school age - they were my test subjects) The recipe is as follows:

1 pkg unflavored gelatin

1/2 c liquid soap

3/4 c hot water

food coloring

scented essential oils

Empty gelatin packet in bowl and add hot water. Stir until gelatin is dissolved and add the liquid soap. Also add any food coloring and essential oil (if desired). Stir gently (so you don't create too many bubbles) and then pour into a container. In the stores it looks like the jelly's been made in large pans and cut into chunks. In this recipe you can just pour it straight into a baby food jar or a plastic container. As long as it's kept cool, it should last for awhile. (I think I've had the one sitting in my office for well over 2 months now). If you see any mould, you should obviously throw it away. I used a pink grapefruit scented grapeseed oil that was leftover from the bath bombs we made at Christmas, which was great because there are a number of grapefruit scented soaps on the market.

But we didn't stop there, no! We also made bath bombs. As I just mentioned, we had actually done this craft before at Christmas. The bath jellies hardly took any time to make, and we had a lot of the supplies leftover from the last time, so I decided to add this to the lot. This craft is a little harder, and takes some supplies that needed to be specially ordered. Here is a basic recipe:

2 parts baking soda

1 part citric acid

1 part cornstarch

essential oil

food coloring

water

The whole process of making a bath bomb is very much dependent on how things feel. Basically, you mix the dry ingredients (set a bit aside for an emergency stash), then add just a couple of drops of food coloring. The mixture will fizz but just mix it in as best you can. Add a teaspoon of oil for scent and continue mixing. Then to add the water. You want to add the most minute amounts that you can b/c if you add too much, the bomb won't set correctly. As you add water, you'll want to mix with your fingers, and you'll know it's perfect when you can squeeze your mixture and it will hold it's shape. Pack it into a mold, turn the mold out onto some cardboard and leave it to dry for 24 hrs. If your mixture was too dry, the mold will fall apart (but you can always add water and remold) - too wet, and it will grow - the bomb will be soft and bubbly and bigger than when you first turned it out (add the emergency dry mix and re-mold). There are guides you can find online that are a lot more detailed than this, but I figured this is a good overview.

The teens LOVED this. It's a bit precise, so you really have to watch out and help them, but it's cool because they can personalize it with the scents and colors they want. We did it at Christmas the first time because they make great gifts, but it's also a great craft to do anytime.