How to Make a Homemade Bubble Bath Using Ingredients You Have at Home (2024)

Even if you're craft-challenged, it's easy to make a homemade bubble bath solution with just a few household ingredients you probably already have. Start with one of these recipes, and then devise your own customized formulas. And don't miss our experts' advice for making the most of your bathtime experience.

  • Janice Cox is a natural beauty expert and author specializing in crafting cosmetic products from everyday kitchen and garden items.
  • Elizabeth Trattner, AP, is an acupuncture physicianwho emphasizes individualized and holistic methods in her Miami-based practice.
  • Sarah Biggers-Stewart is a makeup and skincare consultant and the founder and CEO of the cosmetics brand, Clover.

Homemade Bubble Bath Benefits

Of course, DIY bubble baths are economical, and it's satisfying to make things yourself, but the beauty of creating your own bath bomb or bubble bath solution is knowing exactly what you're putting in your bathtub and on your body. Here are some reasons to skip commercial bubble baths.

No Harmful Ingredients

Commercial bubble-bath formulas often contain sodium laureth sulfate, a surfactant that helps create big, foamybubbles that can also irritate sensitiveskin. Making your own bubble bath is a great way to avoid this ingredient and other harmful additives.

According to Biggers-Stewart, any bubble bath aficionado should avoid a prolonged soak in sodium lauryl sulfate and should not use it in any DIY solution. "SLS [sodium lauryl sulfate] is a very common surfactant in products that creates foam and bubbles," she explains, warning it can irritate sensitive skin.

A 2005 study reported how irritating SLS can be to skin, especially in warm water, because heat can increase the potency of any product you put in it. Elizabeth Trattner, AP, adds that it's bioaccumulative, which means it stays in your body. "Hot water will drive these into the body faster as pores are open, and they can cause dermatitis as well," she explains.

Epsom Salt Relaxes

Epsom salt is a naturally occurring mineral—not meant for consumption—was named after the town of Epsom (near London, England) where it was supposedly discovered 400-some years ago. While studies are not definitive, integrative medical experts commonly recommend an Epsom salt-warm water soak to relieve muscle pain and mental stress.

Honey Moisturizes

Honey is a natural humectant, which attracts and retains moisture in your skin, and the egg white helps create stronger, longer-lasting bubbles for a nice, fluffy bath. For extra-dry skin, consider adding a tablespoon of light oil (such as almond oil) to provide extra nourishment.

Plant Oils Reduce Inflammation

Coconut oil is an effective moisturizer and serves as a good substitute for glycerin, a common soap additive that's often hard for DIYers to find. Other plant-based oils play a similar therapeutic role in addition to providing anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits to your skin. They also promote wound healing and repair the skin barrier.

Plant oils range from pantry staples like olive sunflower, safflower, peanut, sesame, and avocado oil to lesser-known products such as argan, borage, jojoba, almond, and rosehip oil.

Unscented Bubble Bath Recipe

Here's a great starter bubble bath recipe you can customize with whatever essential oil you're in the mood for (or have on hand).

  • Castile liquid soap
  • Coconut or almond oil
  • Epsom salt
  • Essential oil (optional)

For this simple starter, mix 1 cup warm water with 1 cup unscented castile liquid soap. Next, add 1 tablespoon coconut or almond oil, 1 teaspoon Epsom salt, and 2 to 3 drops of your favorite, non-irritating essential oil.

Homemade Bubble Bath Recipes

To further customize your bubble-bathing experience, try one or more of these homemade bubble bath recipes for relaxation.

Egg White Bubble Bath

Natural beauty expert Janice Cox recommends this bubble bath recipe.

  • Liquid soap
  • Sugar or honey
  • Egg white

In a clean container, mix ½ cup mild liquid hand or body soap, 1 tablespoon sugar or honey, and one egg white, and then pour the entire mixture under running water as you draw your bath.

Lavender Bubble Bath

Lavender is known for its calming effect, while coconut oil moisturizes your skin, so this formula is relaxing and nurturing.

  • Castile liquid soap
  • Lavender essential oil
  • Coconut oil

Starting with ⅛ cup castile liquid soap, add 2 to 3 drops lavender essential oil. Stir in 1 tablespoon coconut oil until blended, and then dilute the solution with enough water to thin it out. Easy as one, two, three!

Foaming Vanilla Honey Bath

Make your bubble bath extra sweet with this DIY recipe from Cox. The oil creates a silky escape while the honey moisturizes your skin.

  • Light oil
  • Honey
  • Liquid soap
  • Vanilla extract

In a clean container, mix 1 cup of light oil (almond, sunflower, or canola), ½ cup honey, ½ cup mild liquid hand or body soap, and 1 tablespoon vanilla extract. Shake gently and then swirl about ¼ of this solution into your bathtub under running water. Use for three more baths and repeat.

Black Sea Salt Bath

This super-simple formula uses black sea salt to moisturize dry skin.

  • Castile liquid soap
  • Black sea salt

Mix equal parts water and a gentle castile soap, and then add black sea salt to your desired consistency. Pour this mixture into your bath until you start to see bubbles. Use enough solution to give you a fizzy bath.

How to Upgrade Your Homemade Bubble Bath

One of the best things you can do for yourself is to indulge in some relaxation. For many of us, a warm bubble bath is the most direct route to stress-relieving bliss. If this sounds like your ideal cozy night in, here's what you need to know to optimize your soak.

Pour in Some Milk

A wide range of milk products—dairy and otherwise—can give your bath a decadent, creamy consistency that soothes and calms. Coconut, goat, and powdered milk are popular options that offer a luxurious feel, and many offer antibacterial and other medicinal benefits, too.

Try Some Herbs

You may well have the best ingredients for a therapeutic bath in your spice rack! Culinary herbs like ginger, mint, orange or lemon zest, parsley, rosemary, and sage are thought to benefit you topically and aromatically. You can mix and match herbs to add directly to your bath or enclose them in a cheesecloth bag to brew in warm bathwater.

Ensure Your Tub Is Clean

If you share your tub with someone, you can't be sure what products were used in it last, which means the tub could be slippery or harbor residue from an irritating product. Before starting your bath, Trattner recommends checking to make sure your tub is sanitary. To prevent stains, she advocates cleaning your tub immediately after using it.

Pick a Scent You Love

Unless you have very sensitive skin, adding a bit of essential oil to your bubble bath solution can increase your relaxation. Essential oils like lavender and chamomile can help you relax after a stressful day, and an oil like sandalwood can help moisturize dry skin.

To prevent skin irritation, be careful with how much essential oil you're using. To play it safe, add no more than a couple of drops to your bubble bath solution, and only use essential oils you know won't irritate your skin. If you're unsure how your sensitive skin will react, makeup and skincare expert Sarah Biggers-Stewart advises avoiding them in your bathwater altogether.

Don't Expect Too Many Bubbles

When it comes to making your own bath solution at home, the lighter materials used in DIY recipes tend to not lather as much as a store-bought solution. "It would be hard to make a super fizzy bubble bath at home," says Biggers-Stewart, "but for a more subtle bubble bath, a combination of castile soap, some essential oils, and a little bit of olive or coconut oil would do the trick."

Forget the Flower Petals

There's something romantic about bathing with floating flower petals, but it's one of those additions that's good in theory and bad in practice. "Flower baths make a mess," Trattner insists. "You can always make a flower tea, but you will have to scrub the tub." Plus, flower petals don't offer any health benefits for your skin, so you may as well leave them out.

How to Make a Homemade Bubble Bath Using Ingredients You Have at Home (2024)
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