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When I was a kid, I loved Pop Rocks candy. I loved how they would pop and fizz in your mouth!
As I was reminiscing, I thought it would be really cool to make fizzing bath salts that looked like Pop Rocks, so I got to experimenting. I got out my DIY beauty supplies and wrote out a formula I thought might work to make bath rocks based upon my experience.
At first I thought this recipe was going to be a flop because it took forever to dry (as in days), but as it finally began to dry, I saw that my experiment was actually a success. These adorable bath rocks look so much like Pop Rocks, and they pop and fizz too!
How to Make Pop Rocks Fizzing Bath Salts
Supplies
- 2 cups Epsom Salts
- ½ cup baking soda
- ½ cup citric acid
- ¼ cup castile soap
- 2 teaspoons sweet almond oil
- 10 drops lavender essential oil
- 10 drops orange essential oil
- Mica powder - or soap colorant
- 4 wide mouth half pint jars
Tools
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Mixing bowl
- Measuring cups
- Fork
Instructions
- Put the epsom salt, baking soda and citric acid into a medium mixing bowl and stir until well combined. Add the mica powder, if using, to the mixing bowl until you've achieved your desired color.
- Put the castile soap, sweet almond oil and essential oils into a small mixing bowl or measuring cup and whisk to combine. If using soap coloring instead of mica powder, add that here.
- Carefully, pour the soap and oil mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Gently stir to combine. It will bubble up, but do your best to stir as gently as possible.
- Once it’s well combined, dump it out onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet to dry. I would suggest dividing it up between two cookie sheets to speed the drying process. It took a few days for mine to dry on one cookie sheet.
- As your fizzing bath salts mixture begins to dry, you can break it up into smaller and smaller pieces to help it dry faster.
- Once it’s completely dry, transfer it to a mixing bowl and use a meat tenderizer or potato masher to break the clumps into smaller pieces that resemble Pop Rocks candy.
- As long as the mixture is completely dry, you can transfer it to mason jars for storage. This recipe makes about two pints (or four half pint jars) of Pop Rocks fizzing bath salts.
By the Numbers: Making Bath Rocks
Step 1: Combine Dry Ingredients in Mixing Bowl.
Measure out 2 cups of epsom salt, ½ cup of baking soda and ½ cup of citric acid, then add to a mixing bowl and stir using a fork until everything is mixed up really well.
Next, if using, add a little bit of mica powder at a time to the bowl until you’re happy with the pigmentation of the fizzing bath salts mixture.
Step 2: Combine Liquid Ingredients.
In a small mixing bowl, whisk to combine ¼ cup of castile soap, 2 of teaspoons of sweet almond oil, 10 drops of lavender oil and 10 drops of orange oil (or the essential oils of your choice).
If you’re using soap colorant instead of mica powder, add it to this bowl.
Step 3: Combine Wet & Dry Ingredients.
You want to take this very slowly and carefully. If you go too fast, you’ll activate the citric acid and you won’t get any fizzing in the bath tub.
Very carefully, pour combined liquid ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Very gently and slowly, stir to combine. It will bubble up some, but the less bubbles, the better, so go slow.
Step 4: Dry Your Bath Salts Mixture.
After you’ve taken your time combining all of your ingredients, you can slowly pour it onto a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet so it can dry. If you can, divide it up between more than one pan and it’ll dry faster.
Step 5: Break It into Bath Rocks.
As the mixture begins to dry, you’ll want to start breaking it up into smaller and smaller pieces (aka “rocks”) so it can start to dry faster and more evenly.
Step 6: Break Up the Dry Mixture.
Once your bath rocks mixture is thoroughly dry, you want to put it into a mixing bowl then take a meat tenderizer or potato masher and use it to break the oink rocks into smaller pieces that somewhat resemble Pop Rocks candy.
Step 7: Transfer Pop Rocks Bath Salts to Storage Jar.
Once you’re sure happy with the texture and the mixture is completely dry, it’s time to put it in mason jars or other glass jars for storing. If it’s not dry, you risk mold growing.
Tips for Making & Using Pop Rocks Bath Salts
1. How to use these bath crackles?
To use, add ½ to 1 cup of your Pop Rocks fizzing bath salts to your bath water.
2. Can you dry them in the oven?
I know one question that will be asked is if you can bake this fizzing bath salts recipe on low heat to dry faster. I did experiment with that, and the fizzing action was greatly reduced when heat was used to assist drying. So I highly recommend air drying your bath rocks.
3. Coloring your bath rocks.
You can make your Pop Rocks Bath salts any color you like! In my experience, mica powder has more staying powder compared to soap colorant.
In the pictures you see, I used a combination of ⅔ pink and ⅓ purple mica powder to create the pretty pink shade. More powder equals more intense color.
I love how a little goes a long way with mica powder, so if you don’t have any yet, you can start with a small set of mica powders from Michaels. That way you can experiment with a few different colors.
Keep in mind that mica does typically leave a ring in the tub and it can be slippery so you can use liquid soap colorant, but don’t add too much or it will change the consistency of the bath salts mixture and they may not dry the same.
Of course, you could leave them white too and not use any colorant at all. Or you can use polysorbate 80 like we did in these bath bombs to bind the coloring.
4. Scenting your Pop Rocks bath salts.
I typically use essential oils from Rocky Mountain Oils to scent my homemade beauty products. They are super high quality and the scent lasts a really long time. If you don’t have a blend you like, check out their skin care recommendations.
If you don’t want to use essential oils, you can also use fragrance oils that are skin safe or omit them for unscented bath salts.
Pin this post to your DIY Beauty, 80s or Essential Oils boards.
Exactly how many does this recipe yield? at the top of the recipe card it says 4 Pints but under step #7 it says 2 Pints?
Hi Stephanie, it should make 4 half pint jars. 🙂
This looks so cool! What a fun gift to make for friends or enjoy yourself!
Thanks for sharing! Do they keep long?
You’re welcome. It depends on the conditions they’re kept in. I try to use them within a few weeks. Do you know what oil smells like when it’s starting to get old and go rancid? I find that is the smell these start to get when it’s time to toss them.
Are these kid friendly? My 4 year old loves bath pop rocks but unfortunately they do not sell them anymore. Of course since he is 4 he usually puts or gets water in his mouth.
I wouldn’t use any beauty product with a 4-year old who still puts things in their mouth, especially things containing essential oils. 🙂
Just made this and unfortunately it didn’t work at all. ☹️Followed the instructions exactly. They just partially dissolved in water and left a huge greasy mess. No pop, no fizz. Is there a trick to this?
I’m sorry to hear that Sebrina. I find that when that happens, the citric acid usually got activated by the liquids while they were being made, so there’s no fizz left once they’re dry. You have to go really slow and stir liquids in very carefully so you don’t activate the citric acid.
Can you substitute the almond oil with anything else?
Yes, you should be able to use any carrier oil in place of sweet almond oil. Check out my Guide to Carrier Oils for ideas.
Any recipe that calls for citric acid and baking soda, I add in the citric acid last.
Is there another option to castile soap? I can’t stand the smell.
I haven’t tried making this recipe without castile soap, but any of the scented varieties should work too.
I don’t have true Castile Soap (100% Olive Oil) and won’t be making any soon. I do have some Parent’s Choice Body Wash/Shampoo and I’m wondering if this would do just as well in a pinch. Also planning to use in the Lush Jellies DIY recipe. Am I completely off base here? Can you suggest any other substitutes for that portion of the recipe(s)? Thanks.
I haven’t tried using a body wash to make these Pop Rocks Fizzing Bath Salts, and I’m not sure if it would work or not because of the extra ingredients. Body wash should work to make shower jellies though.
Chrystal, thanks for the speedy reply. I tried it and I’m waiting for it to dry now. Fingers crossed, but even if it’s a flop this is a great recipe and got my creativity flowing. Thank you for all the wonderful post. Jellies turned out stellar.
I hope they turned out for you! These bath salts can be a tricky one to make if there’s too much humidity in the air. I’m so glad to hear the jelly soaps turned out too!
Hi! My liquids thickened too much and seized. What could have gone wrong? And what could i do to thin it out enough to use? TIA!
I don’t know why your liquids would have thickened… Did you use liquid castile soap or bar soap?