Homemade Bubble Bath Recipe
Ready for some R&R? You need to try this homemade bubble bath recipe. It’s super easy to put together and 100% all-natural. Plus, the scent is fully customizable.
Who doesn’t enjoy a nice, relaxing bubble bath from time to time? I know I do. I loved them as a kid, and I still love them now!
What I don’t love is all the unnecessary toxic chemicals that are often added to store-bought bubble baths.
For example, many store-bought bubble baths contain sulfates and synthetic fragrances that have been linked to endocrine disruption, immunotoxicity, and non-reproductive organ system toxicity.
And what upsets me the most about this is many of these bubble baths are marketed towards children and babies.
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Below are the ingredients from a very popular and very expensive store-bought bubble bath.
“aqua/water/eau, sodium laureth sulfate, lauryl betaine, ppg-2 hydroxyethyl cocamide, glycerin, glycol distearate, parfum/fragrance, disodium laureth sulfosuccinate, allantoin, aloe barbadensis leaf juice, panthenol, tocopherol, tocotrienols, trilinolein, triolein, helianthus annuus (sunflower) seed oil, camellia sinensis leaf extract, polyquaternium-7, polyquaternium-10, maltodextrin, methyl gluceth-20, sodium benzotriazolyl butylphenol sulfonate, buteth-3, tributyl citrate, citric acid, sodium chloride, magnesium chloride, magnesium nitrate, sodium benzoate, sodium sulfite, polysorbate 20, potassium sorbate, disodium edta, maleic anhydride, sodium hydroxide, methylene di-t-butylcresol, phenoxyethanol, hexylene glycol, caprylyl glycol, methylchloroisothiazolinone, methylisothiazolinone, fd \u0026 c yellow no. 5 (ci 19140), fd \u0026 c red no. 40 (ci 16035)”
Not only is that just an insane amount of ingredients, but many of the ingredients are toxic.
Methylisothiazolinone can cause immunotoxicity and neurotoxicity as well as irritation to the skin, eyes, and lungs.
And polyquaternium-7 is an anti-static agent that can cause non-reproductive organ system toxicity and ecotoxicology.
This specific bubble bath isn’t just bad for your health; it’s also bad for the environment.
And that is just one example. Many store-bought bubble baths have ingredient lists that look just like this.
So, I’ve stopped buying store-bought bubble baths; instead, I make my own.
It’s super easy to make, all-natural, and much cheaper than your average bubble bath purchased from the store.
How To Make Your Own Bubble Bath
To make your own homemade bubble bath, you’ll need a jar or bottle like this one. And you’ll also need the following ingredients.
Unscented Castile Soap
Castile soap is the base for this bubble bath. It’s what gives this bubble bath its bubbles. Plus, this vegetable-based, natural product is great for all skin types, including that of babies as well.
Related: DIY Face Serum For Glowing Skin
Natural Body Wash (optional)
If you have hard water, you might find that the castile soap doesn’t suds up very well. In that case, I recommend adding a body wash to the bubble bath.
Use something natural like Everyone unscented body wash.
Or if you don’t have hard water but would like lots and lots of bubbles, I recommend adding the body wash in that case as well.
It definitely suds up a lot more if you add the body wash along with the castile soap.
Vegetable Glycerin
The vegetable glycerin helps thicken up the bubble bath and gives it more suds and bubbles while providing extra moisture.
Essential Oils
Essential oils are what give the bubble bath its scent. All of the other ingredients are unscented. So, if you want your bubble bath to smell good, add essential oils.
Different essential oil scent combinations are listed below.
It’s really important only to use 100% pure essential oils. Some essential oils are actually fake, and fake essential oils are just as bad as toxin-filled store-bought bubble baths.
You can read this post – Fake Essential Oil Brands You Should Avoid – to learn how to identify fake essential oils and to discover some of my favorite essential oil brands.
Related: Easy DIY Bath Bombs
Homemade Bubble Bath Recipe
To make this homemade bubble bath recipe, simply add the following ingredients to your jar or bottle. Keep in mind I use an 18oz glass bottle to make this bubble bath.
If you are using something larger or smaller, you’ll need to adjust the amount of each ingredient below properly.
- 1 cup castile soap
- 1 cup body wash (if you decide not to use body wash, be sure to add an additional cup of castile soap)
- 1/4 cup vegetable glycerin
- 30-40 drops of essential oils (scent combinations below)
Make sure to blend the ingredients well and shake well before each use.
Homemade Bubble Bath Recipe
Ready for some R&R? You need to try this homemade bubble bath recipe. It's super easy to put together and 100% all-natural. Plus, the scent is fully customizable.
Instructions
- Add 1 cup of castile soap to the bottle
- Add 1 cup of body wash to the bottle (if you decide not to use body wash, be sure to add an additional cup of castile soap)
- Add 1/4 cup of vegetable glycerin to the bottle
- Add 30-40 drops of essential oils to the bottle (scent combinations below)
- Blend the ingredients together and shake well before each use
Notes
- 5 drops lavender + 15 drops lemon
- 15 drops peppermint + 15 drops orange
- 15 drops grapefruit + 15 drops lime
- Candy Cane: 30 drops peppermint + 10 drops spearmint
- Christmas Cookie: 20 drops ginger + 5 drops clove + 5 drops cinnamon + 4 drops nutmeg + 10 drops vanilla
- Christmas Tree: 30 drops fir + 5 drops vetiver + 5 drops cypress
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Simple Essential Oil Scent Combinations
You can create any scent combination you like with essential oils. If you’re looking for something simple that doesn’t involve many essential oils, I recommend the following combos.
Simply add the essential oils to the recipe above. But remember to make adjustments if you use a larger or smaller jar than I recommended above.
15 drops lavender + 15 drops lemon
15 drops peppermint + 15 drops orange
15 drops grapefruit + 15 drops lime
Homemade Christmas Bubble Bath
With Christmas right around the corner, I thought creating some scent combinations perfect for the holidays would be fun.
Candy Cane
30 drops peppermint + 10 drops spearmint
Christmas Cookie
20 drops ginger + 5 drops clove + 5 drops cinnamon + 4 drops nutmeg + 10 drops vanilla
Christmas Tree
30 drops fir + 5 drops vetiver + 5 drops cypress
This DIY bubble bath makes a great homemade gift, especially the Christmas-scented bubble baths.
You can sign up to receive free homemade printable gift tags below.
Or you can sign up to receive the colored bubble bath labels instead.
Related: DIY Lash Growth Serum
How To Use Homemade Bubble Bath
To use this homemade bubble bath, simply pour 1/4 to 1/2 a cup into the bathtub while the tub is filling with water. Feel free to add more if it’s not bubbly or sudsy enough.
Extra large bathtubs may require more than 1/2 a cup of bubble bath.
Remember that homemade bubble bath doesn’t suds up as much as a store-bought bubble bath.
Store-bought bubble baths contain surfactants. Surfactants are what create giant, foamy bubbles.
Surfactants are also really horrible for the environment, so I stick with my homemade bubble bath.
I’ve heard you can whisk an egg white into the bubble bath mixture, and it will help create fluffy, long-lasting bubbles, but I haven’t tried it yet.
How To Store DIY Bubble Bath
Homemade bubble bath should be stored in a sealed container. The glass bottle I recommended above works great for storing DIY bubble bath.
Just be sure to keep the pump tightly sealed at all times to avoid contaminating the bubble bath with bacteria.
How Long Does Homemade Bubble Bath Last?
This homemade bubble bath should stay good for 1-2 months as long as it is kept in a sealed container.
How Often Can Homemade Bubble Bath Be Used?
Homemade bubble bath can be used as often as you like. It only contains natural ingredients, so you don’t have to worry about exposing yourself to harmful chemicals.
But remember that castile soap can dry the skin out, so make sure you moisturize well after bathing.
If your skin starts to get really dry you may want to cut back use.
Need Essential Oils?
Make sure you use 100% pure essential oils when putting together this recipe. High-quality oils don’t have to cost a lot.
I use Simply Earth, Plant Therapy, and Florihana essential oils. They all sell high-quality oils for less.
If you decide to buy from Simply Earth, you can use the code HAPPYHEARTFREE to receive an essential oil recipe box, a big bonus box, and a $45 Simply Earth gift card, all for only $29.99 (new customers only)!!!
If you are unfamiliar with Simply Earth or their recipe box, you can check out previous boxes here.
I really hope you enjoy using this homemade bubble bath. Let me know if you have any questions about this DIY bubble bath recipe in the comments below.
This looks so good! What a great gift to make for friends or to enjoy yourself!
Thanks for sharing! How many baths does it last for?
It should last for about 4-8 baths. It depends on the size of your bathtub and how bubbly you want your bath.
Hi there, could make this in a big bottle and then divide it into smaller bottles for gift giving? Or do you need to divide the ingredients by the number of smaller bottles you’re using,
Yes, you could absolutely make a big bottle and then divide it into smaller bottles for gift-giving.
This looks so good! What a great gift to make for friends!