There’s nothing quite like a warm bath at the end of a long day, and adding a bath bomb to the mix not only brings an element of fun, but it also infuses your soak with skin-loving ingredients. Bath bombs are easy to customize to your skin’s needs and your scent preferences. You can include botanicals, essential oils, oats, and so much more.

Willow and Sage is no stranger to these types of recipes, as we’ve published a number of them over the past 10 years. Here’s a look at two of our favorite recipes from previous issues. The fizzy calendula rose bath bombs use dried rose petals and calendula to soothe the skin and provide a heavenly scent without essential oils, while the rose petal vanilla recipe combines essential oils and rose petals for a richly fragrant bath. Thanks to these eco-friendly, natural ingredients, both of these recipes are free of chemicals and synthetic dyes, and with the inclusion of rose petals, they make perfect gifts for Valentine’s Day.

Rose Petal Vanilla Bath Bombs

by Kim & Kyla DiMaggio from Willow and Sage Spring 2020

You Will Need

Yields 4 Bath Bombs

• • Bowl: large
• • 1 cup baking soda
• • ½ cup cornstarch
• • ½ cup citric acid powder
• • ½ Epsom salt
• • 3–4 tsp. beet/rose petal powder
• • Whisk
• • 3 tsp. coconut oil, melted
• • Saucepan
• • 3 tsp. water
• • 20 drops rose otto essential oil
• • 5–10 drops vanilla oleoresin essential oil
• • ½ cup organic dried rose petals, food-grade
• • Bath bomb molds

To Make

In a large bowl, mix the baking soda, cornstarch, citric acid powder, Epsom salt, and beet/rose petal powder with a whisk, making sure to remove any clumps. Melt the coconut oil in a small saucepan on low heat. Slowly add the oil to the dry ingredients to avoid the ingredients fizzing, whisking gently. Add the water and essential oils, and slowly whisk to combine.

Scoop 1 tablespoon of dried rose petals into one half of the bath bomb mold. Add the bath bomb mixture to the mold and firmly pat to conform to the mold, slightly overfilling it. Do the same with the other half of the mold, omitting the petals on the bottom portion. Press the two sides together firmly over the bowl, allowing any excess to fall back into the bowl. Place the molds on a cookie sheet or cutting board to set for three hours. If you remove them too soon and they crumble, simply place them back in the mold to set longer.

Fizzy Calendula Rose Bath Bombs

by Kristin Wood from Willow And Sage Spring 2022

You Will Need

Yields 5 Large Bath Bombs

• • Bowls
• • 1 cup baking soda
• • 1 cup Epsom salt
• • ½ cup citric acid
• • ½ cup tapioca/cornstarch
• • 3 TB. sweet almond oil
• • 2 tsp. rose water
• • Dried calendula blossoms: (10)
• • 2 TB. dried rose petals
• • Bath bomb molds

To Make

In a large bowl, combine the baking soda, Epsom salt, citric acid, and starch, and mix well. In a separate small bowl, add the sweet almond oil and rose water, and mix well. Very slowly and gently, pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture, while stirring constantly. Do not pour too fast or you will prematurely activate the citric acid and will be unable to mold the bath bombs. The mixture should resemble damp sand and should hold together if you pick some up and squeeze it. Add the dried calendula blossoms and dried rose petals.

Using your hands, gently pack each half of a bath bomb mold, overfilling slightly. Press each half together firmly, and let it rest for one hour. Repeat until you use all of the bath bomb mixture. Once the molds have rested an hour, gently tap the outsides of the molds, and carefully pull the mold pieces apart until you release the bath bombs. Let the bath bombs sit in a dry place overnight, or at least eight hours, before storing and using. Keep stored in a dry place for up to three months.

For more bath bomb recipes, check out our Willow and Sage magazine.

Danielle Williams is the managing editor for Willow and Sage, The Natural Home Issue, Mingle, and Art Quilting Studio. She lives with her growing family in Orange County, California.