Diabetes is a metabolic disorder that can affect the whole body, including your skin. That is why diabetic people are often worried about the effects of bath bombs, but is this concern justified?
Discover the ‘secrets’ Professional Bath Bomb Makers use to create luscious bath bombs with this step-by-step guide. You’ll have a priceless reference collection of product recipes with natural ingredients designed to create a relaxing spa atmosphere in your own home.
Diabetics that are not suffering from a skin condition are able to use bath bombs safely. It’s, however, strongly advised for diabetics to only use bath bombs that are made from natural ingredients and avoiding those that are made of chemicals such as dyes, preservatives, and fragrance oils.
Are bath bombs safe for people with diabetes?
It‘s actually difficult to say if any bath bombs are 100% safe for people with diabetes. Even if you use a small-sized bath bomb, you’ll still be exposed to strong amounts of potentially harmful ingredients. The good news is there still might be a possibility for you to enjoy bath bombs still.
Before going into details, it’s crucial for you always to consult your dermatologist before you try anything. If you have a skin condition, you should never use any bath (or beauty product for that matter) without consulting first with your dermatologist.
There are certain skin conditions that are specific to diabetic patients, such as:
- Dermopathy
- Necrobiosis Lipoidica
- Diabetic blisters
- Diabeticorum
- Eruptive Xanthomatosis
- Fungal infections
- Bacterial infections
One of the first symptoms of a diabetic skin disorder may be when creases appear in places such as the back of the knees or the groin area. On these spots, the skin is not exposed to air, so harmful substances may accumulate and cause several problems. Why am I saying this? If you use bath bombs and wonder if your skin is reacting to it, the first places you should look at are those areas I just mentioned.
The most common indicators of a bath bomb-induced skin problem are:
- Redness of skin
- Itching
- Scaling
What are the harmful ingredients in a bath bomb for people with diabetes?
We know that bath bombs are a compacted mixture of baking soda and citric acid. In the bathtub, these elements neutralize each other and are potentially not harmful to your skin. However, bath bombs do contain other additives.
- Fragrances: These are different from essential oils. Especially synthetic fragrances may cause negative side effects on the skin.
- Dyes: Two types (natural or lab-made) can be used to color bath bombs.
- Preservatives: They are added to increase shelf-life and may or may not be present in the bath bombs.
- Additives: Decorative ingredients such as glitter may often have an abrasive effect on the skin.
- Surfactants: Some manufacturers also use them, but they may be harsh for a diabetic’s skin.
Even some natural ingredients aren’t “safe” either. They can wreak havoc on your skin if you already have diabetes. For example, witch hazel is often used in bath bombs to moisten them but may cause irritation and dryness to some people.
Similarly, cocoa butter may encourage the growth of fungus on your skin. In women who have diabetes, bath bombs are likely to alter the pH of the vagina, thus creating several problems – the most common being irritation and yeast infection.
What kind of bath bombs should you use if you have diabetes?
If you are allergic to any of the ingredients I mentioned above bomb, I would not strongly advise using bath bombs. However, I may have still had some good news. You might not need to stop using them altogether.
If you’re lucky not to have atopic dermatitis, sensitivity, or any other type of skin disorder, and if you are not allergic to scents and dyes, then using bath bombs occasionally would still be considered “safe.”
Having said that, anyone who has diabetes should use bath bombs that are only made of natural ingredients.
Most of the basic bath bombs are made from baking soda, citric acid, cornflour, and essential oils. All of them are potentially safe for diabetic patients and do not cause irritation or itching.
However, you should follow some precautionary measures to prevent the onset of any skin problems:
- Before you jump into the bathtub, check your skin for cuts, bruises, and soreness.
- Avoid using products that cause dryness to your skin.
- You should get out of the bathtub before your fingers and toes start to get wrinkled. Ideally, you should not spend more than 15 minutes in the tub.
- Always make sure to rinse off the body to remove any of the bath bomb residues that cling to your skin.
- Dry your skin surface immediately using a clean towel, especially the areas where there are skin folds.
- To prevent your skin from excessive dryness, use a medicated, diabetes-friendly moisturizer.
A bath bomb recipe for diabetics
If you’re like me, you would want to have some kind of guarantee. There is no certain way to know if the store-bought bath bombs are 100% safe for your skin, even if you check the ingredient list. Even with a homemade one, you still might end up with the same results.
We have a bath bomb recipe that you can use and hopefully will not make you end up all swollen and irritated, but I want to emphasize that this is still not 100%.
These Do-It-Yourself bath bombs are a much safer alternative to commercial bath bombs since readymade bath bombs contain several synthetic ingredients such as Synthetic Fluor phlogopite, Coco-Sulfate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Laureth 4, among others.
Ingredients:
- ½ cup Baking soda
- 1/8 cup cream of tartar
- 6 tbsp. Sunflower oil
- ¼ cup Arrowroot powder
- 1/8 cup Himalayan Pink Salt
- 20 drops Rosewood Essential oil
- 20 drops Rose Geranium Essential oil
- 10 drops Ho wood Essential oil
Instructions:
- Take a bowl and mix all ingredients thoroughly, except for the oils.
- In a separate bowl, mix the sunflower and essential oils together.
- Pour the oil mixture into the dry ingredients. Pour slowly to prevent it from fizzing.
- The texture should be like damp sand; stuff them in the molds.
Now your hand-made, DIY, skin and diabetes-friendly bath bombs are ready to go!
