The majority of bath bomb failures are mostly shape-related. If your bath bombs do not hold their shape and get flat from their bottom, you’re not alone!
Why are my bath bombs going flat? Too much pressure and a too wet mixture is the biggest cause for your bath bombs to go flat at the bottom. A humid environment makes your bath bombs absorb excessive moisture. They get therefore deformed and lose their shape.
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The good news is that you can actually solve this problem pretty easily and quickly. But if you’re living in a humid area, well, it might not be that easy.
Why are my bath bombs going flat?
When you are new at making bath bombs, the most common problem is having one with a shape that looks okay but has an indentation when it’s dried. Sometimes this happens because they were put in too much pressure point while drying, which causes them to flatten out slightly–meaning your hard work just went down the drain! But don’t worry, there are some tricks for avoiding these pitfalls and getting perfect pampering balls every time.
It’s not just the ingredients that determine how your bath bombs turn out. The weather around you has a significant impact. If you intend to sell these items for profit, then be sure to invest in some kind of dehumidifier if it is humid where you live because this will make all the difference when your clients receive them.
If your mixture is just perfect in the recipe, keeping the humidity only below 40% will prevent your bath bombs from absorbing unnecessary moisture. When the humidity remains less than 40%, the bath bombs will retain the shape during drying and packaging.
But making bath bombs is indeed a tricky process. You have to set them when their consistency is just right. In case you leave the mixture too wet, the bottom of the bomb will become flattened and, in an overly dry combination, causes it cracks or crumbles crusts.
What do I need to do to keep them from going flat?
This can be a very frustrating situation to be in. Luckily, there are several ways to prevent your bath bombs from flattening in the bottom.
Consider placing them in an egg carton, and if you want to make giant bath bombs, you can use plastic spheres or round-shaped molds. It helps them harden faster and keeps their shape from changing too much.
As you make bath bombs, be sure to keep the humidity levels under control. If they are exposed to excessive moisture, they can go off and deform before being packed away! Handle them with great caution as well when taking them out of molds so that your product does not turn into a mess for customers.
Once you have dried your bath bombs for 24 – 72 hours, it is time to wrap them in shrinkwrap. If the climate where you live tends towards a humid environment, this step can be skipped or altered with different alcohol binders. This will help dry out ingredients faster and maintain consistency of texture throughout the drying process.
On the other hand, if you live in a very dry climate, your bath bombs will not hold their shape due to excessive drying. In this case, you can alter your recipe to increase the number of wet ingredients such as water or oil.
Another easy way to prevent your bath bombs from becoming flat is to use bubble wrap lined on a cupcake mold. Then wrap it with a saran wrap. Bath bombs retain their perfectly round shape if they have some sort of cushion under them.
If the bath bombs you made turn out to be crumbly, it means that, most likely, your mixture is too dry (this is, of course, if you don’t live in a very dry environment). In this case, you can add some witch hazel or oils to make them moist and smooth. If added in the right quantity, bath bombs will not crack or crumble when you remove them from the mold.
But you must add the wet ingredients in a very controlled quantity. If you add them to the point that your mixture becomes wet, the bath bomb will flatten from the bottom. This is because the too moist mixture will not bear the weight of the bomb, and as a result, their bottom side will lose its shape.
Keeping your bath bombs on a padded surface lessens their chance of flattening. Placing bath bombs on hard surfaces right after you take them out of the mold can make their bottom flat.
Sometimes turning them with intervals also helps them retain their perfectly round shape. If you ignore doing this at an early stage, they will likely end up with a flattened shape due to constant pressure.
The ideal texture of your bath bomb
Ideally, the texture of your bath bombs should be like wet sand. With this texture, they will hold their shape and will not flatten. Despite all your efforts, if the bath bombs cannot retain their shape, you may need to recheck your recipe. If the bath bombs are always getting flat, it means they have excess moisture or oil composition, even after having done all that is mentioned above.
How to fix a flattened bath bomb?
Here is how you can fix a flattened bath bomb:
- Take an attractive picture appropriate for wrapping your bath bomb and download it. Now print it on water-soluble paper, preferably by an inkjet printer. The ink of laser printers does not dissolve well in water, but if you have no other option, choose a picture with minimum colors.
- Break your flattened bath bombs with the help of a fork, hammer, or a rubber mallet, depending on their hardness.
- Now take one piece of paper, place the backside in front of you and the center, put three tablespoons of crushed bath bomb mixture.
- Now very carefully wrap the bath bomb mixture in this paper and secure it with a ribbon. Now you or your customer can enjoy the same feeling from your bath bomb.
If you bath bombs are not for selling purpose where the shape and appearance are of crucial importance, you can use flattened bath bombs. Flat
