Bath balls. I was given one for Christmas but was saving it, then I was given three more for Mothering Sunday so I spent quite a bit of Sunday morning in the most gloriously scented bath reading a good book.

Has anyone else tried bath balls? For those who haven't come across them, they are about the size of a tennis ball and are made mostly from bicarbonate of soda, plus essential oils, then added extras such as rose petals, flowers, perfume, moisturisers and other lovely things. You drop one into a bath and it fizzes and scatters the contents in the bath. The one on Sunday was moisturising oils, I just can't wait for the rose petals and ylang, ylang or perhaps the jasmin one - now this is sheer luxury ladies, if you haven't tried them I would suggest that you do.

To be honest, I mostly like watching them fizzle away to nothing...

I am told that cleaning the bath, particularly after some of them, is a bit of a pain in the backside - they just had to be a downside. Nevertheless, I am still looking forward to the rose petals floating in my bath, definitely a Sunday morning affair, not a weekday thing when you are dashing to get to work.

Oh I just love these things!!! I've only ever been given one and I too watched it whizz round the bath for ages and then remembered I had to actually get in!! I want one with rose petals though - that sounds lovely.

Being an artsty-crafty type, I've made bath bombs with my kids. We also made up a do-it-yourself bag as teacher gifts and they were a big hit. My fave is made with lavender essential oil. The world seems to dissappear as you lay back and enjoy.
The kids love making Giggly Bath Jelly, too

jonimacaroni, you know you can't leave us like that, don't you?! Now, you have several of us wanting to know how to make these things! What a wonderful teachers' gift - I love the idea!

Off topic, as I've never used a bath bomb, but I enjoy making home made cards with my Mum, so much more fun than simply buying one!!

Sue I know you addressed the post to the ladies but I speak as one who can't enter a perfume or herbal store without sneezing. (most embarrassing moment being dragged into a Herbalists store to cure my Hay Fever/Sinusitis and standing next to all those dried flowers and with all the scents in the air (COUGH AND WHEEZE) the store manger said I would be better off outside!)

Luxury - Large screen TV - remote in hand - Test Cricket on one channel - Rugby Union on the other - glass of wine in hand - and no-one interupting.

Sorry Linda1, I should have thought to give the recipe, for the bath bombs. The essential oil can be of your choice of scent. Here, I buy the citric acid, polysorbate 20 and oils from Natural Food stores, or, the local craft store has a really great "make your own soap" section. I hope you enjoy them

1 Cup baking soda
1/2 Cup citric acid
1/2 Cup corn starch

Sieve dry ingredients until well blended.

2 1/2 tablespoons sunflower oil (or any light oil)
3/4 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons essential oil
vegetable or other colourant (be sparing if using food colouring)
2 tablespoons polysorbate 20

Shake all wet ingredients in a closed jar until fully mixed.
Drizzle the emulsion over the dry ingredients and mix fully. You can use molds to form the bombs. Leave to dry over night.
When making them as gifts, use plastic wrap and tie off with ribbon.
For the teacher gifts, we recycled small containers for each ingredient, wrote out the recipe and tucked everything into terry cloth bags that I sewed up. We tied the bags closed with pretty ribbon. The bags could be used as bath mitts.

I hope you make these and enjoy them. Oh, and if you use patchouli oil, even a man will have a blast

Copied below is an email that I sent to my daughter this morning.

Quote:

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With the clocks messing about I got a lousy night's sleep on Sunday, in fact about an hour or two at most. I decided that last night I would ensure a good night's sleep by having a nice perfumed bath with lovely oils so I used one of those gorgeous bath bombs. I thought it sensible not to use one with petals and the like so got in my bath, dropped the Jasmin ball in and watched it fizz, submerged myself in the scented waters and soaked for ages in the pretty GLITTER! I am covered in it despite showering this morning, the bath is covered in it, I have just stripped my bed and tossed my nightie in the wash. I have a feeling it will be like Christmas tree needles, I am going to be finding it everwhere for six months! I have a divorce client today, I have a feeling they will be slightly bemused at this fat middle-aged woman covered in glitter, it is even in my ears! The cats are confused as to why I am giggling, not only did I get a good night's sleep but you have given me something to laugh at.

Thank you my dear.

PS, will you be the one to clean my bathtub?

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Sue,

Major LoL here! Thank you! I was 'soaking' up this thread, thinking of how I could use this as a craft to do with the kids at the daycare for their mom's some mother's day (kind of messy/ handling stuff kids don't usually handle?) to do?) and then, your last post!

So, do you recommend it as a gift? Is it worth the clean up?

An inquiring teacher wants to know!
Joy

It got worse. Despite taking great care to dust off the seat on the loo at work apparently this didn't suffice as I got a call from a colleague next day to tell me that she was in her shower and much to her amazement there was glitter coming off her, when she turned and examined her backside she had glitter clinging to it!

When I cleaned the bath the glitter didn't come off, there is STILL glitter in my bathroom today. It took about a week for my face and body to become a glitter-free zone.

As for the petals, I had a stroke of genius and popped the ball into the leg of an old pair of tights and knotted it, this gave me the benefit of scented water without the tedious task of cleaning off the petals.

I must ask her if her future mother-in-law has said anything about her bath ball as she was given the same ones as I was given.

For amusement value alone this was a huge success as a gift, I hadn't laughed so much in a long time.

Sue I too have had the gliter bath bombs given to me. My mum gave me some for christmas I was left covered in gliter for ages, but as I still live with my parents they all had to suffer the gliter bath . Going to work was fun covered in gliter, I then worked at a boarding kennels and cattery. The animals were very confused as to why I was covered in gliter and the customers all found it very amusing. I didn't manage to pass on any gliter to my co-workers (I found that very amusing ) but several dogs did end up with gliter on them from when I gave them cuddles and ended up with glitery tongues when they licked me.

Twinkle, Twinkle little star;
Your light shines bright, both near and far.

Bestowed the court with fairy dust,
Bemused the plaintiff who cried and cuss'd;

Our righteous angel, just and fair,
Relinquished all custodial care!

Her magic touch did so enthrall,
All ruled to "stay" that glittering hall.

Most certainly, a "jewel" is jest,
That so inspires "no contest".

(A poetically justified tribute to eloquantly dispersed tribulation)

VegaGirl, I really like your poem!

Sue, sounds like you had an adventure!