BATH FIZZIES

WOW!!! This project was the definition of trial and error.  Honestly, I almost gave up on this, but after four attempts, I finally figured this out.   So please, if you plan on making some, let me share my experiences with you so that you don't have the failures along the way that I had.

 I love the finished product though don't you!  I don't know of many gals who don't like a good soak in the tub...and bath fizzies make that soak that much more fun.

First, let me share the final recipe since I tried a couple of those and this is the final version which includes some grapeseed oil for moisturizing (which many recipes don't have).

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 cup baking soda

1/4 cup citric acid (I found this at my local natural food grocer)

2 tsp. grapeseed oil (I put this in my sugar scrubs too)

1/2 tsp. water

1/8 cup of epsom salt (I went with a scented version)

*essential oil (if you don't use a scented epsom salt)

a few drops of food color

plastic candy mold ($1.99)

When you mix the ingredients together it will make 12 mini-fizzies and 4 ice cubes; so double the quantities if you want a larger batch.  

Place all of the dry ingredients into a bowl and mix together, removing any lumps.  Whisk as you add the liquids; most recipes tell you if it starts to fizz you're adding the ingredients too quickly....frankly, with all four batches I did get some reaction, but you can quickly stop it by whisking vigorously in that spot.  It seemed to me when I eliminated some of the water from the recipe and substituted the grapeseed oil, I saw less fizzing.  

silicone mold - LOVE THIS!!

The mixture will be just slightly damp when you've finished mixing the ingredients together and it will clump nicely when you press some between your fingers; similar to damp sand.  You're now ready to press the mixture into the molds.  Try to make them as even as possible across the top the mold.

For my molds I picked up a cheap ice cub tray at Walmart and a plastic candy mold from Hobby Lobby.  I first tried the round plastic globe which comes in two parts to make large snowball size fizzies, and I gave up on those since they fell into two parts.  As I was reading some forums on the web...they seem to be a challenge for many folks and I just wasn't having any fun so I moved on to other molds.   

Now, let me share some valuable tips with you:

1.  Let the fizzies dry in the mold approximately one-two hours; then unmold.  If you unmold them immediately as was indicated in one set of instructions, they start to expand as they dry and lose their fun little shapes (my little yellow guys did that....I was so bummed!)

2.  Do not leave them in the mold too long or you will never get them out!  After my first trial (unmolding immediately), I decided I would make sure they were good and dry and left them overnight....I literally cracked the mold as I was trying to get them out.  Again,  1-2 hours of drying time is perfect.

3.  I switched to a silicone candy mold which I absolutely loved.  Because it's pliable it was super easy to unmold the fizzies.  The trade off is they come in single shapes only....so if you want to have a couple different types, you'll have to invest in more than one mold.  They're pretty reasonable though ($2.99).

4.  Everything I've read said they need to be used fairly quickly or they'll lose their fizzability (I just made that word up).  No more than six months......so don't plan on making a ton and doling them out for birthdays throughout the year.  

For packaging, I picked up some glass jars and then made a label in Microsoft Publisher using Avery shipping labels.  Yay!  I'm so excited to gift these this Christmas season.    Fortunately for me, I have some "duds"  (the yellow guys that deflated) so those are for me to enjoy.  :)