Friday, December 09, 2016

Bath Bomb Breakthrough

Since we've been back, I've resumed my bath bomb research. You know the old saying, "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over-and-over and expecting a different result?" Well, that about sums up my life every day.

Every day I make a batch of sample bombs. I get 1 large, 1 med, and 1 small bath bomb from my experiment batch, I let them dry overnight, then I test them the next day or day after. I have LEARNED SO MUCH, but mostly it's theory.

Anyway, I have discovered that although many home bomb makers and even small businesses use cornstarch as a binder in their recipes, it is a huge FAIL for me. You see, bomb making is as elusive as it is scientific. What works for one person in California, will not work for someone else in Florida, or even Canada. Climate, altitude, hell...the alignment of Jupiter and Mars and whether the woolly caterpillars have fur in the fall...all play into whether bath bomb making with be successful or a fail.

I've moved over to potassium bitartrate (aka Cream of Tartar) as a filler and made a breakthrough. As a side note, did you know that potassium bitartrate (Cream of Tartar) is a by-product of wine making? Fitting, no?


Anyway, my bombs are now hardening up nicely and keeping their shape; however, I want them to float and I've tried packing light, packing heavy, packing while standing on one foot. Sigh. The medium-sized ones float, but the bigger ones are sinking...hmmm.

Back down the hole I go.

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