DIY Mermaid Bubbling Bath Truffles
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These Mermaid Bubbling Bath Truffles create bubbles, and fill the tub with skin-loving oils.
Ingredients
  • 25 oz. Sodium Bicarbonate (Baking Soda) (41%)
  • 7 oz. Citric Acid (12%)
  • 13 oz. SLSA (21%)
  • 2.5 oz. Cream of Tartar (4%)
  • 6 oz. Shea Butter (10%)
  • 4.5 oz. Organic Cocoa Butter Cubes (7%)
  • 1.5 oz. Liquid Glycerin (3%)
  • .5 oz. Polysorbate 80 (1%)
  • .6 oz. Island Escape Fragrance Oil (1%)
  • Aqua Pearl Mica
  • Super Pearly White Mica
  • Gold Sparkle Mica
  • Coarse Pink Sea Salt
Instructions
  1. In a small heat-safe container, add the shea butter and cocoa butter cubes. Place the container in the microwave and melt the butters using 30-60 bursts. The cocoa butter takes a little while to melt. Be careful when removing it from the microwave, as it may be very hot.
  2. Add the Island Escape Fragrance Oil, polysorbate 80 and glycerin to the melted butters. Use a spoon to thoroughly incorporate. Set aside.
  3. Place a fine mesh sifter over a large container. Add the baking soda, citric acid and cream of tartar. Pour the ingredients through the sifter to get rid of chunks. Use a whisk to mix the ingredients together. Very carefully, add the SLSA to the large container (do not put it through the sifter). I recommend adding the SLSA very last. SLSA is extremely fine and powdery and can become airborne very easily. You may want to wear a mask during this step to avoid breathing in any SLSA. It is irritating if you breathe it in. Once all the ingredients have been added, slowly mix together the dry ingredients using a whisk.
  4. Add 1 teaspoon Super Pearly White Mica to the entire batch and use the whisk to fully mix it in. The Super Pearly White gives more shimmer in the tub, but does not drastically change the color of the mixture. You can leave it out if you prefer.
  5. Add about ⅓ of the melted butter mixture. I recommend adding the liquid ingredients to the powder when the liquids are about 180 ° F. This is quite hot, so I recommend using gloves to mix the liquid ingredients into the powder. The hotter the liquid ingredients are when added, the softer the final “dough” will be. Adding the liquid when it’s hot reduces the need to microwave it later. Use your hands to incorporate the liquid and powder ingredients together. If you prefer, you could also use a stand or hand mixer for this step, but I prefer using my hands.
  6. Continue adding the liquid ingredients to the dry and mix together until fully incorporated. The final texture will be very similar to bread dough – soft, workable and slightly sticky. The texture of the mixture depends on the temperature of the butters. The warmer the dough, the softer it will be. We found a dough temperature of about 85-100 ° F is a great moldable texture. If your dough is cooler than that, place the entire mixture into the microwave for 10-20 seconds to warm it.
  7. You will have about 60 ounces of mixture. Split the batch into two containers. One container will have about 40 ounces, the other will have about 20 ounces.
  8. To the larger container, add 1 teaspoon of Aqua Pearl Mica. Use your hands to thoroughly mix in the colorant until there are no streaks.
  9. Once all the colors are mixed, it’s time to roll! Place a sheet of parchment or wax paper down to prevent the dough from sticking. Sprinkle your work surface with a bit of baking soda to prevent sticking. Clean off your counter space to mold the mixture and create a log shape.
  10. Place chunks of the white colored bubble bar mixture onto the blue. Use your hands to spread it evenly onto the blue, and press them down on each other. Create a flat rectangle shape – about 14 inches long, by about 7-8 inches tall.
  11. Use the parchment paper to roll the bubble bars. The bars may stick to the parchment or wax paper slightly, but that’s okay. You can use your hands to smooth out the roll.
  12. Continue rolling, and use your hands to help create a smooth, even log.
  13. Once you’re happy with the shape, sprinkle the top with coarse pink sea salt and press the salt into the bars to help them stick. Sprinkle the top with Gold Sparkle Mica.
  14. Use a sharp non-serrated knife to cut the log into bars. If the log is extremely soft, it can be a little sticky and needs to be handled very carefully. You can wait for about 30 minutes for it to harden slightly, or cut the bars very gently. How soft the log is will depend on how hot the butters were when mixed in, and if you placed the mixture in the microwave.
  15. Once the bars are cut, place them gently on a piece of parchment paper or wax paper. Use your hands to give them a more uniform shape, smooth the edges, or fix any chunks that may have fallen off while cutting. As the butters in the bath truffles cool, they become hard. It takes about 3-4 hours for the bars to become firm depending on your room temperature. It can be hard to wait, but be patient!
  16. Once you’re ready to use the bath truffles, place them in the tub for a slow fizzing reaction with a small amount of foamy bubbles. If you want to “activate” more bubbles, hold the bar directly under the running bath faucet while breaking off small amounts of the bar.
Recipe by Soap Queen at https://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/diy-mermaid-bubbling-bath-truffles/