There’s nothing quite like a warm, soothing bath enhanced with a bath bomb to help you relax after a long day. But do you know what’s causing the satisfying fizz and the relaxation you feel? The natural ingredients we use, combined with a little bit of basic chemistry, create amazingly effective results! 

Bath Bombs: Relaxing With Science!

One of the first chemistry lessons kids learn in school is the acid-base reaction, usually with vinegar and baking soda. Mixing the two produces a reaction that creates lots of bubbles, simulating the eruption of a volcano, for instance. You’re also experiencing this reaction when you toss a bath bomb into the water!

As it dissolves, the bath bomb creates a ton of fizzy bubbles made up of carbon dioxide gas. To do this, the ingredients in bath bombs include an acid, usually citric acid, and sodium bicarbonate, which is a base better known as baking soda. On dry land these chemical components are stable, but when water is introduced, it triggers a reaction between the acid and the base.

This chemical reaction produces bubbles of carbon dioxide that can feel so good on your skin, and it also helps to break up the bath bomb. This releases the other ingredients, including the natural fragrances and moisturizing oils.

The Biochemistry Of A Bath Bomb

These all work with the chemical reaction to help you relax, but bath bombs have one more scientific trick up their sleeve: they work biochemically, too! A bath bomb can be a form of  aromatherapy when the acid-base reaction releases a small, safe amount of essential oils. When the scent hits your nose, the olfactory nerve reacts by sending signals to the parts of your brain that are responsible for mood, memory, and emotion.

If these parts of your brain like the scent, they will react by turning on your parasympathetic nervous system, which relaxes the body by shutting off the “fight-or-flight” response that creates stress. If you use a bath bomb with a specific, favourite essential oil, it can help relieve your stress, relax your body, and help you get a better night’s sleep.

Bath Bombs Can Do More Than Help You Relax!

As you might already know, there’s more to a good bath bomb than citric acid, sodium bicarbonate, and essential oils. A quality bath bomb will include natural ingredients that also improve the feel of the bath, and add many different benefits to your experience. These can include moisturizing and detoxifying your skin! Some of the ingredients we use include:

Activated charcoal: This is a gentle ingredient that helps cleanse and detoxify your skin.

Fruit oils: Oils from coconut and apricot kernel produces a rich foam in the water, and their moisturizing properties are very good for the skin.

Shea butter: This is a moisturizing ingredient that comes from the nut of the shea tree. It will leave your skin feeling silky and soft!

Whether it’s through chemistry, skin care, or biochemistry, a bath bomb works in a number of incredible ways to help you relax and feel better!