Gingerbread Man Bath Bombs Recipe – Christmas science project

Every year as the holidays roll around, there is one thing the kids ask about every single time. When are we going to decorate gingerbread man cookies?!? They love decorating these so much. The funny part is that they often don’t want to eat them. They just really like decorating their gingerbread men. So this year we came up with a really fun variation on our yearly gingerbread men decorating – Gingerbread Man Bath Bombs!

GINGERBREAD MAN BATH BOMBS FOR KIDS

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One of the things I love about making bath bombs with the kids is how it really is a great STEAM project. It fosters so much creativity. All while learning some fascinating science. Our bath bomb making as even lead to some interesting reading on history, for example when we were researching the history of coal in stockings for our Lump of Coal bath bomb making.

It is also a zero waste activity, since they LOVE using their bath bombs. Who doesn’t love a fragrant, bubbly bath fizzy? Plus they really enjoy gifting them to other people.

With this activity we took some inspiration from our simple Santa and Christmas Tree Bath Bomb activity, and used that same idea to decorate our gingerbread man bath bombs. It led to a lot of giggles and fun!

Plus, once again we are learning some fascinating chemistry and science. Read on at the end of this article for a breakdown of the science so you can use this as a fun teaching moment to foster a love of learning and discovery in your own kids.

DIY GINGERBREAD MAN BATH BOMBS RECIPE

1 cup baking soda
1/2 cup citric acid
1/4 cup cream of tartar
1/2 cup SLSA (Sodium Laurel Sulfoacetate)
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup coconut oil
1 tablespoon polysorbate 80
1-2 drops of gingerbread scented oil
1 tablespoon of brown mica powder
Spray bottle of rubbing alcohol
Small microwave safe bowl or container (I like to use a Pyrex measuring cup)
Large mixing bowl
Gingerbread Man or Round Bath Bomb Molds – We used gingerbread man shaped molds but you could do this with round molds too.
Sugar candy decorations (eyes, buttons, etc.) – regular small candies work great too!

 

HOW TO MAKE ADORABLE GINGERBREAD CHRISTMAS BATH BOMBS

In the large bowl add all of the dry ingredients – baking soda, citric acid, SLSA, cream of tartar, and cornstarch. Mix.

Now in the microwave safe bowl add your coconut oil and melt in the microwave until it turns liquid. Add polysorbate 80 and the gingerbread scented oil. Mix, then add it to the large bowl and mix everything together.

It is best to mix using your hands. I prefer to use disposable gloves, especially when mixing in colours, but the choice is yours. You will know when the mixture is perfect when it feels like wet sand and you can press it together in your hands and it holds the shape.

Pro Tip! In most climates this recipe will be perfect, but if you live in a very dry climate (like our Canadian prairie winters) you may need to add a bit more coconut oil. Do this slowly, just a teaspoon at a time, then mixing in really well, until the mixture is no longer dry and crumbly and holds a shape when squished together.

Now we need to add our brown mica powder. Start with a teaspoon and mix it in well. Repeat until you have the desired colour. If you wish to add glitter you can also do that at the same time as the mica powder.

Once it is completely mixed, add it to your molds. Pack it in well until all the cavities are filled.

Teaching Moment! Make sure to save the left overs in the bowl to add some warm water and watch the reaction! Your kids will be able to get up close and see the reaction unfold, especially if you are using a glass mixing bowl.

Set the molds somewhere warm and dry to set. This will take 24 to 48 hours depending on your climate.

Carefully pop your Gingerbread Man Bath Bombs out of the molds. Now it’s time to decorate them!

DECORATING GINGERBREAD MAN BATH BOMBS

We are using the same technique we used to decorate our Santa and Christmas Tree bath bombs. Simply melt a bit of coconut oil and apply it with a paint brush to the area of the Gingerbread man that you want to add decoration to. Then carefully place your decorations. Let sit for at least 1 hour, preferably 2 or 3 hours, so the coconut oil can completely set.

Here is a video showing this technique for decorating bath bombs. It’s a fantastic, unique activity for the kids to do this holiday season!

Store in an airtight container until you are ready to use. You can also wrap them in plastic and tie with a ribbon for gifting.

To enjoy your gingerbread man bath bomb simply add to your warm bath water. The sugar decorations will simply dissolve in the bath water.

THE SCIENCE OF BATH BOMBS

The great thing about making these bath bombs with the kids is that it gives you an amazing way to get kids really excited about chemistry this Christmas! Bath bombs are an acid-base reaction. Our acids are citric acid and cream of tartar, while our base is baking soda. Unlike our normal acid-base reaction activities, these ingredients don’t react when we mix them because they are in a solid, dry state. They need water to be added before the chemical reaction is triggered.

We have two really interesting ingredients in this recipe that you may not recognize. SLSA is a surfactant. It is not necessary for our bath bombs, but it helps capture the CO2 gas that is released during the chemical reaction and form foamy bubbles. This means your bath will start with a fizzy, erupting bath bomb, and end with a luxurious, fragrant bubble bath.

The next ingredient is very important. Polysorbate 80 is an emulsifier. As almost all elementary kids and older will tell you, you can’t mix oil and water. That’s true, until you add an emulsifier. Polysorbate 80 helps mix the coconut oil, scented oil and mica colouring into the water. This creates a much nicer bath experience. It also prevents all of those oils from floating on top of the water in a layer of scum and clinging to the sides of your bath tub. No one wants lots of extra bath tub scrubbing time! So always make sure to use Polysorbate 80 when making bath bombs. You won’t regret it.

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