Homemade Bubble Bath
ByI’m telling you, I could not think of ANYTHING to get Elias, our third son, who turned six today. He doesn’t need any more stuff and I certainly didn’t want to spend any money on more stuff. (I’m trying to get rid of stuff around here!)
The ONLY thing I could think of that he might like for his birthday was bubble bath. He has asked me for bubble bath several times in the past because he knows it is soooo much fun. But I’m not a big fan of the kind from the store (even though they are so cool cause they have Buzz Lightyear on the bottle!). Many of us have very sensitive skin at our house and soaking in a bathtub full of colored chemicals scared me (sorry, Buzz).
And so, I went online and looked for a recipe for homemade bubble bath. I found a great one here! It was super easy to make, cost VERY little and was so much fun to do. I even found this empty maple syrup bottle to put it in! (I knew I was saving that bottle for a good reason!) Then I made a fun label with HIS name on it which he thought was the greatest! (even better than Buzz!)
Here’s the recipe:
Homemade Bubble Bath
1/2 cup shampoo
3/4 cup water
1/4 teas. table salt
In a bowl, mix the shampoo and water until well combined. Add salt and stir until it thickens slightly. Use a funnel to pour it into a bottle.
And that’s it!
This bubble bath costs pennies to make and makes a wonderful gift or stocking stuffer. Add a personalized label to make the gift even more special!
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very easy! but I wonder what the salt does. Hmmmm?
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Vickie Reply:
October 20th, 2011 at 7:01 pm
I believe the salt is used to soften the water.
Like the water softeners that use salt.
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Jade Reply:
May 2nd, 2012 at 12:33 am
How long does it last for? need answer ASAP!
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What a super idea! Tell Elias happy birthday for us – I wish we could be there to help celebrate!
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And P.S., how is it possible that Elias is SIX? That means Samuel will be SIX in just a few weeks……seriously??!! Total Mama denial goin’ on over here!
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Such a cooooool idea–it is neat that the little things mean so much to them much like to us adults. Yet we are led to believe that kids want only more stuff! When actually they crave for more of our time than anything.
That was really creative!
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My desk calendar at work is “Life’s Little Instuctions from the Bible” and today’s quote for today fits this to a T! “Remember that it’s often simplicity that gives things their enduring appeal.” Too cool- I may steal your idea for some or all of our six nieces! :-)
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Oohh – I love this idea! Thanks for sharing@!!!
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For Mary~4boys4me: The salt is a water softener and preservative. Not much in there, but it would make a difference in such a small bottle of bubbles.
My question is what brand of shampoo you are using? It’s nice and clear, and I’d love to see if I can find it here.
Thank you!
Carla = http://www.cottonpickinfarm.blogspot.com
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Just another tip…my kids also love bubble baths, but another thing that cons them into the tub is adding a few drops of food coloring to the water. Who doesn’t love to bathe in green water?!
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Fun, easy project to do w/ the kids. Like it alot. My son’s name is Elias also and it looks great on the bottle!!!
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What a fun idea! I know this post isn’t terribly recent, but I wanted to share this!
My boyfriend and I agreed to have FREE birthday celebrations for each other this year. While searching my fave frugal blogs for inspiration, I found your post. I love the idea, and my boyfriend’s name happens to be Elias also!
These boys are lucky to have such fab frugal ladies likes us in their lives ;)
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I wonder if Dr. Bronner’s liquid baby mild or peppermint soap would work in place of the 1/2 cup of shampoo… I know it’s supposed to work in foaming dispensers… just a tbsp or two & fill up with water will do ya.
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Laura Reply:
December 7th, 2010 at 8:40 am
I bet it would work. I’ve never used Dr. Bronner’s but I’ve heard great things about it. And, as long as it will suds up when you’re washing your hair, it should surely work to create bubbles in a bubble bath!
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Katherine Reply:
December 7th, 2010 at 6:12 pm
The Dr. Bronner’s may work but it will most likely NOT remain clear. Most of their products are cloudy when water is added.
Katherine
Breastfeeding Essentials
Meeting the needs of breastfeeding families
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Thank you for this recipe. I have tried others but they were not as bubbly.
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Narali B Reply:
November 8th, 2011 at 1:20 pm
Does it relay work? What kind of shampoo is the best dose anyone know?
What kind of shampoo did you use for your recipes give me ideas please. I also
Can give out an idea it will work well for Christmas gifts and put them
in a bottle and then put a ribbion around it….. even put a tag on it saying
directions or candy cane bubble bath or somthing. Can you use hand soap?
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Mandy, Dr Bronners does not work for bubble bath :( its the only soap we use in our house.. and we put it in the bath to soften the water ( works great for that…) but no matter how much soap you put in the water… no bubbles :(
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what kind of shampoo do u use laura. just curious
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Laura Reply:
December 31st, 2010 at 10:45 am
We use Giovanni 50/50 – Love it!
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Narali B Reply:
November 8th, 2011 at 1:26 pm
But is that an expensive shampoo and can you get it in stores or does it
have to be online?
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Laura Reply:
November 8th, 2011 at 1:33 pm
Yes, it’s pricey, but I prefer it because it has fewer harmful chemicals. You can buy it at stores like Whole Foods, but since I don’t have access to stores like that near me, I order it online.
Thanks for sharing this recipe. I’ll have to try it. I love that it’s so simple. I’ve linked up to your post on my weekly favorites here: http://play2grow.blogspot.com/2011/05/weekly-favorites-for-may-29-2011.html
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Wow! Thank you for the receipe!
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A reply to cottonpickinfarm, TRESemmè works great if you want a clear after product. P.S. This is an AMAZING idea! Great party favors for my kids birthdays!
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Not homemade but natural – BioKleen liquid dishwashing (not dishwasher but sink hand dishwashing) soap is pretty pure & can be used as bubble bath. It even says so on the bottle & it works great. I have a child with eczema, asthma, environmental allergies so we are really pureist but he can bathe in it w/o a problem.
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This may be a dumb question, but how is soaking in shampoo chemicals different than soaking in bubble bath chemicals? Admittedly, we rarely use BB here since I have daughters and it doesn’t agree with them (those with girls know what I’m talking about!) but if this is different somehow, I’d be willing to let them try it.
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Laura Reply:
October 20th, 2011 at 2:03 pm
That’s actually a really good question, one I didn’t address in the post. I use a very healthy shampoo that I feel safe using in this bubble bath. Otherwise, you’re right, this wouldn’t be any better than soaking in regular bubble bath! http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/buy-high-quality-shampoo-and-still-save-money
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I am trying this right now but yours is clear and mine is not I am guessing its because of the shampoo I have ,but does it make a difference?
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Laura Reply:
October 29th, 2011 at 8:50 pm
The type of shampoo would make a difference in the color, but any type will do! (Yes, I used a clear shampoo.)
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Definitely making this. Thanks for the recipe!
Girlfriends Are Like Shoes
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Hi! Has anyone ever tried some with “scents” to use as gifts? Just wondering if I could use a peppermint extract… Thanks for this idea! I’m doing a mostly homemade Christmas this year and this is one of the gifts I’ll be making for nieces & nephews!
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Rebecca Reply:
November 5th, 2011 at 8:21 am
I will definitely try this, I would think you could use an extract but I
would buy the ones made for soap not the ones for cooking.
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Penny Reply:
December 30th, 2011 at 9:29 am
Be very careful with extract and essential oils. Peppermint in particular can burn the skin.
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The water and salt in the recipe together do nothing, you’d be just as well off using the shampoo directly. What the water does is dilute it — but that’s silly considering you’ll be using it in a bathtubful of water anyway — and what the salt does is compensate for the loss of viscosity caused by dilution and partially make up for dilution of the preservatives. And with all the different shampoo and bubble bath formulas out there, there’s no way to say in advance without knowing the ingredients that any particular shampoo will be less irritating than any particular bubble bath.
Dr. Bronner’s will work if your water is “soft” enough to begin with. You do have to use enough to take up all the water “hardness” before it will make lasting bubbles, and in some waters that can be an enormous, impracticable amount in a bathtubful. However, it will be more irritating when used in this way than other foaming products. Even users who tolerate Bronner’s fine in concentrated form for a quick wash will often report that soaking in a tub of water with enough of the soap to make it sudsy makes them itch afterward.
As you can see from my linked site, I’m an expert on this subject. You have to know about the properties of the ingredients and then do a good deal of testing if you want to be confident that a particular formula will be both adequately foamy and non-irritating for all users, and gentleness to skin doesn’t correlate perfectly with mildness to the genito-urinary tract. But the good news is that most users are not too sensitive, and can use most things.
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Narali B Reply:
November 8th, 2011 at 1:31 pm
Hi! Do you have a posting for this? What I mean is can I have a website
so I can make your recipe to? Thank you so much I will cheek soon!
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Robert Reply:
November 8th, 2011 at 4:32 pm
Narali B, I don’t understand what you’re asking. You don’t need a Web site to make my recipe, and you don’t need my permission to have a Web site. Are you just asking what my formula is? The description in US pat. 5,336,446 is pretty good; it’s now in the public domain. My current batch, which is pretty old but still usable, was 4 parts 40% diammonium lauryl sulfosuccinate sol’n, 3 parts 30% active lauramidopropyl sol’n (35% solids), 2 parts 40% disodium lauryl (ethyl ether)3 sulfosuccinate sol’n. However, I like it even better if 1/3 to 2/5 of the lauramidopropyl betaine is substituted for by palmitamidopropyl betaine.
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Melissa Reply:
March 19th, 2012 at 6:12 pm
Oh, how handy you are, this gives me just the idea to use up the disodium lauryl (ethyl ether)3 sulfosuccinate solution I have on hand.
I followed the recipe using coconut oil & Dr Bronners.
The bubbles did not last more than a few minutes and worse our drain was clogged the next morning by the coconut oil which solidified in the pipe.
After we cleared the drain ( what a stressful day that was ) I tried straight shampoo and it was excellent. The bubbles lasted until bath was over (25 minutes), the scent was nice and it was gentle on both the little ones’ skin.
So…I happy bought 2 Johnsons & Johnson’s bubble baths at Target yesterday. Homemade chemistry? No thanks! I’ll stick to cooking & knitting. Thanks! :)
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I added this to my DIY projects this year! I cannot wait to try this bubble bath! I looks so easy and cheap!
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Thanks for the idea. I ran out of bubble bath and my 6 yr old daughter really wanted to take one to night. This was super easy to make she even did it herself. She has been in the bath for 30 min and still has a ton of bubbles. This will also be a cheap fun project to do with her friends.
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will it work if i also add coconut oil? if so how much?
thanks for the great idea btw
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Laura Reply:
May 14th, 2012 at 5:42 pm
I’m not sure, I’ve not tried it that way before.
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