Looking for a way to create a spa experience at home? Try this easy recipe for DIY Shower Steamers. Whether you are looking for a calming scent before bed or an energizing scent to start your day, shower bombs are a wonderful way to add a little aromatherapy to your life.
I made my very first batch of shower steamers when my daughter and I had a cold. Adding the scents of peppermint and eucalyptus to a warm, steamy shower felt like the perfect way to help clear our sinuses. As time went on, I realized how versatile shower steamers could be depending on the essential oils used. This quick and easy shower steamer recipe can be used to energize your mornings, calm your evenings, or soothe a stuffy nose.
What You Need to Make DIY Shower Steamers
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Ingredients Needed for Homemade Shower Steamers
- Baking Soda
- Water
- Essential Oil– See below for a variety of essential oil combinations you can use for various needs. I am using both Peppermint and Eucalyptus in this recipe, but you can also try a blend created to ease breathing. (Not sure where to buy essential oils? Check out this post.)
- Citric Acid (Optional)- I typically do not add citric acid to my shower bombs, however, if you are finding your shower steamers are crumbling or dissolving too quickly in the shower, you can add citric acid to get a harder shower bomb.
Supplies Needed for DIY Shower Bombs
- Glass Mixing Bowl– When working with essential oils, it is always best to use glass or ceramic
- Silicone Mold– I used a mini muffin mold for this shower bomb recipe, but you can also use a silicone soap mold for more decorative shower steamers.
- Spray Bottle– A spray bottle allows for better control over how much water is added to the mixture, which is essential
- Air-Tight Container– for storage
How To Make Shower Steamers At Home
Pour one cup baking soda into a glass or ceramic mixing bowl.
If desired, you may also add in 1/3 cup Citric Acid* and stir to combine it with the baking soda.
* I have used Citric Acid in other “bombs” I have made: toilet bombs and garbage disposal bombs, however, I have never added it to my shower bombs recipe. The addition of citric acid tends to create a harder texture which may reduce the likelihood of crumbling. It is up to you whether you would like to add it or not.
Then add in 20-30 drops of essential oil. (I used both Peppermint and Eucalyptus in equal amounts; 10-15 drops of each). Stir the mixture until well combined.
Use a spray bottle to spritz the mixture with water just until the mixture holds its shape when squeezed in your hand. Adding too much water (especially if using citric acid) will result in the shower bombs expanding and rising out of the mold.
Process for Knowing When Enough Water Has Been Added
Spray the mixture 10 times with water, stir, and then grab some of the mix in your hand, squeeze and see if it holds its shape. If it’s still powdery or crumbly, repeat the process. Note that the mixture will appear powdery in the bowl, but if it holds its shape when squeezed, it’s ready. For reference, I needed a total of 30 sprays to get to the point where the mixture held its shape when squeezed.
Once the mixture holds its shape when squeezed (as seen above) press the mixture into a silicone mold, and allow it to completely dry at room temperature. This will take anywhere from 12-48 hours (depending on the temperature and humidity level in your home).
Once thoroughly dried, pop the shower steamers out of the mold and store them in an airtight container. and add a label if desired.
When you are ready to use your shower bombs, simply place one (or two) bombs in the corner of the shower. As the hot water flows, it will slowly “melt” the bomb, releasing the aroma.
Other DIY Shower Steamer Recipes to Try
Energizing Shower Steamers
10-15 Drops Peppermint Essential Oil combined with 10-15 Drops Lemon Essential Oil
Calming Shower Bombs
30 Drops Lavender Essential Oil
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Common Questions About DIY Shower Steamers
What Should I Do If My Shower Steamers Are Crumbly?
Shower Bombs can become crumbly if there wasn’t enough liquid added to the recipe. Unfortunately, if they become crumbly after drying, there isn’t much you can do with the current batch; just know more water should be added to future batches. As mentioned above, you can also try adding 1/3 cup citric acid to the baking soda which tends reduce the likelihood of a crumbly texture.
Why Are the Shower Steamers Expanding Out of the Mold?
If you notice the shower bombs are rising out of the mold, it means too much water was added to the mix, essentially activating the shower bomb in the mold. This is more likely to happen if you chose to add citric acid to the mix. To avoid this issue, make sure you are using a spray bottle to add water (don’t pour water into the mixture) and stop as soon as the mix holds its shape when squeezed. Even though the mix will look crumbly in the bowl, if it holds its shape when squeezed, it’s ready to go into the mold.
What Should I Do If My Shower Bombs Don’t Have A Lot of Scent?
I have made shower bombs with certain essential oils that don’t give off much scent (or the scent reduces over time). There are two options to create a stronger scent. The first option is to add more essential oil when making your shower bombs (go with 40-50 drops instead of 20-30). If the shower bombs have lost their scent after being made, you can add a couple drops of essential oil to the top of the shower bomb to refresh the scent.
How you store your shower steamers is also important. Make sure they are stored at room temperature, in an airtight container, out of the sun.
Can I Add Color to This Shower Steamers Recipe?
You certainly can add color to your shower bombs recipe using pigmented mica powder. I have never done this, however, it seems to be a common practice. From my research, it looks like you would add about 1/4 teaspoon to the baking soda/citric acid mixture if you’d like to give it a try.
How Long Do the Shower Steamers Last in the Shower?
I recommend putting the shower steamer in the corner, on the shower floor. The steamer needs water to dissolve and release the scent, but you don’t want it to be hit directly or it will dissolve too quickly. The shower steamer placed out of direct water flow should last through a short shower.
What is the Shelf Life of Homemade Shower Steamers?
I wouldn’t expect homemade shower bombs to “go bad” necessarily; the bigger issue is the loss of scent over time. I would try to use them within 6 months of making them for optimal “scent factor”. If you don’t think you’ll use them that quickly, you can also make a half-batch.
Can I Use Shower Bombs as Bath Bombs?
No. Shower bombs would dissolve so quickly in a tub full of water, it wouldn’t be worth it. Use shower steamers in the shower and bath bombs in the tub 🙂
DIY Shower Steamers (Shower Bombs)
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Baking Soda
- ⅓ Cup Citric Acid Optional
- 20-30 Drops Essential Oil
Supplies
- Glass Mixing Bowl
- Silicone Mold
- Spray Bottle (optional)
- Airtight Container for Storage
Instructions
- Start by adding baking soda and citric acid (optional) to a glass mixing bowl
- Add 20-30 drops of essential oil to and thoroughly stir the oils into the mixture
- Add enough water to create a mixture that holds its shape when squeezed in your hand. Using a spray bottle is helpful as you have more control over the amount of water added.
- When the mixture holds its shape, press the mixture into a silicone mold and allow it to dry at room temperature for 12-48 hours (depending on temperature and humidity levels)
- Once completely dry, pop the shower bombs out of the mold and store them in an airtight container until ready to use
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I haven’t made this yet but what kind of essential oils should I use? Since this isn’t used on the skin can I use a type for diffusers? Just need to know if I need to order anything special lol
You can really use any essential oil you choose… HOWEVER, if you are using a “hot oil” (like cinnamon), you’ll want to protect your hands (or use a spoon) when squeezing into shape and pressing into the mold. Hot oils can cause quite a bit of skin irritation.
Would these be suitable to use to clean the washing machine instead of using the overpriced Affresh washing machine cleaner cubes?
What an interesting idea! I DO have a tutorial on cleaning a washing machine, and it DOES involve baking soda. Maybe I’ll have to give it a try! Otherwise, here’s how I typically clean our washing machine:
https://www.lemonslavenderandlaundry.com/how-to-clean-a-washing-machine-vinegar-baking-soda/
Hello!
I found your page while looking up how to make my own shower bombs!
I have bought your recommended supplies, including some EO from Plant Therapy. I have a question. I’ll be following your lavender recipe using the 30 drops of lavender. IF I buy a blend, say the Meditation Essential Oil Blend from Plant Therapy, is it the same number of drops, 30, for your recipe? Would it be the same for any other blend?
Thank you!
Yes! 30 total drops of essential oil, whether you are using a single or blend 🙂
These worked great for me. I definitely had to add more water than I thought, and I’m in the mountains so it’s super dry here. And the first ones I used witch hazel, I’m not sure if that made any difference.
You have to really pat them down to keep them together or they get crumbly.
I also didn’t use citric acid because I couldn’t find any and that was fine.
I did it in a muffin tin with silicone molds then removed from the molds to dry completely on a cooling rack.
Great recipe, I bought these for $15 over the holidays and just made them for pennies. So that’s a wake up call haha
Thanks!
It’s amazing how much money you can save when you make things yourself! I’m so happy to hear these worked out so well for you… and I have never added to citric acid to this shower bomb recipe either. I do add it to my toilet and garbage disposal bombs though.
i find the scent is very minimal even at 30 drops. would 40 drops be better??
I just have a question about the mixture ‘expanding’ due to the acid/base combination. Do I keep pressing it down in my silicone molds as they dry?
If your mixture is expanding, this is due to adding too much water to the mix, essentially activating the shower bomb too early. Make sure you are only adding enough water to get the mix to hold shape when squeezed. Please note, the mix will still look crumbly in the bowl.
When the mixture is put into the molds, it starts to rise like bread dough. Are you supposed to compress or leave it?
I just made my first batch last night. Mine started to rise pretty quickly after compressing them pretty hard into the mold. What did you end up doing?
If you are seeing the bombs rise and come out of the mold, this is due to adding to much water to the mix. Essentially, too much water activates the fizzing action. Make sure you are using a spray bottle to add water and the moment it holds shape in your hand when squeezed, stop adding water (even though it will still be crumbly in the bowl).
How do you make Toilet & garbage disposal bombs?
You can find our recipe for toilet bombs here and our garbage disposal bombs here.
Question for anyone reading this article and/or having made some shower steamers: Can I replace the essential oils with food extract flavouring? I think that vanilla and lemon extract would work just as well but want to know if anyone has done this and was it successful. It would be more economical as well. Thanks in advance.
I have never tried adding an extract vs essential oil, but if you give it a try, I’d love to hear how it turns out!
My cubes keep expanding!!! How do I get them to stop??
I did this and used citric acid.. with that in mind they proofed up after pressing them into the mold. And kept rising. It seemed like a never ending battle. LOL any idea why?
Do they need to be covered while they dry out?
I don’t cover mine, I just let them sit on the counter and air-dry.
THANK YOU SOO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR GREAT EXAMPLES OF HOW TO MAKE LAUNDRY SOAP AND THE FABULOUS BATH BOMBS! IM SOO EXCITED TO TRY THE BATH BOMBS BUT DUE TO “THE STAY AT HOME ORDER BY OUR GOVERNOR”, I AM GOING TO HAVE TO WAIT FOR MY MINI MUFFIN PANS, BUT I MADE THE LAUNDRY SOAP AND I STARTED MY FIRST LOAD!!!
Hello! Can you tell me how many this makes? Or how many cups of mix? thanks 🙂 Can’t wait to try it!
Hi Tianna-
Sorry it took me a bit to get back to you. I actually needed to make more of these for the winter season, so I decided to make them first so I could give to an accurate amount. Using the silicone mold linked to in the post, I was able to make a dozen shower bombs. Each mold is approximately 1 inch in diameter, just to give you a feel. Hope that helps.
Thank you so much. I appreciate it!
I hope you and your daughter feel better before Christmas. Merry Christmas to you and your family. I am looking forward to more posts from you in 2016!!
Thanks Susan! We are both doing a whole lot better, and luckily were able to make it to all the Christmas festivities. I hope you had a wonderful Christmas. Happy New Year!… well, in a few days. 🙂