This Christmas Bubble Bar is a festive take on regular bubble bath. Essentially, it is just bubble bath in a solid form. I absolutely love the way that it looks just like sugar cookies. Plus, there is nothing better than a nice hot bath in the winter and the minty aroma that will fill the room.
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Table of Contents
Using your bubble bar
When you are running the bath water, just crumble a bit of the bar under the faucet. I like to swoosh my hand around the tub to ensure that all the small pieces get dissolved quickly to maximize the bubbles.
Consistency Troubleshooting
We are going for a dough like consistency, thicker than sugar cookie dough. But not so thick that it wont hold its shape. It can be a bit of a juggling act.
Preservative Free
Since there is no water in this formula and there is no risk of being exposed to water, there is no need to use a preservative.
- If your dough is too wet, add just a small amount of baking soda.
- If it is too dry, add a small amount of vegetable glycerin.
Ingredient Overview
Baking Soda
Baking soda makes the bath water slightly more alkaline, resulting with the water having a silky feeling. The baking soda supposedly, also has a detoxifying properties too when used in the bath.
Cream of Tartar
Cream of Tartar is used to help with holding the different ingredients together in solid form.
SLSA
Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate (SLSA) is a surfactant that is used to create the bubbles in the bathtub. (Learn more about surfactants here).
Corn Starch
Corn starch is a good at helping to harden the bar and it also gives your bath water a softer feeling.
Cocamidopropyl betaine
Cocamidopropyl betaine is a mild liquid surfactant that is used to help our bubbles become more stable and helps them to last longer in the bathtub.
Vegetable Glycerin
Vegetable Glycerin is used to help to hydrate our skin, because it draws moisture to the skin. It is also used to help the bubbles last longer in the tub because it draws water to them.
Fragrance Oil
For this bubble bar I went with a Mad About Mint fragrance oil. It really makes the bars smell like a minty Christmas cookie. So be sure you don’t leave them on the counter as they are not edible.
Making A Christmas Bubble Bar
1. Weigh out all of your ingredients.
2. Place all the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl. Be sure to be careful when adding the SLSa, you might want to use a face mask as it can poof up a bit.
3. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well.
4. Separate the bubble bar mixture into three sections.
5. Take one of the sections and add green mica powder to it until it is the desired color.
6. Add a small amount of baking soda to the bubble bar to thicken it. You are going for a consistency that is not sticky but not so thick that it flakes apart.
7. Roll out the bubble bar mixture with a rolling pin. You want to be sure that you make pretty thick bars.
8. Cut the bubble bar out with a cookie cutter and place on parchment paper to dry.
9. Add red mica powder to a section of the bubble bar.
10. Add a but of baking soda to the red and white sections (like you did with the green) until you are at your desired consistency.
11. Roll the red and white bubble bar mixtures into a rope shape.
12. Twist the colors together.
13. Smoosh the mixture up and roll out with rolling pin.
14. Cut out the candy canes with your cookie cutter.
15. Allow the bubble bars to cool until they are completely hardened. This will normally take about 2 days.
Printable Bubble Bar Recipe
Christmas Bubble Bar
Equipment
- Scale
- Rolling Pin
- Tree and Candy Cane Cookie Cutters
Ingredients
- 2.64 ounce | 33% Baking Soda plus a bit to thicken**
- 2.32 ounce | 29% SLSa
- 0.72 ounce | 9% Cream of Tartar
- 0.80 ounce | 10% Corn Starch
- 0.72 ounce | 9% Vegetable Glycerin
- 0.32 ounce | 4% Cocamidopropyl Betaine
- 0.48 ounce | 6% Mad About Mint Fragrance Oil
Instructions
- Weigh out all of your ingredients.
- Place all the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl. Be sure to be careful when adding the SLSa, you might want to use a face mask as it can poof up a bit.
- Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well.
- Separate the bubble bar mixture into three sections.
- Take one of the sections and add green mica powder to it until it is the desired color.
- Add a small amount of baking soda to the bubble bar to thicken it. You are going for a consistency that is not sticky but not so thick that it flakes apart.
- Roll out the bubble bar mixture with a rolling pin. You want to be sure that you make pretty thick bars.
- Cut the bubble bar out with a cookie cutter and place on parchment paper to dry.
- Add red mica powder to a section of the bubble bar.
- Add a but of baking soda to the red and white sections (like you did with the green) until you are at your desired consistency.
- Roll the red and white bubble bar mixtures into a rope shape.
- Twist the colors together.
- Smoosh the mixture up and roll out with rolling pin.
- Cut out the candy canes with your cookie cutter.
- Allow the bubble bars to cool until they are completely hardened. This will normally take about 2 days.