DIY Non-Toxic Bubble Bath (TWO Recipes!) (2024)

Taking a bath is one of thebest forms of entertainmentfor a child (in addition to getting them clean). And let’s face it: it can also be a wonderfully relaxing activity for mom too. I have two kids who love taking baths, they much prefer them over showers, and they really like bubble baths the most.

There is just something about being able to be surrounded with bubbles that the bath toys will disappear under, using the bubbles to make crazy looking hair and beards and other things on their bodies, and blowing sudsy bubbles off your hands and onto the walls during bath time.

I remember doing that as a child, and I love to watch my kids have the same type of fun that I used to have (some things just don’t change from one generation to the next!). When it comes to bubble baths and the options out there, when my kids were babies I, like so many other moms,blindly trustedJohnson’s Baby Bubble Bath & Wash (1). As they grew older I used various “better” bubble bath (meaning, I didn’t buy those cartoon character covered, bright red or blue brands…but turns out what I was usingwasn’t too great).

A few years ago I became much more educated about toxins in bubble baths. Ingredients such as fragrances (irritant), surfectants likesodium laureth sulfate (irritating with high contamination concerns from the manufacturing process) (2), artificial dyes and colors, and retinyl palmitate (cancer and organ system toxicity) (3) are just a few of the things thatI don’t want going into my kids’ (or my) bath water anymore.

Well, we tried usingliquid castile soapa few times, but it barely made any bubbles and the ones itdidcreate were small and went away quickly. After a while I researched and discovered that there was a brand that did very well on the EWG Skin Deep Database. Iopted to buy a bottleof theCalifornia Baby(4) to make the kids (and mommy) happy with some actual bubble bath the produced those bubbles we remembered and missed.

But even though this product worked very well, itcosts a small fortunefor something that gets used so often. I found that we really had to ration it or else we would run out very quickly. We still use this product off and on, but the cost made me wonder if liquid castile soap could, in fact, be tweaked enough to create larger, longer-lasting bubbles because theoverall cost would be significantly lowerand that would make me a happy mama.

• ¾ to 1 ccastile soap
• 1 to 1¼ tvegetable glycerin

• Gently stir ingredients together and add to bath under running water.

This recipe bubbled up very well under the running water, forming a quite large mountain of suds (not large bubbles…suds).

I could easily pick up a handful of soft, sudsy bubbles and blow them off my hand. There are enough bubbles to cover the kids faces and hair and make them look silly.

They lasted for a decent amount of time, and I was able to “puff” them back up a little by using the hand sprayer (you could use the one in your bathtub to get the same effect).

• Whip egg white gently with a fork. Stir the rest of the ingredients in gently and add to bath under running water.

This recipe created slightly bigger, and a larger amount, of bubbles. It also formed a large bubble mountain under the running water, with some large stray bubbles that floated around.

I could pick up more bubbles in my hand with this recipe. Kids would easily have fun playing with the bubbles for a little while.

The one and only thing that I did not care for was the sticky feeling that was on my skin after handling the bubbles, which I am assuming was caused by the egg white. For most people this isn’t going to matter since you are going to thoroughly wash your children, or yourself, down with soap at the end of the bath. But it is something worth mentioning to be aware of.

Of the two recipes, this one lasted the longest But only by 10 minutes or so over the first recipe).

You can add essential oils to further enhance your (or your child’s) bubble bath experience. Mykids lovesweetorangewith a little bit ofylang ylangessential oils. I lovelavenderand ylang ylang (these can be combined or used separately). I would say you can add herbs into the bath water too, butanything that will pop the bubbles will cause them to go away quickerthan using essential oils will.

Overall, I was happy with the outcome of these recipes, with Recipe # 2 producing the best bubbles.

Please, head on over to my Pronounce Skincare Shop where Jess sells some of the ingredients to make this bath.

While you are there, please look around at all other skincare creations. Jess loves making them for her family and for you!

(1) EWG SKIN DEEP DATABASE:JOHNSON’S BABY BUBBLE BATH & WASH
(2) EWG SKIN DEEP DATABASE:SODIUM LAURETH SULFATE
(3) EWG SKIN DEEP DATABASE:RETINYL PALMITATE
(4) EWG SKIN DEEP DATABASE:CALIFORNIA BABY BUBBLE BATH – CALENDULA