I have been looking for something soothing to put in my daughter’s bath to help with her extremely dry skin— besides olive oil (which makes her very slippery 😉 ).  So in honor of Bubble Bath day we decided to whip up our own bubble bath.

If you don’t want to make your own bubble bath it is at least a good reason to enjoy a nice relaxing bath!

Please read note about this project at the bottom of the post.

Homemade Bubble Bath

3 oz glycerin

1 – 4 oz bar of castile soap

4 cups distilled water

skin safe 100% pure essential oil (we used about 10 drops of lavender)

The ingredients can all be found at a grocery store. The glycerin was in the pharmacy/health and beauty section near the band-aids. The essential oil was in the health food section.  Make sure the essential oil is 100% pure and safe for the skin.

Grate or finely chop the bar of castile soap.

Make sure it is finely chopped, it will make it easier to dissolve in the water.

Mix the chopped soap, 3 ounces glycerin, and about 6 or more drops of essential oil into 4 cups distilled water.  I didn’t have distilled water so I boiled four cups of water.  I allowed the water to cool slightly.  I think the warm water helped the soap to dissolve.

Pour the bubble bath into a container. We put some of it in this container my daughter found at Hobby Lobby.  They are made for sand art.  The bubble bath is now too thick for this container— but wouldn’t have made cute favors? They have loads of different shapes, even a rocket.


The verdict, no bubbles. We used about half a cup in the bath.  It made a milky looking bath. As long as it helps my daughter’s skin and keeps her from complaining it is a success. But it is not a winner for bubbles.

HELP – Later in the day the bubble bath was a really thick mixture, like thick pudding.  I re-made the bubble bath with distilled water to see if the hot water had changed the structure of the mixture — same results.

Does anybody know what I did wrong?

If you have a recipe for a moisturizing bubble bath for very sensitive skin please share in the comments!

I am off to drown my disappointment in a warm bath!


About Cindy Hopper

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Comments

  1. ok – I have an idea – not to make bubbles in the bath but I read thru all the comments and it looks like for you to get your desired sensitive skin soap AND bubbles seems to not be an option – so what about getting her some bubbles that she can blow/play with while IN the bath? It can be her own version of a bubble bath 😀 Sorry for her 🙁

  2. Ever heard of Renew from Melaleuca? They just came out with a whole skin care line. Lotion, body wash, hand soap, bath oil. It doesn’t solve the bath bubbles, but the products will really help your skin.

  3. I have found the natural products I have used containing coconut oil or liquid castel soap do suds up, but the bubbles last for a very short time in the tub. Another thing to consider is if you have hard or soft water. The minerals in hard water combine with the natural soap and cause soap scum. This may have a significant affect on lather/suds. I have read many negative comments of natural products and this is most likely the culprit. Lastly, re: Dr. Bronner’s, I really wanted to love it, but it dries my skin out. I have used both the liquid castile and the bar varieties.

  4. My son has extremely sensitive skin – soap is so irritating to his skin. For cleansing, we only use Cetaphil. His skin really gets itchy at both extremes of summer and winter. We use colloidal oatmeal (just grind regular oatmeal in the food processor) in his bath and it really helps his skin. It does take some extra rinsing after the bath, but it’s better than all of the other options we’ve tried.

    Can’t wait to see if you find a solution that works well for you too.

  5. I can not help you with your question. One thing i did when my boy was small, was, that I put milk into his bath. And that did really help.

    Annegret

  6. Hi! After being quite frustrated with the lack of skin products that had natural ingredients that didn’t cost a fortune, my friend and I started our own company. I have lots of WIONDERFUL bubble bath, and it is sugar based, so it’s sulphate free so it doesn’t dry you out. all of our scents are skin safe. I’d love to send you a sample! Let me know.
    piperkw@hotmail.com
    http://www.moonvine.us
    thanks! I love your website!
    -Piper Wise

  7. I’m telling you, I get bubbles with the Buddy Wash and it is clearly labeled no SLS! Not over the top, bubble-bath bubbles, but maybe 2-3″ covering the whole top of the water – definitely enough for a kid to play in! I tried it when I took a bath last night and it was great! I will go bathe my dogs and take a pic.

  8. Escalda pés é mesmo muito relaxante depois de um longo dia de trabalho. Acho mesmo que serve para qulaquer dia, porque cuidar de si é muito importante.

  9. Well I can’t help you with your question but I did want to thank you for telling where to find the glycerin. I’ve seen projects calling for that before but had no clue where to look for it.

    Also wanted to tell you I enjoyed the homemade gummies post. Making them at home, had no idea you could do that!

  10. Ok I looked it up with my bigger soaping friends and the ingredient that makes bubble bath bubble is SLS (Sodium Lauryl Sulfate). That is what makes shampoo bubble like crazy. It makes lovely bubbles but is not friendly at all to sensitive skin. Sorry. You can make lovely natural liquid soap that makes some bubbles but they won’t hold up in the tub. I am affraid I am seriously bummed because the bubbles are so fun but not worth the rash. My children have found though that they enjoy other bath treats just as well such as salts, teas, and milk baths. You might try them for some spoiling fun.

  11. I have tried every different kind of BB and found them all lacking! So, now we use LOC from Amway! Yes, it is a cleaning product~but it is biodegradable and make the BEST bubbles. The kids and the tub get clean and after an hour in the tub their skin is not dried out but soft and nice..no lotion needed! Weird I know but safe and smells nice too.

  12. My daughter will be 5 in a couple of weeks and due to her sensitive, dry skin she knows we don’t ever do bubble baths and accepts this because they hurt her. The Crayola tablets that turn the water colors are a LOT of fun and don’t irritate her skin, even if we throw in two or three. Adding 1/4 to 1/2 cup baking soda to the bath water helps also, as it soothes minor skin irritations.

    For some serious benifit, my dermatologist recommended CeraVe skin cream. It is available over the counter but you may need to get it from the pharmacy. It rubs in without leaving a greasy residue, works phenomenally well, and is the only lotion/cream that doesn’t cause pain or itching for her. It’s a bit pricey, but it works so well that it’s totally worth it. The other thing that has helped is that we switched to showers…much less irritating than the bath. Good luck!

  13. All four of my kids have eczema. After a bath and before bed we rub them down with Aquaphor. It works miracle on the chapped lips as well.

    http://www.eucerinus.com/products/hb_aho.html

    I get mine at Costco but for some reason they keep it behind the counter so ask the pharmacist. You can also get it anywhere else.

  14. Can you add shampoo? I do this with my daughters bath water; she also has very sensitive, dry skin

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