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Basic Shower Melts

This basic shower melts recipe is a great way for beginners to get started using their essential oils.
Prep Time30 mins
Drying Time2 d
Total Time2 d 30 mins
Course: Beginner
Cuisine: Bath and Shower
Keyword: essential oil DIY, shower melts
Servings: 10 Shower Melts

Equipment

  • Mixing Bowl and Spoon
  • Silicone Mini Muffin/Cupcake Pan or Ice Cube Tray

Ingredients

  • 1 Cup Baking (Bi-Carb) Soda Sifted
  • 1/4 Cup Citric Acid
  • 1/4 Cup Corn Starch a.k.a. corn flour in some countries
  • Water Distilled or purified is best
  • Colored Epsom Salts
  • Essential Oils

Instructions

  • Sprinkle several different colors of Epsom Salts in the bottom of each hole of your cupcake pan.  In this case less is more.  The Epsom salts won’t stick to each other but they will stick to the shower melt ingredients so make sure there are gaps in between the salts.
  • Sift the baking soda, citric acid, and corn starch into a bowl, mixing until no lumps are present.  Add water a few drops at a time.
  • Use a spoon or your hands to combine the mixture, rubbing it between your fingers to evenly disperse the water.  You’ll know you’ve used enough when it sticks together/packs down and can keep its shape.
    It will still look kind of dry, but if you take a handful of the mixture and squeeze it, it should pack easily into a ball. Too much water will make the mixture continue to fizz and puff up more. 
    It may seem odd, but using your ears can help you with this step.  As you are mixing, bring your ear down to the bowl and listen.  Your mixture should be damp but not fizzing. If you used too much water in the mixture, it will continue to fizz and rise while it is drying. Constant and increasing fizzing means you may have added too much water, you can counteract this by adding more dry ingredients to the mix if it is too wet.
  • Once you get the correct consistency, begin to fill your mold, pushing down the mixture into the holes and compacting it into place.  Compaction is an important step as it may mean the difference between hard and crumbly melts once they are dry. It will also help your Epsom salts stick to the melts if you are using this decoration method.
  • Set the melts aside to air dry for 24-36 hours (depending on the humidity where you live). When sufficiently hardened, your shower melts should release from your pan fairly easily, if they are still wet, they will not fall out with ease.
  • Add your essential oils to the shower melts right before using.  Drop the oils directly on top, then place in the corner of your shower where it will get wet, but is not directly below the water stream.  Watch it melt as you shower and wash any residue down the drain when you are finished.

Notes

Wearing gloves is recommended
Unused shower melts are best stored in a plastic zip-lock bag.