There are several ingredients you will need to buy in order to complete your course. The course booklet details everything you need and also has a list of suppliers.
Below are links to some of the ingredients on Amazon, however please note you can source ingredients in many places if you have the time to hunt around.
Do check your course booklet to work out the total amount of each ingredient you need to complete the course. If you have a friend who is completing the course, we would suggest buying together to minimise any wastage.
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Melt & Pour soap base
This is a key ingredient for the soap weeks. You can choose clear (which will give you a translucent soap) or white (which will give you a solid pastel soap). These are usually sold in 1kg blocks so you only need to order one, so choose whichever end result you would prefer.
Or if you would prefer to use both, you will have plenty left over to make more soap later. Even buying 1kg, you will have spare at the end – 1kg is enough to make approx 10 shop bought bars.
Bicarbonate of soda
This is one of the two key ingredients in bath bombs. Even if you decide to never make a bath bomb again, you can use it for cleaning or cooking! You will need food grade quality. You will need just over 2kg – however, it is possible to scale the recipes down (pro rata). So you could order a 2kg pack and adjust the recipes as you go. Don’t forget, you will have lots of products to use – so the difference would only be about 1 bath bomb overall.
The first pack below is 2kg – the others are varying weights – so just check before buying. If you are doing the course with a friend – buy. in bulk together as it usually works out cheaper.
Citric acid
Citric Acid is the other key ingredient in bath bombs. The type you choose will affect the finish on your bath bombs. A course grain citric acid will give a rough finish – a fine powder will give you a smooth finish. Either are fine as they both work well in the water. If you want really smooth bath bombs, but can only source granular citric acid – you can put it in a coffee grinder and blitx it to a fine powder. However, make sure the coffee grinder is thoroughly cleaned as soon as you have done this. You will also need to wear googles and a mask as the powder is very fine and airborne.
You should buy Anhydrous Citric Acid which is water free. Any good listing/shop will make this clear. As with the Bicarb, if you are completing the course with a friend, buying in bulk is often cheaper.
Water-based dyes
You can either buy individually or as a set. One small set will easily cover the whole course – if you are on a tight budget, just try and buy one colour. It must be water based (so it will be liquid).
Remember, you should never use food dye in soaps or bath bombs as the formulation is intended for baking and may cause stains in your bath or on the skin.
Moulds
First of all – if you have silicone baking moulds, you can use these! Moulds are quite a personal choice. You can make do with what you already have in the house, or you can buy in something more traditional like a sphere mould.
There are no hard or fast rules about what to use, so be creative. We have included a selection of our favourites – you do not need all of them. If you know someone who has already completed our course – borrow theirs! And if you are doing the course with a friend, just make the products at different times and share.
Rubbing alcohol
If you can, get 99% rubbing alcohol. The remaining 1% refers to the water content, so for 99% the water content is minimal. A 70% rubbing alcohol will have 30% water and this becomes relevant when you make bath bombs, bath fizzies and shower steamers. The higher water content may activate your bath bombs as you are making them – so to reduce the risk, go for as higher alcohol content as possible. 70% can still be used. Just be cautious with the amount you spray.
At the moment, rubbing alcohol prices have increased due to Covid-19 as it is the key ingredient in hand sanitiser. The prices also vary according to the water content, so if you are on a budget, go for the 70% and use caution with the amount you spray. We have included links for both 99% and 70% below.
Menthol crystals
You only need 10g for the shower steamers, so don’t buy any more as their use is quite niche. We have included only one link for a 10g bag.
Essential oils & fragrance oils
There are several places you can get essential oils – but it is probably the one ingredient where you can achieve good economies of scale. To start off,it is probably better for you to choose one oil then buy 100ml of it to cover the whole course. We love essential oils like lemongrass or lavender – as both of these work really well in both soaps and bath bombs.
Alternatively you can buy sets of smaller amounts – which will give you a variety to work with.
Coconut oil
There are many places you can get coconut oil as it is used for cooking as well . You do not need anything expensive, the scrub will still be as good with the cheapest you can get! You will need about 300ml – any left over can be used in cooking.