Bath bombs have become increasingly popular in recent years, and for good reason. Not only do they make your bath time enjoyable with their pleasant scents and beautiful colors, but they are also packed full of moisturizing ingredients that can help keep your skin soft and hydrated. The question is, how do they react to heat? Let’s take a look.
When exposed to heat bath bombs can lose their shape, leak oil, and become difficult to use. It is important to use caution when storing bath bombs in hot weather. Keep them away from direct sunlight in a cool and dry place. Otherwise, your bath bombs may not perform as desired.
In addition, if your bath bombs do begin leaking oil they also pose a risk of staining your furniture or worse. You do not want oils leaking into your laundry, on your furniture, or into your closet. Let’s take a look at the specifics of this problem.
The Risk of Bath Bombs in Heat
Bath bombs can become soft in extremely hot climates due to the heat causing them to expand slightly, leading to a weaker form that may eventually break down and fall apart if left for too long. It’s important to be aware that extreme heat could potentially ruin your carefully crafted creations.
Leaking Oils
If bath bombs get too hot, the oils contained within them may begin to leak out. This could potentially leave a stain on your furniture or clothing. It’s important to be mindful and store your bath bombs in a cool, dry place.
Crumbling
If your bath bombs become too warm, they may start to crumble and be difficult to use. If this happens, you could find yourself wasting both time and money. You will have a container full of bath bomb dust and goo that might do little more than create some soap suds in the water.
Loss of Reactiveness
Extreme heat can also cause bath bombs to lose their reactiveness and fragrance. This is because the ingredients that give them their sparkle may lose their luster due to the heat. Some of the reactiveness may take place while still in the wrapping.
These are some of the problems you may experience by improperly storing your bath bombs in overly warm climates. If you want to avoid these issues, it is best to keep them stored in a cool and dry place.
Bath Bombs On Hot Day
Bath bombs contain essential oils, coconut oils, almond oils, and a variety of other types of oils. These oils are used to give the bath bomb fragrance, texture, and moisturizing properties.
Bath bombs contain so many dry ingredients that it may be fine 99% of the time to leave them somewhere hot and you will not have any issues.
However, when bath bombs get warm it can make the oils and lotions inside warm changing the viscosity of those oils. This can make them more likely to begin seeping oil in or in to whatever they are sitting on or wherever they are being stored. This also applies to any lotions, moisturizers, or butters they may contain.
For example, squirt a bit of lotion into your and see its consistency. Then hold it in your hand for a few minutes and let it warm up and see how much more runny it becomes. This is essentially what is happening inside your bath bombs whenever they get too warm.
Not to say it can happen in all bath bombs because some bath bombs contain very little lotion or oil. This is just to make you aware of the risks if you are not sure what you have.
Preventing Your Bath Bombs From Melting
Fortunately, there are a few simple steps you can take to ensure your bath bombs remain intact even in high temperatures:
Use cooler storage areas
Storing bath bombs away from direct sunlight and in the cooler areas of your home can go a long way to solving this problem. Think bottom selves, bottom cabinets, basement storage area, etc. Anywhere far from windows and far from the ceiling.
Keep lids tightly secured
If storing outside then be sure any lids or covers used are properly sealed. This will help prevent moisture from being absorbed into the bath bombs and help prevent them from making a mess if they do begin to break down prematurely or leaking oils.
Choose air-tight packaging
High-quality air-tight packaging materials like shrink wrap can also help retain moisture content which prevents expansion. If your bath bombs do get too warm and the oils and lotions contained inside start breaking down then the packaging will keep them from staining your furniture, car seat, or carpet.
Never leave them in the car
If it is summertime or relatively warm out the temperature can quickly climb inside your car and this can also cause problems for your bath bombs even if it does not seem like a very hot day. If you MUST leave them in your car then make sure they are well wrapped and place them near the floor, preferably under the seat. This should take them longer to warm up than if they were laying in the seat in direct sunlight.
While it is disappointing whenever something happens to the bath bombs we spent time making or paid money for we can always take some steps to help minimize the chance of something negative happening to our investment. Just stay aware of the temperature and wherever you are storing your bath bombs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, if bath bombs are exposed to extremely hot temperatures for an extended period of time they can melt. This could potentially leave an oily stain wherever you were storing them.
Yes, if you use proper packaging. If shipping bath bombs in the summer, be sure to package them securely and ship them out first thing in the morning on a weekday so they don’t get stuck in a mail truck over the weekend.
Bath bombs can have up to an ounce of oil or more depending on the fragrance and moisturizer used in the recipe. This can create a mess if the bath bombs get too hot.
When bath bombs get hot they can begin to leak essential oils and other oily ingredients used in the manufacturing process. This is why it’s important to not leave them in a hot car.
Yes, bath bombs can freeze in cold temperatures. However, they do not contain a lot of liquid or oils so they might not break if they are frozen. Although, they may begin to crumble.
Conclusion
Bath bombs are a fun and luxurious way to enjoy your bath time, but they need special care in order to remain intact. To prevent them from melting on hot days or leaking essential oils, it is best to store them away from direct sunlight in cooler areas with air-tight packaging.
Never leave them in the car for an extended period of time as this can lead to staining or other damage. With proper storage techniques, you should be able to keep your bath bombs safe and sound even during those hot summer months!
