DIY Black as Hell Bathbombs and Batbox ⋆ Welcome to the Necro Nomnomnomicon

Being a denizen of Hell is an exhausting job on even the best of days, and on the days when it feels like nothing is going my way, and that everything I’m doing is just this side of a complete disaster…then nothing makes me feel better than a screaming hot bath at the end of the night. To make it extra decadent, and really kick my relaxation into high gear, I enjoy tossing in a few of these easy to make black as Hell bath bombs…

To make your own, you’ll need just a few simple ingredients (and yes, a few of these are linked to my Amazon.com affiliate account. For my full disclosure, read here.)

1/4 Cup Baking Soda
1/4 Cup Citric Acid (I got mine on Amazon.com here)
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
2 Tablespoons coconut oil, melted
8-10 Drops essential oils in the scent of your choosing (I like lime and coconut)
Black gel Food coloring
1/4 cup Vodka
1/4 cup white sugar

You will also need a heart mold and a small skull mold (while not exactly like mine, this one from Amazon will also work)

For the tutorial, I used a metal muffin tin I had available which worked okay…but it was tough to get the finished bombs out. I strongly suggest a silicone mold…it’s much easier to remove the bombs when they’re done and you won’t end up looking like a crazy lady when someone walks in on you banging the mold on the basement floor swearing at the top of your lungs because the stupid. damn. hearts. just. won’t. come. out.

Seriously, go with silicone.

The first thing we need to do is make our white skull toppers for our bombs using just sugar and vodka. Essentially we’re just making fancy sugar cubes which means, if you’re so inclined, you could make more of them than this recipe calls for (roughly 6) and use the rest in other recipes, like the flaming fantom boozy drink!

Place your 1/4 cup sugar into a bowl. Pour your vodka into a food-safe spray bottle and use it to wet the sugar just enough that it becomes damp. (If you don’t have a spray bottle, slowly drizzle your vodka in.) You want it to have the consistency of wet sand. Too much liquid? Just add more sugar.

Press your damp sugar into your skull mold. I used a spoon to really pack it in there. Place a cookie sheet on top of your mold and press down to help pack your sugar down even more.

Flip the whole thing upside down, so your mold is on top and your cookie sheet is underneath.

Allow to sit for 10 minutes and then gently lift off your mold. Your sugar skulls should slide right out (Unlike the bath bombs in my aluminum muffin tin. Did I say this already?!? Get a silicone mold for those.)

Pop your sugar skulls into a toasty 200F/93C oven for about 15 minutes. The warm air will help evaporate all the alcohol and the sugar will dry rock hard.

If you’re adverse to using vodka, you can absolutely use water. The nice thing about the vodka is how quickly it evaporates and leaves no residual flavor. With water, you might have to leave them in a bit longer.

Your sugar skull cubes are now done and, if stored in a dry spot, will last months!

Now let’s move onto making our bath bombs. Start by first mixing together your baking soda, citric acid, and cornstarch.

In a small, microwave-safe bowl, zap your coconut oil until it’s completely liquid. Add a generous amount of black food gel to the melted coconut as well as your essential oils and mix well to combine. (In order for this to get the inky blackness a ‘black as hell’ bath bomb truly deserves, go WILD with that color and make it as dark as your sense of humor.

Be aware, however, that there is always a chance that older tubs, tubs made of synthetic marble, and tubs that have porous surfaces may retain some of that color, especially if you plan on soaking for ungodly amounts of time. Just saying, if you dye Aunt Mildred’s ancient claw foot tub grey with this mix, we’re not responsible. We warned you!

Drizzle this mixture slowly over your dry ingredients in your bowl, mixing continuously as you do so. Again, going back to our sugar cubes from earlier, the idea is to get your mixture just damp enough that it clumps together when you squeeze it but still crumbles with a little pressure.

Do NOT add too much liquid as your bombs will not stick together well and you run the risk of starting the chemical reaction early. Your ideal texture should be somewhat like damp sand. The name of the game is slow and steady.

Keep adding black coconut oil until your mixture is as dark as you want it and holds its shape when squeezed.

Once you bombs are completely mixed, fill your molds and really press the mixture down hard. You want to pack the molds as tightly as possible. I use the back of a spoon to really smash it down into each nook and cranny. Top each one with one of your cooled and dried sugar skulls to decorate.

Pop your bomb mold into the freezer for about 30-60 minutes. Once the bombs have had a chance to chill and firm up, they should (theoretically) slide out of your molds (see my earlier disclaimer on silicone molds versus metal molds…) Set the bombs aside to dry for at least 24 hours.

Once they’re fully dry, either share them with your friends (haha, right…) or hoard them all for yourself and enjoy your next luxurious bath surrounded by the fizzing citrus decadence that is our homemade bath bombs.

And if you do decide to (gasp) share them with someone else, and you need a box to put them into, we’ve got this ridiculously adorable bat papercraft box that is exactly the right size.