The Toy Box Years: Homemade Bubble Bath

The Creators of the Toy Box Years

The creators of the Toy Box Years are my two beautiful daughters and wonderful, handsome soldier husband.

"Nani" (our oldest) is a 11 year old 6th grader who loves Taylor Swift, ballet, books, fashion designing and sewing. Ask her what she wants to be when she grows up and it changes daily to anything from "an artist" to "a teacher" to "a singer/dancer". Nani is also currently fighting a battle against brain cancer -- recently diagnosed in June 2016.

"Nudgie" (our youngest) is a very smiley, very happy, very giggly, very spirited 8 year old 3rd Grader who's favorite toys are anything that gives mommy an anxiety attack - ladders, stepstools, the climbing wall at the playground. Like her sister, she has a love of reading and coloring, loves gymnastics and still provides mommy lots of snuggle time!

"My Marine" is my high school sweetheart. We've been married over 20 years and met when we were 17. (You do the math....) His favorite toys are Blackhawk helicopters, the lawnmower, our steam cleaner, and microbrew beer bottles. My husband is also my hero in that he proudly serves his country as a Blackhawk crew chief (hence his favorite toy!). And need I say that there is nothing hotter than my man in uniform!

All About Me......

Once upon a time I had a career and worked in the corporate world. Once upon a time, I dreamed about leaving that all behind to follow my true calling -- being a wife and mommy.

The first part of my calling was fulfilled in 1995 when I married my Marine (now soldier) and my love. Little did I know that being a military wife would change me in so many ways and that because of that, I would have an extended family all over the world from Japan, to California, to North Carolina.

The second part of my calling took a little doing, but I finally achieved that dream in 2004 with the birth of our first child, followed 4 years later by her baby sister.

So now, when someone asks me what I do for a living - I simply smile and say proudly that I'm following my calling - I'm a mommy and a wife -- and I couldn't be HAPPIER -- I'm living in the Toy Box Years!!

So, lately I've been on a kick of wanting to make my own household items. My first attempt at HHG (Homemade Household Goods) found me making my own laundry detergent - which surprisingly turned out very well. (Still working through my first batch to determine whether or not it is truly cost efficient.)

My most recent foray into "greener pastures" so to speak found me wanting to make my own bubble bath. I found quite a few recipes. The one I wanted to try first was found here. So, I followed the recipe to the letter -- and couldn't WAIT to try out my new recipe!

Homemade Bubble Bath:

16 ounce bottle of Unscented Liquid Castile Soap
2 ounces of Liquid Glycerin
Liquid Food Coloring (optional - and I opted NOT to use it)
15 drops Lavender Essential Oil
(I didn't have lavender, so I used the rose oil I already had, which I like better anyway!)
Container for storage (I had this squeeze bottle tucked away in my cleaning supply basket.)

Combine the above ingredients together in a container bottle big enough to allow for mixing. First add the liquid castile soap, then the drops of essential oil and lastly the glycerin. Mix well by shaking. If the mixture is too thick add a little water. (I found that it wasn't too thick, so I didn't add the water)

The recipe then goes on to say:

"The glycerin is important for two reasons. Your skin will feel soft and smooth after your bubble bath because it attracts water molecules helping to keep your skin moisturized. It's also what aids in the formation of bubbles. The key to long lasting bubbles is glycerin. You do want lots of bubbles don't you?"

Why yes! I do want to sink myself into a luxurious tub of bubbles that I created myself. I pictured myself moisturizing my skin while I allowed the intoxicating scent of roses whisk me away to my happy place. I just couldn't wait until the girls were in bed and I could start making those bubbles!

Turns out I would have to wait until my next run to Wal-Mart for my bubbles. Because I'm probably going to just BUY my bubble bath from now on.

The glycerin which was supposed to be the KEY to "long lasting bubbles" didn't do squat. That key was definitely broken. When I poured it into the water - under RUNNING water - it foamed up for a few seconds before fizzling away.

What started off as a potential tub of foamy bubbles ended up looking like someone poured a quart of milk into my tub.

Disappointed doesn't even BEGIN to describe how I felt seeing my glorious bubble bath dream swirl down the drain while the Mr. Bubbles bottle sat there on the edge of the tub mocking me....almost sneering with contempt as if to say, "See.....homemade isn't always the best. Now come back to the dark side of processed bubbles....."

But, in the end, it wasn't a total waste. While I never did get the promised bubbles, I did get a very nice body wash that works better than my standard bar of Ivory soap (left over from the detergent-making session....)

I'm not giving up on the homemade bubble bath just yet. I still have 1/2 a bottle of castille soap that I need to use -- and I'm determined to find that recipe for glorious bubbles!

So, how about you? Ever have an HHG project go awry?

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5 comments:

Anonymous September 6, 2011 at 7:15 AM: I am constantly having projects go awry.. at least I am a constant source of entertainment for my family LOL. Certainly a lot of trial and error but to me that's half the fun lol
Lauren Gardner September 6, 2011 at 10:01 AM: Fun blog! I found you on mommy bloggers and I am excited to read more. If you get a sec go check out my blog! :) Have a magical day!
MaryAnne September 6, 2011 at 1:47 PM: How sad! I hope you manage to make a bubble bath solution you love!
MsXpat September 7, 2011 at 12:56 PM: Hi, I'm your newest follower from Tag Back Tuesday. Good luck with your bubbles :0)
Robert March 18, 2012 at 7:46 PM: Practically speaking, attempts to make a bath foam from actual soap soap fail. Usually there's enough "hardness" in a bathtub of water to turn all the soap into scum, unless you use anywhere from a large to a very large amount of soap, in which case the bath water will become more irritating than if you used commercial bubble baths. If the water's "soft" enough, it's practicable but still not advisable.

You want to make real bubble bath, you've got to use real bubble bath ingredients, and not soap -- maybe with "soap" but not actual soap soap. I came up with my own formula (former US pat. 5,336,446) that's superior to anything out there in terms of mildness and density of foam, but you've got to be willing to use ingredients that you won't find in retail stores.

Alternatively you can use other foamy materials you have around the house (hand dish detergent, soapless "soap" hand wash, baby bath, shampoo, etc.), but then you're not really MAKING it, get it? However, sometimes you can achieve bubble benefits by mixing 2 or more of such products.