Homemade Fruity Bubble Bath for Kids (with essential oils)

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This quick and easy homemade bubble bath recipe is perfect for kids and so simple to make. The sweet, citrusy essential oil combination smells like fruity cereal – you won’t believe it’s made with natural ingredients!

If your kids are anything like mine, the sugary sweet, artificially scented bubble baths call to them like a moth to a flame. I try so hard to purchase healthy, clean products for my kids (and always avoid artificial fragrances and colors!), but I also want them to feel like they get fun things, you know?

Homemade bubble bath for kids

So many ‘natural’ products don’t have that ‘fun factor’ my kids crave. I love a good lavender bubble bath as much as the next person, but my kids are SO over lavender everything. 

Enter this DIY bubble bath that’s completely free of artificial colors and fragrances. It’s just two ingredients to make the bubble bath and a combination of 3 easy-to-find essential oils for the sweetly scented aroma.

I love anything citrus, so I also think it smells fantastic. This bubble bath is a win in my kid’s book AND mine.

This recipe is super economical since you can purchase a BIG bottle of liquid Castile soap inexpensively (and use it for tons of things!).

Things you need for bubble bath

How do I make Homemade Bubble Bath Bubbly?

The combination of glycerin and soap makes for a bubbly bath, and they need to be used in tandem for your DIY bubble bath to work.

Fair warning: homemade bubble bath won’t give vast amounts of giant bubbles like that stuff in the pink bottle we used as kids. It WILL make bubbles, but without an added chemical bubbling agent (like most conventional bubble baths have), they won’t be super long-lasting or massive.

The bubble-inducing culprit is sodium laureth sulfate or some similar version of this surfactant ingredient. It’s used as a bubbling agent in many conventional products like shampoo and bubble baths. It has been known to irritate the skin, so I’m totally cool with skipping it in a bubble bath for my kids!

Back to what we will be using in this recipe: liquid castile soap and glycerin. Make sure to use both, and don’t skip the glycerin – it’s the combo of the two ingredients that make bubbles.

Glycerin is a natural humectant that creates bubbles when combined with soapy water.

bubble bath for kids

 

What Scents Are Good For Kids Bubble Bath?

Many conventional kids’ bubble baths use sweet, fruity smells like strawberry or coconut. While it’s tough to get some of those scents naturally, plenty of essential oils can be used to achieve a sweet or fruity smell.

This recipe uses a combination of sweet orange, lemon, and lemongrass that mixes to smell like a particular colorful fruity cereal from your childhood. 
A note for sensitive skin: lemongrass can irritate kids with very sensitive skin or the younger crowd, and I prefer to use it for slightly older kiddos (5 and up). If you’re making this for sensitive-skinned kids or babies, consider leaving out the lemongrass or opting for something like a lavender bubble bath.

Homemade bubble bath

Hibiscus Simple Syrup

This quick and easy bubble bath recipe uses just a few ingredients and a yummy combination of essential oils to create a bubbly, sweet-smelling bubble bath kids will love.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup liquid castile soap
  • ¼ cup vegetable glycerin
  • 7 drops of lemongrass essential oil
  • 7 drops sweet orange essential oil
  • 7 drops of lemon essential oil

Instructions

    1. Add all of the supplies to a bowl and stir well. 
    2. Pour into a jar or multiple smaller jars for gifting.
    3. Use 1-2 oz in your bath – pour directly under the stream of water to activate more bubbles!

    Notes

    • Makes 10 ounces of bubble bath, enough for 5-10 baths.
    • It can be stored for up to 6 months in a closed air-tight container.

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    Kids Bubble Bath Variations

    Try one of these pre-made, synergistic essential oil blends instead of the combo in the recipe above. My kids all LOVE these blends for their sweet smells! Plus, they all use kid-friendly essential oils, so you can be sure they will not irritate young, sensitive skin.

    Lemon Cupcake Essential Oil Blend

    Calming the Child Essential Oil Blend

    Happy Place Essential Oil Blend

    Epsom Salt – add ½ cup of Epsom salt to your bath water before adding the bubble bath, and stir it around to dissolve. While this won’t increase the bubbles, Epsom salts help detox the body and are high in magnesium, supporting relaxation. This is a great addition when your kids are under the weather– an Epsom salt bath can help boost their immune system!

    Best Natural Bubble Bath Brands

    I’ve tried these two bubble bath brands with my kids and had good results. These are natural brands with no harsh ingredients I try to avoid in personal care products, like artificial surfactants, sulfates, parabens, fragrances, or colorants.

    These bubble baths won’t create those giant bubbles of your childhood dreams, but they’re chemical-free and gentle on the skin.

    Homemade bubble bath for kids

    Alaffia bubble bath – I like this bubble bath with shea butter from Alaffia because it’s unscented with a good ingredient list and comes in a BIG bottle. You can expect a moderate amount of bubbles from this bubble bath. Since it’s unscented, you can add a few drops of your favorite essential oil to customize your bubble bath!

    Everyone 3-in-1 comes in a BIG jug, is gentle on the skin, and adds some bubbles to a bath! It can be used all over the body AND as a shampoo as well (my kids use it as shampoo, although I’ve never tried it). This has a mild scent that is not too overpowering, which I appreciate.

    More DIYs your Kids will Love

    It can be lots of fun to make stuff with your kids, and they may even be more interested in using your homemade products if they got to help make them! Try one of these kid-friendly DIY recipes:

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