DIY: Shower steamers with essential oils
These DIY shower steamers are perfect for adding a little aromatherapy and spa-like vibe to your morning shower. You can customize them with whatever essential oils you like. Just place on the bottom of your shower where the water hits and get ready for a burst of fragrance. They’re super inexpensive to make, too!
Hi friends! Hope you’re having a good morning!
One of the trends I’ve seen floating around on social media is the idea of putting eucalyptus leaves in the shower. I was instantly intrigued because I like to put eucalyptus oil on the floor of the shower before I hop in, and the leaves looked so vibrant and pretty hanging by the shower head. The idea is that the hot water mists the leaves and makes the shower smell amazing.
Then, the over-analytical part (aka the majority) of Gina took over, and I was like, “What happens when it gets old?” I could picture myself trying to remove the leaves and carrying wet branches to the trash can. I envisioned rogue leaves stuck on the floor of the shower and trying to scoop them off the tile. Aka, I took the fun out of the whole thing.
It doesn’t matter anyway because I was recently introduced to shower steamers and they’re a game changer. Sky Organics sends us some bath goodies each month, and the girls go crazy for their bath bombs. They also include a little shower steamer to place in the shower, so when the water hits it, it fizzes and releases a beautiful scent before dissolving down the drain. (<— it cleans up by itself!) No need to hang foliage for a pretty spa-like atmosphere. 😉
I thought it would be fun to experiment with making my own homemade shower steamers and share the recipe with ya!
All you do is mix baking powder, citric acid (you can find it on Amazon) and cornstarch (or arrowroot powder) in a bowl.
Add a little bit of water
(make sure it’s a little because it can easily turn into a volcano science experiment. As you can see in the pic above, this took a couple of tries to get it right),
some coloring if you’re feelin’ it, and your favorite essential oil combo.
Pack into molds (or roll into balls), dry overnight,
and boom!
Pretty little spa treats that would also make wonderful gifts.
Here’s the exact recipe if you’d like to give DIY shower steamers a try!
PrintDIY Shower Steamers with Essential Oils
An easy and inexpensive gift option! Use your favorite essential oils to customize these shower steamers. Place them on the floor of your shower and enjoy a spa experience.
- Prep Time: 15
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
Ingredients
- 1 cup baking soda
- 1/2 cup citric acid
- 1/2 cup cornstarch (or arrowroot powder)
- Essential oils (I used lavender)
- Water
- Optional: food coloring
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the baking soda, citric acid, and cornstarch. Carefully, add 1 tablespoon of water and mix well.
- Add another tablespoon of water and mix well.
- At this point, the mixture should be able to be packed together into the molds (or into spheres). If you need more water, add it a tablespoon at a time and remember that a little goes a long way! It should feel like moist sand.
- Stir in the essential oils (I used 30 drops of lavender for 15 steamers. I would max out at 40 drops), and food coloring (around 12 drops) if using.
- Pack into molds or shape into spheres and allow to dry overnight.
- The next morning, pop them out and store in a covered container. To refreshen the fragrance if you’re storing these for over a week, add a drop of oil to the shower steamer before using.
Notes
- Use any essential oils you like and you know work well for you. Some of my faves are rose absolute, lavender, frankincense, tea tree, and eucalyptus.
Do you make any beauty or cleaning solutions at home? Some of my favorite rose homemade beauty products are here, and all my fave household cleaners are here.
Have an amazing day!
xo
Gina
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What a cute mother’s day or Easter idea!
Where did you get the cute rose ice cube tray?
I will definitely be making these! Lately I have been putting a few drops of peppermint oil in the shower to help me breathe with this cold.
Omg – I’m SO glad you posted about this. What timing. I live in Australia, where the eucalyptus is ABUNDANT. thought to myself, “why haven’t you hung it in the shower?! It will change your life!” And I’m so glad you actually thought it through and also saved me the clean up and soggy leaves. Will definitely give these a try. Although, I’m sure mine will be “rustic” hahah!
Yay! Thank you for posting this. I’m way too excited to pick up some pretty molds and make up a batch – and give some as gifts!
So excited to try this!!! I love the same scents as you (lavender, tea tree, rose, eucalyptus)….so relaxing!
Quick tip to avoid the volcano: have witch hazel or alcohol in a spray bottle (or water if you don’t have that) and then spritz into the dry mixture until you have a wet sand consistency. It’s a lot easier to control how much with a spray bottle and it often goes from not quite right, to VOLCANO with very little liquid! I have a small business making soaps and body products and also make bath bombs. (And shameless plug all my bath bombs are 50% off in my etsy shop right now 🙂 – BarnCatCreations )
I just (well, attempted to) made these and they slowly expanded over the mold. I think they’re still growing. May have to move out of my house and let the goo take over. What did I do wrong?!? LOL
too much water! you just want to start with a teeny tiny bit and go from there
that happened to me the first time, too
Added the water too quickly. They are very touchy.
This reminds me of bath bombs, but for your shower. My favorite scent is lavender, which is perfect for a relaxing day. I would pair this with a nice tea afterwards.
This sounds like a fun DIY to try! I bet it smells so good!
Mine came out so crumbly! And they fizzed and dissolved right away in the shower and weren’t even in the direct stream of water. What did I do wrong?
These came out just right! I’m still having issues getting the scent to where I want it. For some reason they’re just not smelling as strong as I would like in the shower, I’ve added up to a tablespoon of essential oil. Any other suggestions?
What kind of essentials oils are you buying. If Michael, Hobby Lobby & Joannes they are cut to 15 % true oils. You need to order from a wholesales place that does 40 – 60% cut oil. That is what soap maker use. Lavender that l buy 16 oz cost about $45 plus shipping. Thats 60%
Can essential oils be added right before use instead of while making? I am thinking of having different scents for the mood of the day.
Would this affect how well they diffuse into the air? And how long before my shower should I add them?