DIY Life

I think most people would agree that bath products make a nice gift. Unfortunately, they're a little over-gifted, if you know what I mean. But, if you take some effort to make your own products and to personalize them, what was old-hat suddenly becomes new again. Whipup's bath bomb surprises are a perfect gift idea that you can personalize for anyone.

You'll need baking soda, citric acid, your choice of essential oil, a spray bottle with witch hazel, and your choice of trinkets to insert in the bath bombs. You'll also need a large bowl, a whisk, an ice cream scoop with a release mechanism, and a tray covered with wax paper.

To make the bath bombs, combine the baking soda and citric acid. Then slowly spray in the essential oils. Adding the witch hazel can be a bit tricky as you need just the right amount of moisture. Once the consistency is right, you'll be able to use the ice cream scoop to create the halves of the bath bomb. Then insert the trinket and put the two halves together. Whipup has the details.

Keep reading for different gift ideas with these "surprise inside" bath bombs.

In the tutorial, kid-sized plastic rings were inserted into the bath bombs in order to make fun party favors. But the possibilities are limitless:

• Insert small charms for shower favors or heart-shaped stones for wedding favors.
  
• For a special gift, buy miniature glass bottles and insert a different word into each bath bomb -- the recipient has to use all of the bath bombs to get the whole message. (Umm... guys? Very sweet way to ask "Will you marry me?")
  
• Hide shells inside for a beach theme.
• Print out stamp-sized pictures and laminate them before inserting into the bath bombs.
• Buy your daughter a charm bracelet and insert different charms into the bath bombs. It will spread the gift out over many weeks.
  
• Hide small items for different holidays -- mini plastic American flags for the 4th of July, spider rings for Halloween, tiny bells for Christmas, and so forth.

For more bath bomb scents, check out this post. And don't forget to check out The Scentual Life; Debra has lots of great ideas for custom bath products.