Homemade Vanilla Oatmeal Bath Truffle Recipe (Easy!)
With moisturizing olive oil and oatmeal and a scent boost from vanilla essential oils, these Vanilla Oatmeal Bath Truffles can turn bath time into a party for your senses!
Why do you want this recipe?
- Super relaxing – The vanilla essential oils have a calming effect on the brain and reduce muscle tension.
- Moisturizing – Between the colloidal oatmeal and the olive oil, this is a perfect fit for your dry skin.
- Anti-Inflammatory – Milk has been shown to have soothing effects on inflamed and angry skin.
- Easy – This recipe is so simple, you can be enjoying your soothing bath in under 15 minutes.
- Fun! – With this easy, no-fail recipe, you can enjoy creating your own bath products!
What is a bath truffle?
A bath truffle is bath bomb’s more moisturizing cousin. These are also sometimes called bath melts.
Packed full of oils, bath truffles are designed to dissolve into your hot bath, releasing skin-loving hydration.
Truffles are also usually smaller than bath bombs, typically fitting into the palm of your hand. They also do not fizz as they dissolve.
Bath truffles are perfect for bath soaks, which have been proven to have many health benefits such as:
- Better heart health
- Muscle relaxation
- Stronger immune function
- Improved breathing and lung function
What is colloidal oatmeal?
Colloidal oatmeal is made from grinding oat grain (oatmeal) into a very fine powder. It contains a number of skin-friendly nutrients. This includes protein, fats, and vitamins that can soothe and soften your skin.
Colloidal oatmeal is frequently found in beauty products. Body washes and soaps, shampoos, and creams frequently use this ingredient.
The base of this bath truffle is colloidal oatmeal, which you can make at home with a food processor!
What do I need to make Vanilla Oatmeal Bath Truffles?
Oatmeal
Finely ground oatmeal (colloidal oatmeal) has long been proven to sooth skin irritation such as eczema, psoriasis, and even acne.
For this recipe, you can use any form of oatmeal. I use Quaker Rolled Oats. They’re cheap, and since we’re going to grind our oatmeal into colloidal oatmeal in the first step, it really doesn’t matter about the quality!
Olive Oil
This great addition not only adds that lovely, light grassy scent, but increases the hydration factor of your bath. Bathing in olive oil is a great way to get the hydration without any of the greasy feel.
Coconut Oil
Another heavily moisturizing ingredient, solid coconut oil adds a slightly nutty scent. It is also an anti-inflammatory, and can help keep skin supple and smooth!
The coconut oil also functions as a carrier oil for the vanilla scent. This dilutes the vanilla essential oil and helps it be absorbed by your skin.
Powdered Milk
The powdered milk in this recipe has two jobs. One, it helps hold the truffle together. And two, it adds a relaxing exfoliant to the mix. Lactic acid gently softens and sloughs away dead skin cells.
Vanilla Essential Oil
Vanilla’s sweet scent can actually help relieve stress and lower your blood pressure. It’s also perfect finishing touch in a relaxing, hydrating sensory experience!
Substitutions
Based on your own needs, you can make a few substitutions here:
- Baking Soda for Powdered Milk – The baking soda will perform roughly the same function as the powdered milk, but it’s also good if you have itching or rashes.
- Shea Butter or Cocoa Butter for the Coconut Oil – Either of these will give you moisturizing benefits. I find that coconut oil melts better into the bath tub, but either of the butters will also work. You may need to get the bath water very hot in order to get them to dissolve completely.
- Dried Flowers/Herbs for Essential Fragrance Oil – This will change the scent of your bath truffle. Various herbs and flowers have their own properties. This website has a great list of various herbs and their benefits!
How do I make Vanilla Oatmeal Bath Truffles?
Step 1 | Grind it up
Begin by placing your oatmeal in a food processor. Pulse until you have a fine grain that resembles flour.
You want your oatmeal ground as finely as you can. This will help it dissolve into the bath water. Then, it can get to helping your skin!
Step 2 | Mix it up
Now, we’re going to combine the dry ingredients with the rest! In a bowl, combine the oatmeal, along with the olive oil, room temperature coconut oil, and a few drops of the vanilla essential oil. Mix these together until you get a thick mixture.
Step 3 | Roll it out
Form the oatmeal mixture into 1″ balls. Pinch off a bit of the mixture and roll it in your hands.
Next, roll the balls in the powdered sugar to coat.
Step 4 | Let it dry
If you’d like, you can use your DIY bath truffles immediately by simply popping them into a warm bath. If you are planning to use these later, you need to allow them to dry in the open air for 48 hours. You want them to be fully dried before you wrap and store them!
Variations
These use the same basic bath truffle recipe as our Vanilla Oatmeal Bath Truffles. With a few small changes to your essential oils, you can have a very different experience!
Sinus-Clearing Eucalyptus Oatmeal Bath Truffles
Simply sub the vanilla essential oil for eucalyptus essential oil for a congestion-busting lift!
Sleepytime Lavender Bath Truffles
Lavender essential oil takes the place of vanilla. Add a few pinches of dried chamomile flower petals to round out this relaxing sleep aid.
Energizing Peppermint Bath Truffles
Need a pick me up? Exchange the vanilla essential oil for peppermint oil.
Calm Yourself Bath Truffles
This variation uses a combination of jasmine and sweet orange essential oils in place of the vanilla. Jasmine calms, while sweet orange balances, allowing you to chill out without feeling sleepy.
Mood Lifting Bath Truffles
Combine the wonderful scent of bergamot and lemon essential oils. Bergamot reduces stress, while lemon energizes, working together to lift and lighten your mood.
BYOO Bath Truffles
Bring Your Own Oil bath truffles simply means that you can choose your favorite essential oil blends to replace the vanilla. The sky – and your imagination – are the limit!
Other Additions
There are a number of other products you can choose to add to this bath truffles base.
Remember that as you add more dry ingredients, you may need to add extra oil to keep your truffles from getting too dry.
Mica Powder
If you’d like to make your truffles different colors, you can use 1 tsp of colored mica powder per batch of this recipe. Mica powder will not dye your skin, so this is a low key way to add a little fun!
Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate
Also known as SLSA, this chemical is a gentle cleanser. It will also cause your bath truffles to bubble.
The original recipe is not designed to clean your body, merely to hydrate, soothe, and moisturize. If you’d like to play around with turning this recipe into cleansing bubble bath truffles, you can add 1 oz of SLSA to the base recipe.
Citric Acid + Baking Soda
Bring on the fizz! Citric acid and baking soda is the ingredient combination that causes bath bombs to have their characteristic dramatic fizzing when they hit the water. If you’d like to make effervescent bath truffles, you can add 1/2 tablespoon citric acid and 1 tablespoon baking soda to the mixture before forming it into balls.
FYI, baking soda is also called sodium bicarbonate, or bicarbonate of soda. These terms are interchangeable!
How do I store my bath truffles?
Once your bath truffles have completely dried — you MUST give them at least 48 hours — you can wrap them and store them in an airtight container.
Take plastic wrap and wrap each ball tightly, sealing it. This keeps the truffle from drying out and crumbling up. It also keeps all that lovely hydration inside!
Once the truffles are wrapped, you can place them into an airtight container, like a Ziploc bag or a snap-top container.
Truffles will keep for 2-4 months at room temperature, wrapped, and sealed in an airtight container.
Bath truffles should NOT be frozen. They do not recover well from the defrosting process.
Are these safe for kids?
Yes! These use all natural ingredients, and are completely safe for little ones. In fact, the hydrating combination can be excellent for diaper rash, sunburn, or other skin irritation.
This recipe is also simple enough for kids to make. These would make fantastic gifts for friends and family that your kids could make themselves!
More DIY Bath Products
Vanilla Oatmeal Bath Truffles
Equipment
- food processor
- mixing bowl
- plastic wrap
- airtight container
Ingredients
- 1 cup oatmeal
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 3 Tbsp coconut oil
- ½ cup powdered milk for rolling
- 2-3 drops vanilla essential oil
Instructions
- In a food processor, grind the oatmeal until you have a fine powder.1 cup oatmeal
- Combine oatmeal, olive oil, and coconut oil Add a few drops essential oils to scent.3 Tbsp olive oil, 3 Tbsp coconut oil, 2-3 drops vanilla essential oil
- Roll oatmeal mixture into balls and roll in powdered milk to coat.1/2 cup powdered milk for rolling
- Bath truffles can be used immediately, or allowed to dry for 48 hours.
- To store, wrap the individual truffles tightly in plastic wrap, then place them in an airtight container. They will keep for 2-4 months.
Notes
should these dry and get hard or are they supposed to be soft?
They are soft when they’re first made, but they should dry out if you leave them out.
This looks heavenly! Can’t wait to try this at home. Hopefully it turns out well. Thanks for sharing!