You can make DIY shower steamers without citric acid using just baking soda, water, and essential oil. This homemade shower steamer recipe needs three ingredients, one bowl, and a few minutes in the oven. The discs won’t fizz, but they will scent a shower nicely, and you probably already have everything you need in the kitchen. Here is the full recipe.
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I love bath soaking salts, but baths just aren’t always practical, especially in the mornings before heading into the office. Then it’s just showers, which typically aren’t that leisurely. But an aromatherapy shower disc is an easy way to make a shower feel more like a treat.
And they are super easy to make in the kitchen using just three ingredients! You can customize the scent, and baking the discs dries them out enough to be handled.
Why no citric acid?
Citric acid is what gives bath bombs and a lot of shower steamers their “fizzy” effect. Because this recipe skips it, you get no fizz. The body of these shower steamers is made with baking soda instead, which acts as an excellent binder and holds the discs together.
That trade-off is fine if you are using shower steamers mostly for the scent. Skipping citric acid also means the shopping list stays short, and you likely already have the ingredients you need in your kitchen.
What you need
- 1 cup baking soda, which is an excellent binder, plus water
- 15–20 drops of essential oil. Eucalyptus essential oil adds a lovely, relaxing scent.
- Mixing bowl and spoon
- Oven
- Cupcake mold (I love this silicone mold! We got two for Christmas from my parents. Nothing sticks and it’s super easy to clean.)
That is the whole supply list: one cup of baking soda, your essential oil, some water, and basic kitchen equipment.
How to make shower steamers
- Mix the baking soda and essential oil. First I mixed the baking soda and eucalyptus essential oil, adding a few drops at a time and stirring as I went. Don’t go overboard on the essential oils; remember that you can always add more when you make another batch in the future. Use 15–20 drops for a fairly strong scent.
- Add water a little at a time. Once thoroughly mixed, I began adding just about a tablespoon or two of water at a time. The goal here is to get the consistency of wet sand.
- Knead with your fingers. Eventually I ditched the spoon to knead and mix with my fingers. This is the easiest way to work out the last of the stubborn crumbles. Obviously no pics here because my hands were caked with baking soda, but you get the idea!
- Press into the mold. I pressed the mixture into the bottom of the silicone mold using a spoon. Instead of filling the whole mold, I filled only the bottom quarter to half of each mold.
- Bake. I baked for approximately 5 minutes on low heat at 170 degrees. This dries out and solidifies the shower discs. They might rise just a bit as they bake, much like cupcake batter does.
- Cool, then pop them out. Once they’ve cooled, I popped them out of the molds and saved them in air-tight containers.
Drying and storing shower steamers
The bake step is what turns a damp, sandy mixture into a disc you can actually pick up. Let the steamers cool completely in the mold before you handle them, because a warm disc is still soft.
Once they are cool and firm, store them in an airtight container. Moisture is the main thing that will ruin a batch, so keep the container sealed between uses, keep it out of the shower itself, and don’t store the discs anywhere damp or steamy. If a disc does pick up moisture and starts to soften or crumble, it is past its best.
How to use shower steamers
Place one disc on the shower floor, away from the direct stream of water. Splashing water and the steam it creates is enough to release the scent without dissolving the whole disc at once. This also keeps it out of the main flow, so it lasts longer.
Because these discs sit on the floor rather than in the bath, they are not a bath product. Keep them off your skin and out of the tub, and pick up whatever is left at the end of your shower so it doesn’t sit in water.
Shower steamer scent ideas
The three-ingredient base is the same every time; only the essential oil changes. A few fragrances worth trying:
- Eucalyptus — a fresh, clean-smelling option for a morning shower.
- Peppermint — a sharp, cool fragrance that reads as bracing rather than soft.
- Lavender — a softer, floral option, and the scent I use in my lavender bath soak.
These are fragrance choices only. Use the same 15–20 drop range as a starting point, and remember that you can always add more when you make another batch in the future.
Essential oil safety
Essential oils are concentrated, so treat them with a bit of care:
- Start at the low end of the drop count if you are sensitive to strong scents.
- Keep the steamers and your bottles of essential oil out of reach of children and pets.
- These steamers are not for use on skin and not for use in the bath.
- Ventilate the room while you work and while you shower.
- Stop using a steamer if it irritates you.
- Spot test new ingredients before you commit a whole batch, and don’t use any ingredient you are allergic to.
- Follow your essential oil supplier’s guidance for the specific oil you buy.
These are fragrance and craft products, not remedies. If you have any question about using essential oils around your own health or household, ask an appropriate professional first.
Troubleshooting shower steamers
They keep crumbling. The mixture was likely too dry. Add water a little at a time and knead it through with your fingers until it holds together like wet sand. Pressing firmly into the mold helps too.
They are too wet. Too much water makes a sludgy mixture that won’t firm up. Add a little more baking soda to bring it back to a wet-sand texture, and let the baked discs cool completely before handling.
They don’t fizz. That is expected. Citric acid is what creates fizz, and this recipe doesn’t use any. These steamers release scent through steam and splashing water instead.
The scent fades quickly. Airtight storage helps, and you can nudge the drop count up slightly in your next batch if you want a stronger scent.
Frequently asked questions
Can you make shower steamers without citric acid?
Yes. This recipe uses only baking soda, water, and essential oil, with no citric acid at all. The steamers won’t fizz, but they still release scent in the shower.
Why aren’t my shower steamers fizzing?
Because there is no citric acid in them. Fizz comes from the reaction between an acid and baking soda, so a citric-acid-free recipe is not meant to fizz.
How many shower steamers does one cup of baking soda make?
It depends on your mold. I filled each cavity of a silicone cupcake mold only a quarter to half full, which keeps the discs small and easy to place on the shower floor.
How long do homemade shower steamers last?
Keep them in an airtight container, keep them dry, and check them before each use. Moisture is what spoils them, so a sealed container away from the shower is the best way to store a batch.
Can I use a different essential oil?
Yes. The base recipe stays the same and only the oil changes — eucalyptus, peppermint, and lavender are all straightforward swaps. Keep to the same drop range and follow your oil supplier’s guidance.
Can I use these in the bath instead?
No. These are designed to sit on the shower floor away from the direct stream. They are not a bath product and are not for use on skin.
Prefer a soak instead? Try my homemade bath salts or this lavender bath soak.
Recipe at a glance
- Ingredients: 1 cup baking soda, 15–20 drops essential oil (I used eucalyptus), and water added 1–2 tablespoons at a time
- Texture to aim for: wet sand
- Mold: silicone cupcake mold, filled a quarter to half full
- Bake: about 5 minutes on low heat (170 degrees)
- Store: in an airtight container once cool
Love DIY skincare too? Try my lemon and baking soda scrub or my eucalyptus salt scrub with lavender.
For another shower-friendly scent project, see the lavender bath soak, the absolute best homemade bath salts, and my rainbow homemade bath salts.
Last updated: October 2026