How to Make DIY Shower Steamers Without Citric Acid!

This post shares my DIY shower steamers without citric acid. My aromatherapy shower tablet recipe will help you turn any shower into a spa.

DIY Shower Steamers Without Citric Acid

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 more relaxing.

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.

Can you make shower steamers without citric acid?

Yes! And these don’t include citric acid. The ingredient list has only three ingredients, and the body of the shower steamers are made with baking soda. Just a heads up that citric acid is what gives bath bombs and a lot of shower steamers that “fizzy” effect, so not using citric acid means no fun fizz.

That’s okay, though—if you’re using them more for the lovely smell, ditching the citric acid is fine. And it means you probably already have the ingredients you need to make these in your kitchen!

Supplies

1 cup baking soda, which is an excellent binder, and water
15-20 drops of essential oil. I used eucalyptus essential oil to add a lovely, relaxing scent.
Mixing bowl, spoon, oven, and cupcake mold (I love this silicone mold! We got two for Christmas from my parents. Nothing sticks and it’s super easy to clean).

And here is my recipe for DIY shower steamers without citric acid!

(Don’t use any ingredients you’re allergic to, and always spot test new ingredients to make sure you don’t have a reaction to them. Do not use any homemade products without consulting with an appropriate medical professional first.)

Step 1: Mixing 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. I used 15-20 drops because I wanted a pretty strong scent.

Step 2: Slowly add water

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. Eventually I ditched the spoon to kneed 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!

Like this DIY lemon scrub? Check out my DIY eucalyptus salt scrub recipe, my baked bath salts recipe, and my DIY honey and beeswax lip balm!

Step 3: Press mixture into molds and briefly bake

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. I baked for approximately 5 minutes on low heat at 170 degrees.

This dries out and solidifies the shower discs. The might rise just a bit as they bake, much like cupcake batter does. Once they’ve cooled, I popped them out of the molds and saved them in air-tight containers.