How I started making handmade, natural bath bombs

It has been a few months now since creating the Bomb Vivant website, so I thought it would be a good time to write a first (of hopefully more to come) blog posts to tell you a bit more about me, how and why I started Bomb Vivant, and some of my personal favourite bath bombs.

I'm Giulia, a (former) professional chef, mum of 2, Managing Consultant and creator of Bomb Vivant!

I've written a little bit about how I started Bomb Vivant on my 'Our Story' page, but I wanted to start my first blog post with an introduction to who I am and the inspiration behind Bomb Vivant and the bath bombs and products I make.

I am originally from Italy, yet moved to the UK at a young age with my family for my dad's job at the time. He worked in the oil industry, and as a result we were fortunate enough to move to and live in quite a few different countries after that, including Malaysia and Indonesia where I went to secondary school. Whilst you may wonder why I am telling you this, a lot of my bath bombs are inspired by my travels and countries I have lived in.

I moved back to Italy for university where I studied Business & Economics, after graduating I moved to London (where I have lived ever since) and began working in Management Consulting. I love my job and really enjoyed studying and working in business, but I always felt like there was a more creative side of me that I didn't really get to explore in my day-to-day job. I have also always had a big passion for cooking (we are a very foodie family) and in 2018 I decided to take a career break to train as a professional chef. I obtained my chef diploma at Leith's School of Food & Wine in London, and worked my way up to Junior Sous Chef at a London restaurant. With the double whammy of Covid and becoming a mum to my older son, Theo, in 2020, I decided to return to the corporate life!

Last year whilst on maternity leave after the birth of my youngest son, Chris, I randomly started making bath bombs one afternoon. My mum had just returned to Italy after having stayed with us for a few months, and on an afternoon in which Chris was taking a blissfully long nap I found myself getting quite lonely and bored. Theo is bath bomb obsessed, so I thought it would be a nice surprise to make him a bath bomb for when he got home. My first attempt was a disaster, but Theo loved it and this encouraged me to try again!

We all have very sensitive skin in the family (I suffered from severe eczema as a child) so I had been struggling to find fun, colourful bath bombs that wouldn't irritate Theo's skin, and that I would like to use too. This motivated me to keep making and perfecting my bath bombs until I had so many that I started gifting them to friends and family, who suggested I start selling them. I began taking part in some local fairs around Christmas-time last year, and launched my online website in December 2024. What I love about Bomb Vivant is that it allows me to tap into my creative side, put my chef skills into practice, and work on the business-side too.

Some of my favourite bath bombs..

It's hard to choose my favourites, as each and every one is carefully thought out and often inspired by my kids or my travels (more travels past than present with two small kids!) - but I wanted to shine a light on some of the ones that mean a lot to me.

• St Lucian Escape - this was inspired by my honeymoon in St Lucia! I really wanted to evoke the beauty of the island, it is made with cocoa butter (I visited the Rabot Estate, a working cacao farm in St Lucia), banana powder (St Lucia has a significant banana industry) and has a fruity, coconutty tropical scent. The ultimate relaxation.
• To the Moon & Back - one of Theo's favourite books to read is 'Guess How Much I Love You', and ever since reading it with him the first time I always say 'I love you to the moon and back' when saying goodnight to him. I had been wanting to make a moon-themed bath bomb inspired by this for a while, and couldn't resist when I found a cat and moon themed bath bomb mould - I love cats, we are a cat obsessed family, and Stilton our fluffy grey cat is the king of the household. This bath bomb means a lot for the inspiration behind it!
• Toffee Apple - I loved the entire process of making this bath bomb, from the initial inspiration to bringing it to life. Last year in autumn leading up to bonfire night, Theo had been watching a Fireman Sam episode where Elvis, one of the firemen, made toffee apples. This led to his request for me to make him toffee apples, which got me thinking that a toffee apple bath bomb could be pretty cool. It's one of my most eye-catching bath bombs and truly evokes the spirit of autumn and bonfire night, with the toffee apple scent, 'toffee' glaze and bright red and orange colours.

And lastly.. happy Easter!

I can't write a blog post in April without mentioning my brand new Easter egg bath bomb - you can buy the Easter Bomb bath bomb on our website now, it makes the perfect alternative Easter egg and Easter gift.
Made with super nourishing marshmallow root oil that hydrates and moisturises skin, leaving it soft and supple, marshmallow and chocolate scented, hand painted, and with a surprise mini bunny soap inside (made with goat's milk).

Come and see us in April!

We have a couple of exciting fairs and events this month in London, come and see us if you can! We will be at:

The Duck Pond Market in Richmond on Saturday 19th April - perfect for any last minute Easter gifts!

The East Sheen Spring Hunt at the Hare & Hounds in East Sheen, on Saturday 26th April - this will be a super fun filled day and I'll be looking to do some demos and children's activities too.

Thanks for reading and if you would like to reach out, you can contact us at hello@bombvivant.com. Happy Easter break!

Giulia x