While my older children certainly exceed the play on the bathtub scene, my children loved soaking in the bath when they were younger. I love to take Epsom salt baths to relax! These fun and DIY bath paintings are a non -toxic way for children to do a waste while they become clean.
Most children love to paint with brushes and fingers. It’s a great way for them to express their creativity without needing a bath after … do them at the same time.
What are bath paintings?
Bath paintings are simply painted for shower or surround (tile or fiberglass). They are fun to use during the bath, then wash when you are finished. Paintings can easily wash / wipe the bathtub, but be sure to do a patch test and make sure. You don’t necessarily want your little Picasso to leave a permanent work of art in the bathroom!
Although I like the idea that children are creative, I was not so excited to have certain chemicals floating around the bathtub with my children. Popular bath paintings purchased in stores for children have ingredients that claim to be tested and safe. However, the perfume, artificial dyes and twisters of the language such as alkyl acrylate crosspolymers are not chemicals that fascinate me.
How to make homemade bath paintings
Making homemade bath painting for children couldn’t really be easier. You just need a clear and liquid soap for the base, the food coloring and something to thicken the liquid. Our family avoids artificial food dyes, but there are so many natural options on the market now. You can find them online, in your local natural food store, and even large grocery stores stored them now.
For soap, you have several different options. Any light liquid soap, hand soap, shampoo or even natural flat soap should work. Although the castile soap of bronner is generally my go-to for DIY soap projects, it does not work as well in this recipe. The soap in Castile can have more than one yellow shade and I found it just agglomerated in this recipe.
In this recipe, I tested a few different soaps and I settled on natural flat soap for mine. You can experience the natural soaps you have on hand and use what suits you best. Just try to choose something clear.
Important note on pH
One of the main reasons why some soaps work and others do not do it for bath paintings is the level of pH. If you remember the chemistry of the school, the alkaline pH appears as a purple color on a strip of colors. Different soap products have different pH levels for various reasons. However, once they are mixed with natural food coloring (which is also controlled by pH), the result can be that everything becomes purple / blue.
A clear and natural shampoo (which is naturally a pH of about 5) should not have this problem. If you use bodily soap or dish soap (pH of about 7-9), the alkaline solution will make all food colors become purple. The simplest solution is to add a little acid and bring the pH back. I used lemon juice, but the vinegar will work too.
Tips and tips
Some recipes call for cooking ingredients together, but I did not find that it was necessary. Mixing everything together is much faster and simpler. I prefer to keep things simple every time I can!
You will also want to make sure to break the tufts in the cornstarch or the Arrowroot powder before mixing it with the soap. This allows you to make a much more fluid paint. You can either do it in a bowl with a fork or use a sieve / sieve.
Here’s how to do your own DIY bath paintings suitable for children.
DIY Bath Paint
These easy bath paintings make the bath more fun! They are non -toxic and easy to prepare.
Yield: 4 ounces
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Make sure there are no tufts in the cornstarch or the arrow. You can either break them with a fork in a bowl or use a sieve.
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Add the liquid soap and lemon juice and stir until smooth.
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Separate the mixture into individual cups. A silicone tray works well too. You will want to have as many cups as the colors.
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Put a few drops of food coloring in each cup and stir well.
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Use a brush or fingers in the bathtub to paint the surround of the bathtub or the tile.
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Wash the wall with water to clean it when you are done.
If you want to store them to use them later, opt for vinegar instead of fresh lemon juice. Once they have been in the bathtub and exposed to water, they will have to be used immediately.
How to use Bath Paints
Once you have your bath paintings, put each color in its own separate container. Something like this large cavity silicone tray works well too. Children can paint with their fingers or brushes. If you opt for brushes, I found that they are easier to clean with lukewarm water. The really hot water can make the starch of gummish corn and stick more to the hair.
Most importantly, have fun! (and PS perform a correction test to ensure that there will be no spots)
How to make bath time more fun for your children? Let a comment and let us know!
