Review of Great Home Bath Bombs Gift Set
Cynthia is a social butterfly and gifting enthusiast. She loves testing new gift ideas and sharing her opinions.
Get all the details on the Great Home Bath Bombs gift set. Find out whether or not it really makes a good gift.
Cynthia Hoover 2018
Great Home Bath Bombs had me at ‘100% natural and organic ingredients—larger, better and cheaper bath bombs'. This gift set of 8 4.5 oz bombs was budget-friendly (on sale for under $15!), and I was excited to purchase them and give them a try. Bath bombs either amaze or fizz out with disappointment. There really is not much of a middle ground when it comes to these; they are either great or not so great. All bombs are not equally impressive—some disappoint on fragrance while others wow in scent and fail to fizzle.
Bath bombs have started to become a staple of my ‘me time’ after a friend gifted me some during the holidays last year. I instantly was hooked on such a simple way to pamper myself and enjoy bath time while reaping the benefits to my senses for relaxation and skin moisturizing. The few moments I take for myself during a busy week to unwind and relax are in the bath for 20 uninterrupted minutes. Well, as a mom, they are not always uninterrupted, but I still enjoy bath bombs to pamper myself. Let’s face it: They're fun, too!
The Purpose of Bath Bombs
Despite being a fun little bath additive, they also serve a purpose beyond the fizzy excitement of changing the color of your bath water. Many bath bombs serve to provide not just entertainment but double as skin care and aromatherapy items as well. Great Home Bath Bombs boasted a low-cost Lush alternative—not just an explosively fizzy skin moisturizing experience but also a romatic relaxation as the fizz would fill the air with fragrance.
So, did Great Home Bath Bombs live up to the hype, or did they fizz out?
Unboxing Bath Bombs
My first impressions came while I was unboxing my Great Home Bath Bombs. With high-end bath bombs I have used before, I could smell the fragrant aroma before unboxing. With this set, that was not the case. There weren't any aromatics wafting from the box as I opened it. Once I opened the box, I did see each one was individually heat-sealed in plastic. So, I had hopes that they just had superior plastic on them holding in some amazing aromas.
'Deluxe' Packaging?
One of the things that sold me on purchasing was that these claimed to be 'deluxe gift boxed.' I have to admit, I did not see anything special or deluxe about the packaging. Pretty standard cardboard box with a cardboard insert to separate all the bombs from bouncing. Nothing deluxe, nothing going the extra mile to sell me on this being a 'gift set' rather it is just a box of 8 bath bombs.
The set included 8 large bath bombs—some with dried flowers, some multi-colored to deliver a rainbow effect as they fizzled in the water. I still held out some hope even after the initial disappointments that these would be both moisturizing and aromatic. The ingredients include cocoa butter and Shea butter, so at least where they failed to dazzle in packaging they should delight in moisturizing ability.
Adding the lavender bomb to the bath.
Cynthia Hoover 2018
Lightly Lavender
I went with the lavender for the first bath bomb to try from the Great Home set. It had been a long week and despite being exhausted, I was not sleeping well. I knew from experience that lavender is calming and often used to aid in a restful sleep.
Some Flakiness
There was a good amount flaking when I removed the wrapping off the bomb. This could be from shipping and being tossed around until they reached me, or perhaps something in the recipe for the bombs. Around two tablespoons of powder covered my bathroom floor as I opened the bath bomb to prepare for my bath. Never the less a slightly perturbed me knowing after this relaxing bath I would be sweeping and re-mopping my freshly cleaned bathroom floor, I decided to get on with my bath.
The initial fizz factor of this bath bomb was impressive, so much so that it almost made me forget to acknowledge the fact that there was little to no fragrance at all. I had been watching the wonderful fizz and dance of the bath bomb as it was spinning in front of me when I finally noticed and thought ‘What gives no smell’? As it continued to spin and fizz I noticed what appeared to be dried lavender flowers coming out with the fizz, a surprise and finally they added a very light lavender scent.
Great Home Bath Bombs do have an impressive fizz from start to finish.
Cynthia Hoover 2018
Length of Fizz
After my disappointment over the fragrance or rather lack thereof I decided to watch the clock and see how long these bath bombs fizzed. From start to finish these bath bombs dazzle with an exceptional fizz for around 30 minutes. A few of the multi-color bombs lasted much longer closer to 35-40 minutes, especially those with green in them. Not sure why the green made a difference, but for some reason those fizzed bigger, created more bubbles and lasted longer.
So, they do make up for a lackluster aroma with a nice color show and bubbles, not enough to completely redeem the lack of fragrance I found across all 8 bath bombs in the set but enough to discount the lack of smell to some degree.
The bath bombs were long-lasting.
Read More From Bellatory
Pretty Colored Water and Soft Skin
No matter how old I get there is something so fun about having colored bath water. Seems silly but little trivial things like bath bombs and colored water seem to help aid in relaxation as we take our attention to them versus the stress of the day we had.
No Stains in the Tub
Great Home Bath bombs did really impress me on the color. Mainly because a lot of bath bombs will stain the tub and leave a colored ring when you drain the water. These bath bombs do not. Great Home has the color factor down to fun and no scrubbing needed. I have had plenty of bath bombs stain the tub and take tons of elbow grease to rid the tub of a colored ring. Thoroughly impressed both my husband and I that there was no scum, or lingering color stains to these bombs.
Softening and Moisturizing
My skin felt extremely soft after exiting the bath. There is a definite high quality to the Shea and cocoa butters used in these bath bombs. Despite the lack of aromatic effects, I was very pleased with the softening and moisturizing effects on my skin after I soaked in these bath bombs. Across all colors and the various fragrances of these the skin moisturizing effect was completely on point, and never lackluster.
The water turned a pretty color.
Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Stars
The Citrus fragrances I found in the multi-colored bombs (there were 3 in this set) seemed to have the most potent aromas though they were all still mild scents. The entire gift set did really disappoint in the overall fragrance category.
Overall, I would give these Great Home Bath Bombs 3.5 stars based on a 5-star rating as follows:
- 1 star for the fizz and duration of the fizzing bubbles
- 1 star for the moisturizing effects
- 1 star for the fun colored water
- 1/2 star for packaging and presentation
The packaging was a let down based on the impression giving by Great Home in the product listing that claims these are in a deluxe gift box. Sad let down if you would be sending these as a gift to someone since they arrive in basic packaging with no 'wow' factor. Also the claims of being a low-cost Lush dupe? I think not; these really are not comparable or a lower cost substitute for Lush bombs. They just are not at the same level, in my opinion.
Improvements could be made in the packaging and fragrance categories for this set. Even with dried lavender flowers and rose petals inside the bath bombs, the fragrance leaves much to be desired. A little extra something on the packaging would go a long way considering this set runs over $20 when not on sale.
Not Worth a Second Try for Me, But Good for Fizz and Color
Bottom line—I really would not recommend these if you want a fragrance or any aromatics in your bath bombs. If you're just looking for fizzing and a great color show, then you may find it worth dropping the cash on a set. I likely won't purchase these again myself; there are tons of other bath bombs out there, and for the price I just don't feel these are worth a second try.
This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.
© 2018 Cynthia Hoover
Comments
Cynthia Hoover (author) from Newton, West Virginia on April 04, 2018:
Rachel L Alba thank you for the kind words! You chose a great bath bomb for her, Lush so far remains my favorite brand of bath bombs. I can totally relate with your daughter we have a lot in common! I work from home full time as well as continue the homemaker duties as well as tend to farm chores. At the end of the day I really look forward to relaxing in the tub with a bath bomb.
Rachel L Alba from Every Day Cooking and Baking on April 04, 2018:
Hi Cynthia, It's funny that you should write an article about bath bombs because I just sent one to my granddaughter for Easter from the Lush Co., she loves them. In her twenties and being a home maker and the mother of a toddler, she is busy all day and loves to relax with her bath balms in the evening. The one I sent her was shaped like a bunny. I see them all over and know they have become very popular. Thanks for this enjoyable hub.
Blessings to you.
