Dallas art teacher moonlights making bath bombs, sees explosion in demand

Alexis Clare spends half her day in a room full of 5-year-olds who wield paintbrushes and talk about everything on their young minds while they make art. Clare, 28, teaches art at J’s Art Studio in Dallas.
The other half of her day is spent making bombs.

Simmer down. The bombs that Clare makes are designed for a benign bathtub drop. She makes luxurious bath bombs under the label Whipped Up Wonderful.

Some tub lovers know exactly what I’m talking about, but for those who have never bombed their bath, Clare explains:

“It’s a mixture of bath salts and fragrances with a little bit of coloring. It’s going to fizz and release the fragrances into the air. And they are also infused with moisturizing oils that make your skin feel wonderful.”

The bathroom can carry that fragrance for hours, I might add.

Clare’s bombs come in fabulous fragrances like brown sugar and fig and a scent she named Mystical.
“It’s a juicy fragrance with so many fun notes,” she says.

She also makes Hot Pink Pomegranate, Neroli Chamomile and one called Perfect Paradise — “a coconut scent, with vanilla ice cream and warm, buttery tones.”

That one sounds like pie in the tub, but I’ll take it.

To imagine Clare at work, picture that scene of Lucille Ball working in the chocolate factory. Now imagine Clare, who also has a very retro 1950s style, processing an assembly line of bath bombs. Only Clare executes her line’s assembly with absolute perfection.

Clare, a fan of ’50s and ’60s beach movies, embraces “the whole vintage style, you know, with the red lipstick, the fabulous apron and pearl necklace — while still being a good businesswoman with a modern and progressive twist.”

While working toward a fine arts degree at the University of North Texas, Clare applied for a job at J’s.
“I got my portfolio together and met with the owners at J’s. The energy went really well. Sometimes you just walk into a place and you feel a good energy,” she says.

She teaches all ages, but her strength is in working with “the little kids.”
When she was growing up in Farmers Branch, her parents encouraged her love of art.

“When we were little, from the time my brother and I could walk, my parents were taking us to the museums,” she says.

Her mother was a waitress and her father worked for Southwestern Bell (later AT&T). Clare remembers her family going through hard economic times.

“My brother and I were definitely latchkey kids, but our parents put us through school working all of those crazy hours,” she says.

“My parents always did a good job in telling us if we worried about anything, ‘That’s not a kid problem,’” she says.

They let the kids paint a certain wall in the house however they wanted. It was an ever-changing mural.
Clare remembers diving into art as far back as eighth grade. “I fell into watercolor, and I just love it,” she says, “I also knew that I wanted to teach in some capacity.”

After college, she became aware of the unnecessary ingredients in many cosmetics, shampoos and soaps these days. She started reading up on how to make her own products using “really pure and simple ingredients.”
She found that she loved making the bath bombs and could really express her creativity in a specialty line.
“I like making them look beautiful. I like adding sprinkles and powders, cosmetic glitter,” she says.
She started selling her goods online and quickly began shipping all over the country.

She keeps small quantities of ingredients on hand so that all of her products are fresh, and she caters to customers with skin allergies. She makes a special bomb for her boss at J’s, who is allergic to certain ingredients.

This past week, she made about 400 bath bombs for a wholesale order that will ship to Maryland.
“It gets pretty crazy,” she says. “I’ve converted the dining nook into a work space. Whipped Up Wonderful has half of my apartment, and I live in the other half.”

People order the bombs to find a way to relax and also for wedding and party favors.
She also makes Tub Truffles, using fine-quality cocoa butter.

“Once it hits the water, it will break apart and melt the cocoa butter in the water,” she says. “There’s a fragrance and a little tint to the bath water. The Tub Truffles are perfect for a winter bath because they are so moisturizing.”

Clare gets a lot of rewards from teaching children about art. She also enjoys knowing that her bombs help others to chill out a little more often.

“To me, stress is the root of all of our illnesses, and so many people are working so hard. I just want people to remember: Hey, take it easy! You’re all there is. Take care of yourself. Take a bath, calm down and just forget about things for a while.”