Most people are familiar with bath bombs, the round, sometimes wildly colored confections made to be dropped into the bath and fizz into a divine soaking experience. What many people don't know is that there is an alternative for the shower taker called a shower steamer. (They're also sometimes called shower bombs and shower fizzies.) A shower steamer is placed on the floor of the shower and evaporates in the steam (it shouldn't be placed directly under the water) releasing a burst of fragrance and aromatherapy.

The key difference between bath bombs and shower steamers is the way the oils are used. Bath bombs often use essential oils blended with a carrier oil and moisturizers to make the water hydrating and soothing to the skin. Since the steamers don't come in contact with the skin when you use them, they use essential oils for fragrance only, and generally avoid heavy use of oils so as not to make the shower floor slippery.

The other difference is the shape. Steamers tend to be flat; either a flat disc or a small cube, so they will stay in place in the shower. Bath bombs tend to be round which causes them to rotate as they dissolve and mix their ingredients into the bath water more efficiently. It's recommended to use a slotted tray with your steamers so that they don't get covered with water and dissolve too quickly.