DIY Liquid Soap from a Bar of Soap!

Ever wonder why bar soap is so cheap and liquid soap is so expensive? It's because you are paying for a whole lot of water, packaging and chemicals that they add to make the soap go further! Read the label on your liquid soap, more than likely the first ingredient is water, and more than likely there are harsh chemicals that you can't even pronounce.

So, here is how you can make your own liquid soap, from a bar, without all of the chemicals and while saving money!

Materials:

1 bar of soap
1 cup of water for every ounce of soap
essential oils or natural fragrance oils (optional)
Vegetable Glycerin (optional, can be used for extra moisturizing and for consistency)
1 pot
container to put soap in - reused soap container or anything with a pump, you can use whatever you want!

Steps:

Grate the bar of soap and set aside
Heat the water on the stove, so it is hot but not boiling
Add grated soap and stir occasionally until dissolved (about 10 minutes)

Once soap is dissolved, turn off stove, set aside and let cool. Once it is cool, but not set (after about 30 minutes) you can transfer it to your container. Then it will need to set about 10-12 hours. After 3-4 hours the soap will be at consistency.

If your soap turns out too watery, you can put it back in the pot and add more grated soap. If too thick, you can mix it with a hand blender and add a little water. Each bar of soap is different, so each batch is going to be slightly different. Generally, if the bar of soap that you use has more moisturizing agents, the end consistency will be thicker and the opposite if your bar soap lacks moisturizing agents.

I used Tom's of Maine Olive Oil bar soap (which smells wonderful and is super moisturizing!!), each bar is 4oz and I used 6 cups of water rather than 8 because I like my soap a little thicker.

Remember, if you can find natural bar soap, please use it! It is well worth the small investment! Kirk's Castille Soap, Meyers, Tom's of Maine, or any handmade natural bar of soap would be a wonderful choice! These are easy to find at Rite Aid, Walgreens or CVS.

For 2 bars of soap it cost $5.49 - One bar of soap made 6 cups of liquid soap (48oz) and filled 4 reusable soap containers that I had! That is only 69 cents a container!

**Recipe was used from http://www.thefarmersnest.com/2011/11/liquid-hand-soap-diy.html ** find instructions with pictures there!

Homemade Laundry Detergent on the cheap! HE approved!

So, I decided to start making my own household products to save money and be earth friendly. My first cleaning product kitchen cleaner, which was cheap, super easy, and works fantastically! Fill a spray bottle with organic distilled white vinegar, add 10 drops of essential oils, shake and you are done! I added 5 drops of cinnamon leaf and 5 drops of orange essential oils, it smells so good!

My next venture was laundry detergent. I was skeptical, so for all you skeptics out there, do yourselves a favor and just try it! You will not be disappointed!

Ingredients:

~ 1 bar of soap (Fels-Naptha, Pure & Natural, Zote, Ivory, or organic soap works best. I used an organic oatmeal & almond oil soap - it worked just fine)
~ 1/2 cup Borax
~ 1 Cup Washing Soda (Sodium Carbonate) Arm & Hammer makes this and I found it at Wal-Mart right next to the Borax in the laundry detergent aisle. Baking soda will NOT clean near as well, don't try it!
~ 5 gallon bucket w/lid
~ recycled gallon jug, juice container, or laundry soap container

Heat 4 cups of water in a pot on the stove
Grate or cut up bar of soap and add to pot of water
Heat over LOW heat for approx. 30 minutes or until soap is completely dissolved - do NOT boil
Once soap is dissolved, fill the 5 gal. bucket half way with HOT tap water
Add melted soap + 1Cup Washing Soda + 1/2 Cup Borax to the 5 gal bucket and stir.
Fill the bucket the rest of the way with HOT tap water, put the lid on and let it sit overnight.

That is it! Then fill recycled containers with the soap as you need it. You only need 1/4 cup for HE machines or 1/3 cup for regular machines or if you have an exceptionally dirty load. You may also add OxyClean to the load for extra cleaning power and 5 drops of essential oils per load for scent.

The detergent will look strange, it is supposed to. It can be anywhere from "normal" looking detergent to what looks like globs of whiteish slime in water. Once you transfer it to a smaller container and shake it up, it looks normal and it all washes the same. You WILL want to make sure that the globs are broken up before you add it to your washer, some washers will not dissolve the golbs all the way and you will be left with a soapy residue. This is why it is important to transfer the detergent to a smaller container that you can shake before you use. I reuse Simply Orange juice containers - they work perfect!

Trash to Treasure!

When our roommates moved out they left an old wooden dresser in our garage. I secretly hoped this would happen because I knew it had potential! So, it became my first furniture-refinishing project, and I had a blast! The bottom coat is Valspar Poetic Purple (any dark purple would work) and the top coat is just a random teal color we found. The teal is brushed on lightly so that the purple shows through slightly. From a distance, it looks antiqued, as if the wood is showing through. I love it! Next project is making my own glass knobs for it!

Here is a before picture:

And here is the finished product: