How to make Liquid Soap (for use as a hand soap or body wash or face wash)

I am amazed at how simply things can be made that I used to think had to be bought. This liquid soap is extremely inexpensive as you'll get several batches from one bar of soap- and can be used for so many things: hand soap, face wash, body wash. The method is very similar to laundry soap which I'll be posting about soon!

Ingredients

1/2 cup grated soap (I've used a Jergen's brand and also a castille brand. Both worked fine.)

5 cups water

1/2 tablespoon glycerin

Step One- Grate your soap. The finer the grate the less time it will take to melt. I prefer to let the microwave do the work so my soap is still pretty coarse.

 Step Two- Combine the soap and water. Heat and stir until the soap is melted. This can be done on the stove or in the microwave. In my microwave it took about 5 minutes. I stirred it every minute. 

 Step Three- When the soap is melted, add the glycerin and wisk (or blend) it in. 

Step Four- Pour into containers and allow it to set 24 hours.


Now go be clean!!

How to make homemade salt scrub- yummy citrus recipe

Save your money today and still have baby soft skin by making this invigorating citrus salt scrub!

Ingredients

1/2 cup sea salt

1/4 cup oil (I like sweet almond oil or Nature's Sunshine's massage oil.)

10 drops lemon essential oil

10 drops lime fragrant oil

5 drops bergamot essential oil

This one is so simple I wasn't even sure picture were needed, but here we go. Combine all the ingredients in a measuring container and stir them together. That's it!  If you're not going to use them immediately, store them in a container in the bathroom. I used an old baby food container for this batch.

Then when you're in the shower, or better yet a nice relaxing bath, gently rub your skin with the salt mixture. Let it set for a bit and rinse it off. Enjoy your soft skin and the invigorating smell of the citrus. Of course you can vary things by using different oils, scents, or even substituting sugar for salt, but I find the salt feels less sticky so I prefer it.

How to make Homemade Hand Creme (Lotion) Tutorial and Recipe

Making your own lotion is EASY and cost effective and I love being able to pronounce all the ingredients. I hope you try it! Here are pictures and instructions and a pretty recipe at the end.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups water

4 tablespoons emulsifying wax (To bind oil and water.)

2 teaspoons glycerin (For moisture.)

1/3 cup oil (The possibilities are many here- I particularly like sweet almond oil for the lack of strong scent.)

2 tablespoons stearic acid (To thicken. Leave it out if you are opposed.)

1 teaspoon citric acid (To preserve. Leave it out if you are opposed. But then take precautions like using a squeeze bottle instead of a pot and using it quickly and maybe even keeping it in the fridge.)

(I get most of my ingredients at Pine Meadows. They have good prices and I can pick them up in Provo to avoid shipping costs.)

First- Measure!  Measure all your ingredients and pour them into a microwaveable container. Easy-peasy right? I like to use a glass 4 cup measuring cup. In the pictures below I was making 2 half-batches of the hand creme. One for hubby using sweet almond oil- on the left- and one for my eczema prone daughter using avocado oil.

Second- Microwave! Put your container in the microwave and set it for about 2 minutes. The goal is to get hot enough to melt the wax (the mixture will look milky when it is melted) but not so hot that it boils out of the container. Been there, done that. Lotion all over the microwave is not the goal.  :) The kind of oil you use will change how fast it gets warm enough. In this case the almond oil was 2 minutes 15 second, the avocado oil was 3 minutes. Just watch it! Here's what it looks like all melty.

  Third- Blend! Blend it up until it is smooth - 15-30 seconds. I like to use an immersion blender because clean up is easier, but a regular blender works too. Here's a place where you can go for speed and be done, or you can let it cool for a few minutes and reblend. I think it helps the texture. You can also add essential or fragrant oils in this step and just blend them in as well. I didn't use any in these batches, but I do use them when making lotion for yours truly.

 Lovely.

 Fourth- Pour! Pour your lotion into a container. I like to re-use containers because I'm frugal and, hey, it feels green. This is an old artichoke bottle. If you're pouring it into a squeeze type bottle you're obviously going to want a funnel. Or maybe you pour better than me- or maybe your counter needs a good lotion.  ;) The concoction is still extremely liquidy at this point. Give it a few hours to set up. Put it in the fridge if you want to hurry it along. Please feel free to leave me any questions or clarifications!

How to make laundry soap tutorial

Ingredients
1 FelsNaptha soap bar, grated
1/2 cup Borax (this is found with the laundry detergents in the store)
1 cup washing soda (NOT baking soda- this is found with the laundry detergents in the store)
Water
5 gallon bucket (Think Home Depot or food storage)

Melt soap in water either on the stove or in the microwave. (The amount of water will be dependant on the kind of container you are using. I put the soap in a pot and then fill it with hot water and melt it over medium heat on the stove.) Meanwhile, dissolve borax and soda by stirring it into hot water in your 5 gallon bucket. (I probably use 2 gallons to dissolve in.) Add melted soap mixture to bucket and stir well. Finish filling the 5 gallon bucket with water. Let it sit over night and stir again. Use 1/4-1/2 cup detergent in each batch of laundry.