How to Make Soap

Making soap is an awesome past-time. I can't quite explain the sense of accomplishment you get when you make a batch of soap, wait 3-4 weeks for it to cure, and then actually use it. Homemade soap makes your skin feel amazing and clears up a lot of skin problems you thought you had. (I even use mine as conditioning shampoo!) Not only that, but few DIY projects give you the sensation that you are at once doing something mystical and ancient. . .and. . .that you belong on Breaking Bad.

Stuff you will need: Goggles, plastic gloves, face mask, drop cloth, glass bowls, wooden spoons. . .base oils, lye, water, essential oils. . .Wait. Hold on. You know what?--

--Okay, so this post is kinda misleading. I'm not actually going to tell you how to make soap. Why? Because there is this genius woman on Youtube who makes awesome soap making videos far better than I ever could. They are only around 10 minutes each and very informative and entertaining. You can see what I'm talking about  here. (Disclaimer: They are highly addictive.) I suggest starting with this video because it's a very easy and accessible recipe to start with.

I took the picture below to show that base oils are really easy to find at the grocery store these days. The two on the left are from Walmart and the organic coconut oil is from Aldi! (Yes, even Aldi has special oils nowadays.) So you don't have to special order your oils anymore. . .unless you want to. 

The thing you will probably have to special order is your lye (sodium hydroxide), unless you live in a big city and can get stuff like that at some specialty store. I get mine off eBay. I think it was $10 for 2.5lbs, and I still have at least a pound left. It lasts a long time. I've made a lot of soap already.

To know how much lye (and other ingredients, for that matter) to add to a given recipe go here.

Here are some soaps I made (below). These ones have charcoal powder, bentonite clay, ground up lavender, cocoa butter, shea butter, coconut oil, and grapeseed oil, plus essential oils (for fragrance). You can experiment with oils and additives. . .But honestly, watch some of that lady's videos. She not only goes through dozens of methods, she also does some experiments with ingredients that DON'T work, so you don't have to. She's awesome. I'm telling you. She even makes lotions and liquid soaps! Just watch those videos. I'm telling you.

P.S. The cream colored soap on top there is one my sister, Rebekah, made. I've been making soap longer than she has, but she's the one who turned me on to Soaping101 (the Youtube lady), and since then, my soapmaking experiences have been a lot more fun (and way less scary). Lye is scary if you don't know what you are doing!!!

Here are some more. This one I was doing a marbling technique.

This soap I did a marbling technique with a pencil line. (I used loose powder eyeshadow for my colorant, because it's mostly mica.)

And last but not least, Millenium Falcon soap! (I went to nerd store and bought a silicone mold.)

The End!

Go thou and do likewise!

Make 32oz of Your Own Liquid Castile Soap for $1.00...Apologies to Dr. Bronner

Here's another thing I did over the holidays. I read about how to do this on another blog, so I'm kind of a poser on this one, but in case you haven't read this blog, I'll tell you how I did it myself. I did it more quickly and my result is more concentrated (i.e. the same consistency as Dr. Bronner's) than hers.

The key ingredient is Kirk's Original Coco Castile Soap (or any castile soap for that matter, Kirk's is just the cheapest I've seen). I found this at the Walmart in Central, SC in a three-pack for $3.00. (For people in Seneca, it's not at our Walmart, I checked.) You could also check Big Lots periodically, as they get organic/natural stuff from time to time.

Sorry, Blogger put my picture in sideways:

As you can see, there are no harmful sulfates or weird-to-pronounce ingredients:

I know it's not as exotically ingredient-ed as Dr. Bronner's. In other words, if jojoba oil was the selling point to you of Dr. Bronner's then...buy Dr. Bronner's. Otherwise, if you are all about the saving of money, continue reading...

With a Dollar Tree grater, I grated the entire bar of soap and shoved it into an old 32oz. empty bottle of Dr. Bronner's.

Then I boiled 32oz. of water and poured the boiling water into the bottle. In a few minutes it was all dissolved. (Learn from my mistake: Maybe don't shove the soap shavings into the bottle. Maybe just dissolve the 32oz. of water in a separate non-melty container and let it cool before pouring into the bottle...Because look what I did to my bottle!)

Oh well, even though the bottle is warped, the formula works just like Dr. Bronner's! You can use it in place of Dr. Bronner's in any of the homemade soaps and shampoos on my or other people's blogs.

The End

Make Your Own Best Face Wash Ever!

Ingredients:

1. Witch Hazel

2. Dr. Bronner's (peppermint)

3. Activated Charcoal powder (optional)

Witch Hazel is a super great toner. Way easier on your skin than the stearyl alcohol in most face wash. Dr. Bronner's is super effective, gentle, sudsy, and organic. Plus, the peppermint one helps open your pores. Charcoal is a very effective purifier, but if that confuses you, skip it.

I put a little Bronner's and a tiny scoop of charcoal in a bottle and filled the rest with witch hazel. You can play around with ingredients and amounts. I like being able to tailor ingredients to my personal needs.

For dry skin: Skip the charcoal and add a little olive oil or castor oil.

For oily skin: Add a tiny bit of lavender infused vodka or more charcoal.

I saw huge improvements to my problem skin after one day of using it, but I've now used it for two weeks with no change in effectiveness. Usually my skin builds up a tolerance after a couple of days. It helps to wash with warm water followed with a cold water rinse to open and close pores.

Learn from my mistake: 

If you would like to put this concoction in a foaming bottle, skip the charcoal. It clogs it. (Front of picture = good. Back of picture = bad.)

The End!

Make Your Own Foaming Conditioning Shampoo

So you may or may not remember my post about how to make your own conditioning shampoo. Well, I've been using my recipe of a few squirts of castor oil (if your hair is oily, skip it), a few squirts of Dr Bronner's Peppermint Liquid Castile Soap, and about a cup of water for the past half a year or so with great results. My hair is clean, but not only that, it has still retained the color from my last henna dye job (3weeks ago), and the ends still have a nice sharp edge from my last haircut (3 months ago!). The only problem I had was that the formula was runny and wouldn't foam until I rubbed my hands together. This isn't really a problem . It's more of an inconvenience. Still, I've solved it. And I only spent a dollar!

I already had the castor oil and the Castile soap. 

All I had to buy was a bottle of hand soap from the dollar tree. It has a self-foaming pump.

Problem solved!

The End!

Make Your Own Foaming Anti-bacterial Handsoap

I know it's midnight, but I just finally ran out of handsoap and have been wanting to make this. So excited that I'm posting it from my iTouch.

You will need a foaming handsoap dispenser, Dr Bronner's, and water. I also added lavender infused vodka to make it especially anti-bac. (If vodka worries you, skip it.)

Directions:

1. Buy a bottle of foaming handsoap from the Dollar Tree.

2. Use it up (frugal option) or dump it out (chemical-free option). 

3. Fill the bottle about 1/4-1/3 of the way with Dr Bronner's. You probably don't even need that much because it foams like crazy. (Add a little vodka if you want to kill more germs.)

4. Fill the rest of the bottle with water.

It takes about 30 seconds, saves $, and is healthier. It makes your hands feel really soft--kinda like if you've ever used soft water. Also, it makes excellent face cleanser and body wash!

Make Your Own Conditioning Shampoo

I recently ran out of shampoo, so I thought, instead of buying more, why don't I make some?

All I had to buy was a big 32oz. bottle of Dr. Bronner's Castile Soap, because I had the other ingredients on hand. It is tea tree scented (which my husband says smells like kerosene, but I think it smells earthy. Choose your poison. Dr. Bronner's has scents available in lavender, tea tree, peppermint, and. . .I forget the other one). It was about $12 at a regular grocery store (16 oz. bottles are around $6 or $7), but it will last me at least two years if not longer. Also, I will be able to use it for many other purposes besides just shampoo. Stay tuned!. . .Or just google other uses for Dr. Bronner's.

Recipes online exist for making your own liquid Castile soap from Kirk's Castile soap bars if you want an even cheaper option than Dr. Bronner's. (Unfortunately, I read those blogs after buying this bottle.)

Ingredients:

1. 1c boiling water with one green tea bag added to it.
2. 2T coconut oil (olive, jojoba, argan, or your favorite hair-loving oil)
3. a few ice cubes (or make the water amount 1 1/2c to start)
4. a few drops of essential oil (for scent)
5. 1/3c Dr. Bronner's
6. 1/3c aloe vera gel
7. An empty shampoo bottle (preferably with a pump)

Directions:

1. Bring your water to a boil. Add the green tea bag and let it steep about five minutes, and then squeeze the tea bag to get the most out of it.

2. Immediately, add the coconut oil and stir it till it melts.

3. I added several ice cubes to the mixture to cool it down, because I wanted to make sure that the coconut oil wouldn't harden into clumps at the surface of the liquid, and it never did. If you don't want to add ice cubes, you can just add a little more water.

4. Add the aloe.

5. Add a few drops of essential oil. I used lavender, just because it pairs nicely with tea tree.

6. I added 1/3c of Dr. Bronner's and the mixture fit perfectly into an old shampoo pump bottle.

Simplified directions: Make a cup of hot tea. Add the oil to the hot liquid and stir. Add water or ice cubes. Add a few drops of essential oil. Add the aloe gel. Add the castile soap. Stir and then pour the mixture into a bottle.

Tips:

1. If you add a bit more oil, you won't even need a conditioner afterwards. (Unless you have really dry hair like me, in which case, you can put a bit of coconut oil directly onto your towel-dried hair after your shower.)

2. To use the shampoo, tip the bottle upside down and back upright (don't shake, because it wastes the lather). Put just enough in your hand that it makes a puddle. Rub your hands together until it lathers. Then, rub your lathered hands into your scalp and then work through the length of your hair. Repeat if necessary. (Don't put it straight onto your head, because it won't lather well that way.) Wash it out.

3. NOTE: Your hair is going to be clean; however, it will not feel the same as when you shampoo with commercial cleansers. In fact, you may think your hair is not clean, because it will feel oily to you. It's not. This feeling comes from the fact that cheap chemicals in store-bought shampoos strip your hair, and you have become accustomed to the stripped feeling. You know how when you wash your hands in soft water, they feel like the soap isn't washing off, but actually you are just used to hard water? Same thing. Give your hair a little while to grow accustomed to this change; your oil glands have been working over time for decades to compensate for the drying chemicals in your commercial shampoo.

4. If your hair is extremely oily and/or very fine, I would back off the coconut oil. Play with different hair-loving ingredients to find your perfect formula. Just make sure to use diluted castile soap in there somewhere so you get a lather. Maybe use baking soda instead of aloe if your hair is really oily. . .Things like that.

5. If you want to lighten your hair, add lemon juice. If you want to redden your hair, use red tea instead of green. If you want to darken your hair, add coffee or black tea.

6. This soap will keep for up to 3 months if you put it into a dark bottle and keep it in a dark place away from excessive heat. It might keep longer if you add a preservative, but the point is to have it preservative free, in my book. If you don't use large amounts of shampoo, consider cutting the recipe in half. If it smells spoiled, throw it away.

7. This shampoo costs around $1.00 a bottle to make, and is far nicer than normal "natural" shampoos in the store that cost upwards of $15. If you make your own liquid castile soap, this shampoo will costs even less than $1.00! Plus, companies still put chemicals in "natural" shampoo to extend the shelf life.

8. This formula can also double as a body wash, shaving cream, and is mild enough for a face wash. If you are acne prone, however, stay tuned as I will be posting a recipe for acne-prone skin face wash soon!

Make Bug-Repelling Laundry Detergent!

Let's make our own laundry detergent and stick it to the man!

**UPDATE**(for an even faster and easier recipe, scroll to the bottom!)

Things that you already have:

1. Baking Soda

2. Bar Soap

3. 1/2 cup measure

4. Plastic Bottles/Containers (enough to hold 6 quarts).

5. Cheese grate

Things you might not have (but should):

1. Stainless steel stock pot (at least 12 quarts) with a lid.

2. Essential (or Skin So Soft) oil of your choice.

3. Box of Borax 

Directions:

Step 1: Grate 1/2 cup of bar soap.

Step 2: Pour 1 quart of hot tap water into your pot and heat on stove.

Step 3: Pour in the bar soap shavings and stir till they dissolve.

Step 4: Remove pot from heat.

Step 5: Pour 5 more quarts of hot tap water into the pot.

Step 6: Pour in 1/2 cup of Baking Soda and 1/2 cup of Borax.

Step 7: Drop in several drops of oil and stir.

(I used 2 capfuls of Skin So Soft to keep bugs from biting me!!!)

Step 8: Let it stand overnight.

The End.

It took about 10 minutes total (not counting the night part).

Costs of Things and Where To Buy Them:

1. Baking Soda - $0.50 - Aldi or Dollar General

2. Bar Soap - . . .I HOPE you already have this. . .

3. 1/2 cup measure - Free - Stolen from your mom's house.

4. Plastic containers - Free - If you use old detergent bottles.

(Mine, in the picture below, are from Dollar Tree.)

5. 12-quart Stock Pot - $9.00 - Walmart.com 

(Probably cheaper at Big Lots)

6. (Optional) Essential Oil - Varies in price 

(You don't need anything over $10.00. . .

no matter what the person at Whole Foods told you.)

7. (Optional) Skin So Soft - $16 (I got mine on sale for $10)

- Your neighborhood Avon Lady

8. Borax - $4.00 - Dollar General

Total Price: $13.50 - $41.50 for literally tens of gallons of detergent!

Me, I already had everything but the Borax, so I'm out $4.00!

Feel free to play around with the measurements. My concoction is a bit potent compared to others' online, but that's 'cause I wanted to use the cap from an old bottle of detergent to measure.
**NOTE: The liquid turns almost Jello-like after a few hours, but a simple shake before pouring alleviates this problem.**


**UPDATE** The above recipe is super easy and only takes about 10 to 15 minutes to make, but letting it stand overnight is kind of a pain. Since posting this blog, I've figured out an even simpler, faster, more immediate recipe! Double this recipe to make 6 quarts of detergent in under 5 minutes!

To make 3 quarts of detergent:
1. Pour 1/4c of borax, 1/4c of baking soda, and 1/4c of table salt into a 3 quart container.
2. Pour hot tap water over the mixture leaving a little space at the top.
3. Stir until the powders dissolve.
4. Stir in 1/4c of Dr. Bronner's castile soap ($12 for 32oz. at Food Lion) and scented oil.
(Don't shake!)

Whenever you are ready to use it, simply tip it upside down and back upright to get all the sediment to disperse and then pour the same amount into your washer as before. Don't shake it, because that wastes the lather. This mixture is far more liquid than the other mixture.

**Another note: Neither of these recipes give a very lasting fragrance to laundry, so don't waste too much scented oil. Also, you will get better results if you pour your laundry soap into the washer, turn the washer on, wait for the water to rise a bit, and then add your clothes.