Okay, so I'm sort of on this "new kick". Pinterest is littered with pins about how to make your own soaps. So, I thought I'd see if the fuss was worth it. My first recipe was about as simple as it gets. I made my own body wash. We go through body wash in this house like nobody's business, so I figured if it works, I could potentially save a boat load of money.
Here's what I did. First I saved the empty dispenser when we ran out of body wash.
Next I followed the "recipe" from Jillee's site: onegoodthingbyjillee.com
3 Dove white bars ( I bought the 3 pack. Each bar was 3.17 oz)
--Dove is the recommended soap, others have tried different brands with varying success and failure. I can't testify to anything else. I just know Dove works really well.
6 Cups water
Shred the three dove bars into a large pot and add the water. Stir over low heat until the soap melts... COMLETELY. This takes a while, but your house will smell wonderfully soapy. :)
Pour the hot mixture into heat proof containers to set overnight. I made the mistake of pouring it into the dispenser straight from the stove and the cheap plastic started to deform. Ooopsie! A better option was the two mason jars I had close by. Plus, they look cool in my bathroom pantry.
It's amazing how this thickens overnight. It lathers up really nicely, which was my biggest fear. Even the boys love it. :)
So two thumbs up for the homemade bodywash.
Final cost: 2Qts for $3.27*
(If you can get your Dove soap cheaper and with a coupon... your savings would be even greater!)
Next? Homemade Laundry Soap
UPDATE: Just read on Jillee's blog that you can avoid the grater by microwaving the soap in a microwaveable container for about 90 seconds. However, you'll need to heat up the 6 cups of water in your pot before adding the soap. Adding the melted soap to cold water will cause the soap to harden up again.
Next? Homemade Laundry Soap
UPDATE: Just read on Jillee's blog that you can avoid the grater by microwaving the soap in a microwaveable container for about 90 seconds. However, you'll need to heat up the 6 cups of water in your pot before adding the soap. Adding the melted soap to cold water will cause the soap to harden up again.
Laundry soap is easy.. From personal experience I like the most concentrated liquid that you can make. Otherwise you have gallons of soap everywhere.. The powder didn't clean as well for us.
ReplyDeleteGood to know about the powder, Cheryl. I haven't been a fan of powder laundry detergent anyway. I realize the upside to doing powder is that you can make much more of it and have it take up less space, but since there are only four of us in our family, it will take us a while to go through the two gallons I made. Just made it this week and I'll be "testing" it out before I post my opinion. How do you like yours?
ReplyDelete