Self-Sufficient Homemade Recipes

[MoonbeamQueen]

Our Target's Zote is $0.97/bar. But, yeah, if your dollar store is closer to you you can save on gas!

An FYI...I don't know if bar soap intended for personal hygiene is what you want. The Zote and FelsNaptha are bar laundry soaps.

 

[MrsCountryChick]

I've read posters have used regular bars of Ivory bar soap or other regular bars of soap & used them the same as they would the Zote or FelsNaptha. Just used more of the the Ivory than you would the Zote or FelsNaptha. I'm curious enough to try a 1/2 mix with it next time & see if it does okay. That way I'll know if it'll work in a pinch.

 

[Shelanie]

I have been making my own laundry soap for a year or two and I love it. I like to add orange essential oil to mine, I like scented soap though. I think someone else mentioned it but the only place I could find the washing soda was Albertsons (So CAL).

 

[Frogdogtimestwo]

Quote:
Wow, that is great is was 1.69 at our Target, so I guess it depends on where you live. Also I found that I like the Fels better than the Zote, but most seem to find one or the other at their local stores.
I pay 2.09 for the A & H Washing soda and 2.49 for the Borax where I live. What are you finding it for?

 

[Frogdogtimestwo]

Ran out of soap for the kids bathroom and came across this recipe, thought I would share!
This is a refill recipe for the FOAM soaps my kids like to use. I just recycled the dispenser

Worked like a charm.

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* 3 tablespoons liquid hand soap or Joy dishwashing soap
* 2/3 cup warm water

Directions
Gently mix soap with water.
Do not shake
Pour into foam soap dispenser
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[Rosalind]

Just made shampoo:

5 oz. grated plain castile soap (I used homemade with the glycerin still in)
28 oz. water
5 grams agar (vegetarian gelatin replacement, sometimes available in Asian grocery--made out of seaweed)
2 oz. aloe leaf puree
Fragrance oils
1 tsp. benzoin gum (available online, can also use grapefruit seed extract or rosemary oils)

To make the aloe puree: Get one large aloe leaf (really big one, the small ones aren't easy to peel) and peel off the skin using a sharp knife. Cut the interior jelly pulp into large chunks and puree in a blender. Strain through a sieve and set aside. You may have to set the bowl & strainer aside while you work on everything else. You want the slimy liquid, not the pulpy bits; you may have to press down on the sieve with a wooden spoon.

Melt the castile soap in the 28 oz. water less 1 c. over medium heat, stirring, until the soap is thoroughly dissolved. In the 1 c. water, mix your agar--either powder or, if you have the flaky stuff, break the flakes up small and mix them in. Microwave 2 min. or until the agar is thoroughly melted. Keep an eye on it, as it has a tendency to boil over quickly. Mix the melted agar into the soap solution until thoroughly dissolved. Mix in the benzoin gum if you're using that.

Take the soap off the stove and let it cool to almost lukewarm. It should still be fairly liquidy. Mix in the aloe puree liquid and if you're using grapefruit seed extract or rosemary oil, add those (1/2 tsp. or so oughtta do it). Add fragrance as you like. Always mix slowly to avoid foaming.

If you wanted to use herbal tea (rosemary, chamomile, lavender, nettles, henna, etc.) instead of water, you could probably do that too. As the shampoo cools, it will thicken and become more gel-like. Makes ~3 pints.

My hair is really dry and I don't wash it often, but if my hair was oily I'd use 2 oz. water extra instead of aloe.

 

[SterlingAcres]

I'm going to put the list of ingredients on my list for Wednesday. I'd love to make some homemade laundry detergent. I'm being as frugal as I can.

I use Dawn for washing dishes because it has a crazy grease cutting ability. Does anyone have a homemade dish soap recipe that works as well?

Just curious.

 

[ozark hen]

I was steam cleaning my carpets this morning and ran out of the detergent for the carpet cleaner..Rug Doctor. My dh asked if my homemade laundry detergent would work? I tried it but it suds up too much for the machine. So I just got a bucket of hot water and added some Borax and Arm & Hammer and threw in a bit of bleach, no I did not measure. It worked great!!! Just a clean smell, low sudsing. Now I am going to stock up on Arm and Hammer Washing Soda and Borax, the new "miracle" cleaner and it is sooooooo cheap!!!

 

[ozark hen]

I see where Tea Tree Oil will work for:
Cracked Feet...tea tree oil. This is another product that you want to buy top quality. You are really wasting your money otherwise. Tea tree oil has 101 uses...make sure you have it in your medicine
My question is...will it work on dry cracked hands?

 

[ams3651]

Quote:
mix it with a little vaseline or plain lotion. Melaleuca sells it in a small disk like a thick jell, its great. Tee Tree oil is great for infections, was great on my sons painful ingrown toenail. Its antiseptic for cuts and burns. If you warm it a few drops with equal amounts of olive oil and place a few drops in an infected ear will ease the pain till you can get to a dr.