My Family

My Family

Monday, April 29, 2013

4th Time Is A Real Charm, My Dish Soap Revision

Hi everyone!  So I think I got it this time with my dish soap homemade.  It suds and it smell really good.  I love it, my dishes love it too.  Here is the recipe:

Homemade Dish Soap:
1/4 bar of Fels Nephta
3 C boiling water
2 T washing soda, I used Arm & Hammer
1 T Borax
10-15 drops EO, your choice, I used combination of orange, lime and grapefruit
1/2 cold water

Microwave 1/4 bar Fels Nephta in a safe bowl for 30 sec. increments of 1 1/2 min.  In a small pot, boil 3 cups of water, add the softened soap and stir till soap has dissolved.  Next, add 2 tablespoon of washing soda, 1 tablespoon of borax, stir until well combined and has dissolved into the hot water.  Add 1/2 cup of cold water to the mixture than add your favorite essential oils.  Mix well and transfer to your dish soap.  I used a jar with a lid, easier for me to just scoop a tsp into my dish soap than I add hot water to make a sud.  I tried using a recycled pump dish soap but it doesn't pump my soap due to the thick jelly texture that's why I like the jar better.  I hope you will try this version.  

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

What To Do With Your Conditioner You Don't Care For Anymore

Hi everyone!!! Hope you all are doing well and dandy. Ever wonder what to do with all them conditioner for your hair that you have laying around your bathroom and you just don't have the heart to toss it away?  Well here is one thing you can do with them.... share it with your laundry.  Laundry!? you say.  He! he! he! yup share it with your lovely laundry.  Here is a great fabric softener recipe I've been using since last year.  I learned and applied it to my laundry since and love to share it with you.  I found this recipe on line so I am NOT taking credit for the recipe.  I feel bad that I didn't write the website to give credit to:(  Here it is:

Fabric Softener:

2 c hair conditioner
3 c distilled vinegar
6 c boiling water
15-20 drops essential oil/EO (optional) you probably don't need it, your conditioner probably has great smell to it already.  If it doesn't you can add EO of your choice or not:)

Boil 6 cups of water in a medium size saucepan, once boiled turn heat off.  Add conditioner and distilled vinegar to hot water and mix well.  Transfer to old softener bottle or whatever bottle you may have.  Use 1/4 cup p/ load.  Shake before each use to incorporate all ingredients.  Hope you will try this.  I love it!!!

I do have lots of left over conditioner that I no longer use on my hair instead my laundry enjoy it.  I make my own conditioner now.  Just 1c of organic apple cider vinegar with 1 cup of water and 10-15 drops of EO I used peppermint and tea tree EO great for dry hair like mine.  I put 1Tbsp of this concaction with 1 cup of tap water, apply it to my hair and massage it throughout and rinse.  Hair does not smell like vinegar at all.  Makes my hair nice and soft.  I've got a very dry hair so this works for me.  Wash my hair 3x a week.  I shower everyday just not my hair. ha! ha! ha! 

 You all enjoy your day now!!!!

Monday, April 8, 2013

Homemade Dish Soap My Version

I've learned to make my own dish soap courtesy to www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com.  I've made some adjustment to work to my liking and you can do the same.  Here is my version recipe:

Homemade Dish Soap:
1/4 soap bar Fels Neptha grated (you can find this in your grocery store or Walmart .97c) cost .24c
4 c water free
4 Tbsp of homemade Citrus Enzyme (check out www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com for the recipe) or you can add lemon juice or distilled white vinegar degreasier, extra cleaning power, disinfect cost .04c if using vinegar
1 Tbsp vegetable glycerin (you can find this in a health store or order it on line ie. Amazon)Note: Glycerin is an emollient often used on natural cosmetics or household cleaners to balance moisture levels and cleanse gently.  Aid in protecting hands from drying and boost the cleaning power:) cost .56c
2 Tbsp Dr. Bronner's Peppermint Castille Soap (optional) added bubbly boost and love peppermint cost .56c
10 drops of lemon essential oil (optional) remove grease, deodorize, disinfect and smells good cost .10c
10 drops tea tree essential oil (optional)antiseptic, antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral action & smells good:) cost .10c

This make about 32-34oz for $1.60, $1.40 w/o essential oils or .84c w/o essential oils and Dr. Bronner's castile soap.  How's that for a great savings:)

You can either grate your Fels Neptha or microwave it in a bowl for 30 sec. increment for a total of 1 & half minutes.  I microwave mine first then I ground it in my bullet grinder or you can use coffee grinder or food processor.  Note: I find that when I grind the soap in my bullet/coffee grinder without microwaving it first, I find that it is too hard for my grinder and I don't like the struggling sound it makes, I've also tried to process it in my food processor and my food processor would do some hard wobbling/shaking dance (like a break dancer gone bad ha! ha!) on the counter which I didn't  care for.  I don't want to break my kitchen buddies so microwaving it first helps a lot to process.  Next heat 4 cups of water in a sauce pan over med. heat to a boil then add your processed Fels Neptha mix well using a whisk or wooden spoon until the soap has dissolved.  Add the rest of your ingredients, mix until well combined. FYI if you are adding essential oils of your choice, you want to wait until your soap mixture has cool to a room temperature.  Adding essential oils to hot liquid will decrease its essential benefits dramatically. Transfer your homemade dish soap to recycled dish soap bottle or a pump bottle.  I have mine in a big 40oz pump recycled bottle that my sister in law gave me.  I love it.  I hope you try my version, you can modify it your own way too. In a few hours your homemade dish will have a gel texture this is normal  I love the tingling feelings on my hands after I washed my dishes and the smell is wonderfully soothing, it also helps clear my nose due to the effects from the essential oils.  Please let me know how you like it.

The best part of making your own dish soap is that you know what's in it: and it's fun to make:).  Suggestion: I pumped couple of squirts to my dish bowl then I add about 1/4 c or more of water, I either use my finger or a fork to make a sud/bubbly dish soap.  You will notice that this homemade dish does not suds like a regular dish soap but works really well if not better.  It is not the suds that cleans your dishes:) that's what dish soaps manufacturer wants you to think because of their commercials with pretty ladies' hands submerged in the bubbles.  Getting use to not getting as much suds that you are use to will eventually dissolve in your mind like mines:)

Happy dish washing you all!!!!!
My ingredient, in the glass jar is my Homemade Citrus Enzyme, you can substitute it for distilled vinegar same amount

I microwave 1/4 Fels Neptha bar soap until soft easier to work with

After I microwave it for 30sec. increments total of 1 & half min.

Pulverized in my magic bullet, that's my 2 1/2 yr old boy's hand

After soap has been pulverized

Boiling 4 cups of water

Added processed Fels Neptha, some use Ivory bar soap

Whisking the soap with water

This is how it looks once the soap has been dissolved

I put some soap mixture in my magic bullet to dissolved the rest of the processed soap that didn't make it to the mix, I didn't want to waste

Here is my finished product.  This is an afterthought photo after few days of using my homemade soap, I realized I didn't take photo of it.