A few years ago, I wrote a blog entry about how to make liquid soap, which consists of diluting solid soap in distilled water. I have tried this technique several times, but the problem is that the soap eventually gets gel-like and then sort of solidifies in the bottle. Not a big problem, really, you just need to add more water occasionally. But it would be nice to know how to make liquid soap that stays liquidy.
So, I went for a meander along the Internet pathways until I stumbled across Silver Firs Farms liquid castile soap tutorial. I will definitely take a day to try this, but because I want to make an all-purpose soap for hand washing dishes, I’ll take her advice and use only coconut oil. I’ll have to do some research as to why coconut oil is preferable.
As for laundry soap, I’ve been making my own for at least a year now. It’s really easy and works just as well as laundry detergent that’s full of weird sounding chemicals, petroleum by-products and perfumes that now give me a headache.
This is how I make it:
Combine in a large pot:
70g grated homemade soap
75g Borax
145g Washing Soda
4 litres water
Bring to a boil, stirring frequently until dissolved and clear. Cool and add essential oil of your choice. Pour into reusable container.
The soap will coagulate in the container when cool. Give it a good shake to loosen it up before pouring into washing machine dispenser. Adjust amounts to dispense according to need.
This is low sudsing and good for front-loading machines, and rinses out leaving little to no residue.
The scent will wash out, or be very mild, unlike commercial laundry detergent.
Blowing bubbles in the Puddle of Life
Ingrid
