Body Wash Update

The other week, I made body wash.

I couldn't wait to try it out, so that evening, sweaty and stinky from the gym, I poured some out into a cleaned out ketchup bottle. (Recycling! It was plastic- one of those with the lid on the bottom and a silicone vent thingy in the spout.)

Only it didn't pour nicely like I thought it would.

Some dribbled out, into the totally inadequate funnel. I had to pause to sort of push the soap through the funnel.  Then, I hefted that gallon jug of soap again, but it didn't pour.  I shook. I squeezed. I'm sure I did some damage to my wrist.  Finally, the soap sloped towards the opening and I tried scooping some out with my fingers. Only that glob that I scooped did not want to separate from the rest of the soap in the jug. I had to scrape it against the edge of the jug opening to get it out and into the funnel, where I had to push it through into the ketchup bottle.

It took me a good 10 minutes to get my bottle filled.  Heft, scoop, scrape, push. Heft, scoop, scrape, push. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Finally, my little ketchup bottle is full. Off to the shower!

Like any good hippy, I rinsed my hair with apple cider vinegar, scrubbed my face with baking soda and neglected to shave my pits.

Then I grabbed the body wash.

I squeezed a bit out onto my scrubbie. (ok, truthfully, in our house, we call it a pouffy thingy.  Which is not elegant or grown-up at all.)

The result: Lovely scent, more bubbles than I expected, squeaky clean feeling in the shower, soft skin after shower.

I've noticed, in subsequent showers, that the soap wants to gel back into one solid mass after being left to sit for a while. It helps to shake it up really well before using.

And now, for a more scientific approach to soap reviewing...

Pros: Vegan, organic, free trade body wash for cheap!
          I love DIY stuff
          Easy to make, once you've got the kinks worked out
          Skin feels super soft and moisturized
          Squeaky soap-cleaned feel in the shower (if you're into that)
          Makes more than a gallon of body wash (this version cost me about $7- two bars of soap plus a few tablespoons of the glycerine)
       
Cons: Trial and error method of making, depending on what kind of soap used
           Squeaky soap-cleaned feel in the shower (if you're not into that)
           Texture
           Difficult to manage- decanting and shaking and trying to separate portions
           Messy. If you're like me, it is a little bit of a messy process, what with the spilling and sloshing during the cooking and decanting phases. At least it cleans up easily, and leaves the place cleaner than before!

Tips:
-Pay attention to the soap you use! Soaps with moisturizers are probably right out.  Soaps with oils are ok.
-Don't be afraid to water down the final product.  I think I should have added a lot more water when I was mixing it up after the overnight gelling process. A LOT! I was so afraid that I would get soap soup again that I was too cautious.
-Don't get a shower bottle that can't be shaken.  (and stay away from glass! Glass, soap and shower tiles are a bad combination!)

What I will do differently next time:
-Add more glycerine to the mix.  I think that may help with the squeaky-clean shower feel.

My final impression- I like it! Like I said, my skin is feeling super soft and moisturized these days, and I LOVE the scent.  Now I've got to convince my husband to let me make some for him!