Lessons Learned

I've been making my own laundry detergent for a while now, thanks to my amazing Cousin Jill and her recipe. Love it! I've only made one batch that I disliked.  I made it with a bar of Dove soap that had been lost in the depths of a bathroom drawer.  (I usually make it with Ivory, but used Fels Naptha on this last batch, and while it irritated my throat and nose while I made it, I've loved it for the laundry soap.)

So, when I stumbled across this recipe on Pintrest, I was intrigued. I hate buying bodywash, because the expensive stuff is... expensive. And the cheap stuff, while ok, never lasts as long as I'd like it to.  PLUS, I always get the dye and fragrance free stuff for my kids, because of their sensitive skin, and it'd be nice to make something a even more pure for them.

Well, I tried it out.  I used... Dove.  And I made very pretty, yummy smelling soap soup.  PINTEREST FAIL!  The lesson I learned- Dove bar soap stinks for making other soaps.  Learn from my mistakes, friends!

I did, by the way, save the Dove soup.  I read the comments (should have done that in the first place!) and I think maybe it needs to cure for a while.  Or I will get one of those foamy pumps and use it with that.

So, moving on, still determined to make body wash.  (Plus, I'd bought the bottle of glycerine and didn't want it to go to waste!)  I found myself at Whole Foods, for a Lady Beekeepers of Arkansas meeting. (more on that in another post!!) I bought coffee while I was there, and decided to look at the soaps.

I bought Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap.  Almond flavored.  Fair Trade. Organic. Vegan. It's got coconut, palm, olive, hemp, and jojoba oils.  And it smells divine!

The verdict: It worked!

Proof:

The texture is a little... gross and slimy. We'll see how that is once I actually use it in the shower. I got out my hand mixer and mixed it up with a little hot water to thin it out a bit, then poured it, little by little, into a milk jug that I saved. When I've finished my current bodywash, I'll rinse out the container and re-fill it with this. I'm going to report on the results after I start using it.  I'm also curious to see how long it lasts!