Coco's original post on this subject dated 10-04-2008..

I made my first batch several days later on 10-07-08, I believe..

My original thoughts were that it worked just as well as commercial products, whether eco-friendly or conventional..

Nothing in the ensuing two months plus has led me to change my mind in this regard..

I made my second batch today as the first will gone by the end of the day..

I apologize for using some of the remaining non-vegan Ivory bar soap that I originally purchased for this task..

I am dirt poor at this time and cannot afford to throw anything away..

I encourage everyone to try this for themselves, although with a vegan bar soap instead of the Ivory that I used..

The recipe follows:

2 ounces of vegan bar soap--grated through the coarse holes of a flat or box grater
6 cups of warm water from the tap

1/2 cup of Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda powder
1/2 cup of 20 Mule Team Borax powder

4 cups of very hot water

22 cups of cool water ( 1 gallon plus 6 cups)

Grate the bar soap into a large pot capable of containing all the finished soap..Add the 6 cups of warm tap water..Heat over medium heat until hot, stirring occasionally until the bar soap flakes dissolve..Add the washing soda and borax powders..Stir until dissolved..The mixture will immediately begin to thicken..Add the 4 cups of very hot water..I heated it on the stove in another pot until it was not quite simmering..Stir the mixture well..Add the 22 cups of cool water, stirring well..Allow to sit for 10-15 minutes..Stir until the gel-like part of the mixture is incorporated back into the more liquid body of the mixture..Pour into containers, making sure to leave sufficient room in each container to shake the soap mixture before each use..This soap separates a little after resting for any length of time, necessitating the need to shake before measuring..Allow to sit and rest overnight before using a freshly made batch..

I use 1/2 cup per full load of laundry..This liquid laundry soap produces virtually NO suds in the washer..It DOES NOT need to!!!..To anyone used to nothing but liquid laundry detergents and powders that immediately start producing suds in the washer from the action of the water filling the tub; this homemade liquid laundry soap seems to be more than a little lacking..Trust me!!!..It cleans perfectly well WITHOUT suds..

Try it!!!..I can almost guarantee you that you will be pleasantly surprised..In addition to working great, it is also super cost effective..This recipe can save you hundreds of dollars per year if you have a large, active family..

It takes less than 30 minutes, start-to-finish, to make and bottle a batch of this soap..More realistically, about 15 minutes..

Bruce

thanks for the update! i have finally used up my stash of soap and will be making this in the next few days. i'm excited, how fun to "cook" up something for the house!

i made it and it was SO EASY!!! i'm giving some along with the recipe to my eco-bro for xmas. it works just great too.

Bruce, I'm sorry that you're 'dirt poor'. Hope things get better for you soon.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/24/2008 02:19AM by Lois.

hey lois, i'm pretty dirt poor i gotta say but i don't mind it at all. it helps me keep priorities very straight, especially around the holidays! i hand made nearly everything this year, reused wrapping paper that i saved from last year, found great stuff at the thrift store, and gave less than most people do but with a lot of thought in each gift (homemade laundry soap to my Very impressed and grateful bro, case in point). it's been so awesome. really, it's been such a great year. dirt poor isn't bad at all. not bad at all.

coco & bruce--
You're both obviously really rich in ingenuity and creativity.

lois--
Hope you and your family had a really wonderful and peaceful Christmas.

Sharrhan:


[www.facebook.com]

its funny that saying *dirt poor* cuz i find those that have dirt an lots of it to be quite rich

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist




Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/26/2008 10:05PM by Jgunn.

Lois

Thanks for the thoughts!!!..

As soon as finances allow in 2009 I intend to purchase through mail order, and over the internet, the lye, oils, and additives that will allow me to start making soaps again from scratch..

I would like to make hard bar soap, liquid hand soap that will dispense from pump bottles, and shaving soaps with clays added..

I tend not to care too much for strong scents..In my partially detoxed state I seem as sensitive as ever to strong smells, especially all of the myriad of scents that are in virtually every commercial product that is not intended to be eaten..

I also tend to react somewhat negatively to strong scents comprised of essential oils..I purchased over a dozen different essential oils in small 1 ounce bottles early in 2008 to add to the different natural cleaning products that I started making to replace commercial ones..I found that I initially quite liked , and tolerated, the smell of tea tree oil..I used this in a disinfectant spray that I use to clean the toilet, the floor, and the walls surrounding the toilet..After 5 months, or so, I found myself quite disliking the smell of the tea tree oil in the spray..I eventually replaced the tea tree oil with peppermint oil, which I am tolerating much better..

I was curious as to how other raw vegans react to strong scents, especially the natural ones comprised of essential oils..Do you react positively, or negatively to these smells??..

Bruce

Bruce, i am really sensitive to artificial scents and react quite strongly to them. recently i had a doctor tell me that my sinuses are hyper reactive and prescribe a steroid spray for times when they swell shut (i haven't filled that prescription though, i bought a neti pot to try instead). it may be that i am particularly chemical sensitive and only notice the fragranced things because, well, because i can smell them and associate that with the reactions i get. don't know for sure.
i've always been sensitive but i do think that the healthier i get, the more i react to pollutants and alterants.

i haven't reacted to essential oils like that though, unless they are very strong in which case i do experience some sinus congestion. i'm sad to say that lately vetiver has been bothering me a bit, it's quite strong. it's one of my favourites though so i'm trying to use it sparingly and hoping that it won't bother me too much.

I love essential oils, but if I put them on my skin, I can get a headache, and if I use a diffuser, it makes me get so tired, I could just fall asleep at my laptop. Some oils -- like Neem -- in a shampoo make me have vertigo for days. If I eat oils, I get very tired a few hours later. Also, some smells make me have bad dreams. Chemical smells give me nightmares.

BTW, I don't remember who posted it, but remember those laundry balls that were made out of a nut -- all natural. I forget the name of them, and I'm too lazy to go downstairs and find out. I ended up buying some and trying them, but they just did not get my clothes clean. It was a big disappointment. I want to make this laundry soap, but who knows when I'll get to it.

coco

I credit my Neti pot with weaning me off of antihistamines 100% since July 2006..

I had taken OTC antihistamines since I was 9 years old..From 1992 through 2006 I pretty much took them year round for sinus congestion and pain..Even though I do not use the Neti pot as often as I should, it has made an astounding difference in the quality of my life..

I took me three months after purchasing it to convince myself to actually use it..The notion of deliberately putting dilute salt water up one's nose to cleanse the sinus cavities just does not come easily to most people..I have tried without any success to convince others with similar, or worse, sinus issues to try a Neti pot..Most people would just rather take the pills..

I stopped taking OTC aspirin, naproxen sodium, ibuprofen, and acetaminophen at the same time I stopped taking the antihistamines..From the age of 9 through the age of 52 I estimate I took 150,000 to 200,000 doses of the anti-inflammitories and antihistamines..I finally realized that the drugs were having no effect in relieving my symptoms..

Bruce

funny, i just bought a neti pot from the healthy place near my mom's house. i got what i thought was a cheapy plastic one to test it out and for travelling (can't smash in the suitcase) but it turned out costing just as much as the ceramic ones, burn! i didn't notice until i got it home and it's across the border to return it, bummer. i'll give it a try though and hope that it works for me. i am hesitating too, i wonder why that is?

i'm going to make another batch soon but i was thinking, why bother adding the 22cups of water at the end? why not just leave it super concentrated and just use a tbls or so? i think i'll try that instead, it will save space and make it easier to give as a gift too.

My father, my husband and I have all been using a neti pot regularly and it has done wonders for our sinuses/allergies. It really isn't a bad experience--maybe odd at first, but you will actually look forward to it as a cleansing process.