How to Make Homemade Liquid Hand Soap

Go Green in 2014: Week 17

Get one full gallon of liquid hand soap for less than $10

Once you get used to the stringy, egg-white texture and the absence of lather, it's really not so bad. I know this from experience. In fact, I prefer my homemade hand soap to any brand you might find in a store.

Most commercial liquid hand soaps contain toxic ingredients, like sodium lauryl sulfate, which is actually not necessary to get your hands clean. This is why I decided to start making my own soap - using only two ingredients. You only need a couple bars of non-toxic soap (I like using Dr. Bronner's pure castile soap) and a gallon of water.

Alternatively, you could use Dr. Bronner's liquid all-one soap diluted with water for hand-washing; the following recipe just makes a thicker, creamier hand soap.

You can buy the bars here: Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps Pure Castile Soap

List of ingredients and tools

• One gallon distilled water - less than $1
• Two bars Dr. Bronner's (or your choice) castile bar soap - approximately $4 each
• Cheese grater
• Large pot
• Kitchen funnel

How to make liquid hand soap

Note: While this soap is easy to make, it does take a full day to set, so keep this in mind before starting to make it.

Use your cheese grater to grate both bars of soap into a small bowl.

Grating the bars of soap is a bit tedious

Heat the water in a large pot until it is almost boiling (and make sure you save the gallon jug for later!). Reduce the heat to low and slowly add the grated soap, stirring until it is all dissolved.

After the soap dissolves, it will be watery with bubbles on top

Remove from the heat and let sit for 24 hours, stirring occasionally.

After 12 hours, it will be thicker and slightly chunky

After 24 hours, it will have completely thickened

After 24 hours, stir one more time and use the funnel to carefully transfer the liquid soap into the gallon jug. I didn't have quite enough to fill the jug because I had spilled some. Oops!  You will definitely want someone to help out with this part.

Label to make sure nobody mistakes it for a gallon of milk, and store at room temperature until needed.

Did you try this recipe for liquid soap? What did you think of it? It can feel strange to wash your hands with it at first, but after using it regularly, it will seem completely normal.

Tip: This soap makes a great gift, and I have given dispensers filled with it as Christmas and Mother's Day gifts. I haven't heard any complaints yet!

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**Disclosure: Although this post may contain affiliate links, all opinions are my own.

Your challenge: This week, make a batch of non-toxic liquid hand soap, and use it to replace your regular soap once it runs out.

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**This post is part of a weekly challenge {Go Green in 2014}, during which the author has challenged herself - and you - to find 52 ways to lead a greener life in 2014. You can follow the weekly posts on this page.**

Green Challenge: Unplugging the Microwave

Go Green in 2014: Week 16

Jason V / https://www.flickr.com/photos/jmv/

Unplugging the microwave...and other household appliances

This past week, my challenge was to unplug the microwave and to find alternative ways to cook and reheat all of our food - then to decide whether it was worth it.

First, let's go over how the week went:

Not long after unplugging the microwave, I needed (wanted?) to warm up a cup of coffee. I walked straight to it before remembering that it wasn't plugged in. In an attempt to creatively reheat my coffee, I ran another small cup through the Keurig using the same K-cup (Yeah, I know, K-cups are not very green. I'll tackle that problem later.). It was a little watery, but it worked. The coffee was at least a little warmer.

A couple days later, Dan went to the microwave to heat up some bacon for breakfast. Unfortunately, he had to waste a clean pan to fry it up on the stove instead. Throughout the week, we have had to cook our veggies on the stove and either bake our main dishes in the oven on throw them on the grill. I ended up reheating all my leftovers in the oven.

All in all, it is definitely possible to live without a microwave - people did it for a long time before their invention!

If you don't have a microwave, read this article I wrote on How to Survive without a Microwave.

What are the benefits of unplugging the microwave?

*Some people are concerned about losing nutrients by cooking food in the microwave. From what I have read, it doesn't seem to have a profound effect. Vegetables will lose some nutrients no matter how they are cooked; the key is to avoid overcooking them. However, it's up to you to decide whether you feel comfortable using the microwave or not.

*You can save a little money by keeping it unplugged. It's not a significant amount, even when on standby. However, if you find yourself able to keep it unplugged all the time, every penny saved is an extra penny in your pocket. On the other hand, you will need to use other sources of energy to heat up your food.

*You might be concerned about the radiation emitted by microwaves. Some research suggests that there may be a link between microwave radiation and cancer, while other studies cannot find one. If you can live without it, all the better for you.

Sure, I can live without a microwave. But we will be plugging ours back in simply because it does save a lot of time when reheating leftovers at lunchtime on workdays. Still, I tend to lean toward other methods for reheating certain types of food, simply because the microwave can turn them into a pile of mush.

There is one thing this challenge did inspire me to do, though: I have been consciously starting to unplug some of our appliances and household items, such as the toaster, to save energy when they aren't in use.

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Your challenge: This week, attempt to make everything without the use of a microwave; unplug it to save energy.

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**This post is part of a weekly challenge {Go Green in 2014}, during which the author has challenged herself - and you - to find 52 ways to lead a greener life in 2014. You can follow the weekly posts on this page.**

Homemade Body Scrub Recipe for Naturally Smooth Skin

Go Green in 2014: Week 15

As the weather warms up, we start to shed our layers of clothes, and in doing so, our rough, dry winter skin is revealed. In preparation for the summer ahead, it's easy to soften and smooth our skin - and we can do it easily with items found in the kitchen.

However, because the skin is the largest organ of the body, it is important to avoid rubbing chemical-laden products on it. The skin readily absorbs chemicals and toxins from store-bought body scrubs into the bloodstream. As we have already learned in the previous weeks, this is not a good thing.

First of all, why  use a scrub?

Although too much scrubbing can be damaging to the skin, occasional gentle exfoliation is a wonderful way to improve circulation and reduce stress. It also sloughs off old skin cells to promote the growth of new ones, and it gives the skin a healthy glow. Plus, it is cheap and easy to make your own at home!

What you will need:

• Sugar (white or brown) or salt (sea, epsom, table)
• Oil (grapeseed, sweet almond, coconut, jojoba, avocado, olive, safflower)
• Essential oil (optional)
• Herbs (optional)

How to make homemade body scrub

1. Place one cup salt or sugar in a bowl. Start adding your chosen oil, a small amount at a time. Use a small spoon to mix the salt or sugar and oil as you go. For my hand and foot scrub, I used table salt and olive oil.
2. Once you have reached your desired consistency, you have the option to add a few drops of your chosen essential oil. I chose to add approximately 10 drops peppermint oil for an invigorating scent.
3. If desired, you can also add a tablespoon of dried herbs. Mix well. I had a few packets of peppermint tea on hand, so I broke open a bag and mixed the contents into my scrub.
4. After everything has been mixed together, spoon the mixture into a container of your choice. I found that a wide-mouth mason jar works well.

That's it! Quick and easy, and it costs very little to make. I keep my jar of scrub in the bathroom, and only place it in the shower when I am planning on using it. If you are using a glass container, be very careful, because glass can get slippery and could be dangerous if it breaks while you are showering.

Note: Body scrubs are perfect to use on your legs before shaving; it will help you get a closer shave for smooth summer legs. After shaving, try my homemade whipped body butter recipe for extra soft skin.

Another note: Body scrubs make great gifts when placed in a mason jar and adorned with a bit of ribbon or a piece of colorful fabric.

If you need recipe ideas, you will find a lot of wonderful scrub recipes and helpful hints in this ebook:

Simple Scrubs to Make and Give by Stacy Karen

Most of the scrub recipes are not suitable for use on the face. If you wish to make a face scrub, try using sugar and a small amount of oil or honey.

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**Disclosure: Although this post may contain affiliate links, all opinions are my own.

Your challenge: This week, make your own body scrub to naturally smooth your skin in preparation for the summer ahead.

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**This post is part of a weekly challenge {Go Green in 2014}, during which the author has challenged herself - and you - to find 52 ways to lead a greener life in 2014. You can follow the weekly posts on this page.**

Green Cleaning Tips for Sparkling Windows

Go Green in 2014: Week 14

Allen McGregor / https://www.flickr.com/photos/allenmcgregor/

After a long winter, it can feel good to scrub the windows, inside and out, during spring cleaning. After I finish each window, I like to leave it open for the rest of the day (as long as it's nice outside) and air out the entire house.

But as we have discovered in the past few weeks, the chemicals in commercial cleaning products are not healthy for you or for the environment. Fortunately, it's easy to make your own green cleaning products for sparkling windows.

Green Window Cleaner Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon mild liquid dish soap

Directions:

1. For interior windows, mix the ingredients together in a large spray bottle. Fill with water (approximately two cups) and shake to combine. Spray onto windows and wipe dry with a clean, lint-free cloth.
2. For exterior windows, mix the ingredients together in a gallon bucket. Double the ingredients for particularly grimy windows. Fill the bucket with warm water and apply to the windows with a cotton rag. Wipe dry with a clean, lint-free cloth.

If you have some newspaper lying around, I have heard that you can use it to get a streak-free finish. Simply rub the cleaning solution onto the windows using a newspaper, first in a circular motion, then horizontally and vertically. I haven't tried it yet, but I will be starting my spring cleaning soon. One of these days....

That's it - sounds easy, but it's a big job if you have lots of windows!

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Your challenge: This week, get sparkling windows without harsh chemicals.

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**This post is part of a weekly challenge {Go Green in 2014}, during which the author has challenged herself - and you - to find 52 ways to lead a greener life in 2014. You can follow the weekly posts on this page.**