Monday, August 3, 2009

A lot out of a little


I was reading through this blog last night and feeling bad about myself. I kept telling myself that I too could and would make something amazing from nothing to share with all of you. It wasn’t until this morning that I realized that I already had. Although not as creative as a quilt or amazing hanger-names, thanks to my friend Maureen at homemademothering.com, I created an abundance of hand soap out of everyday household items.


Refreshingly (pun intended), her recipe calls for things I already had at home:


1 bar of soap (I used Ivory)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
water


My favorite thing about the recipe was that it consisted of two distinct steps so I was able to accomplish the first step, as well as some other things around the house, while Isaac napped. Then, I finished the project the following morning during another of his naps!


Here goes:


First, finely chop or grate the soap and put into a large saucepan with 3 cups of water. Bring the mixture to a boil and, stirring often, melt the soap. Stay near the stove because my mixture kept attempting to overflow. Once the soap dissolves, remove it from the heat and whisk in 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Let the mixture sit overnight.


In the morning, the mixture will be solid. Break it up and put it into a blender or food processor with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, the honey, and 1 cup of water (I added more to get it to my desired consistency).


Pour into empty soap dispensers (or a jar if you run out)! Can you believe how much soap this makes? What a money and environment saver!


6 comments:

Alissa said...

Wow- that is incredible! DOes it smell like honey? I can't believe it made that much.

stongies said...

can't wait to smell it wednesday!

Adele said...

No - it smells more fresh than like anything in particular. However, I think that the next time I make it I will also add some oil, maybe peppermint or eucalyptus, to add a bit more scent.

stongies said...

having personally tried the soap last week...i can't wait to make my own!

Mary said...

I'm going to make this this week! It looks so easy.

Emily and Susan, Productive Parenting said...

Take a look at the new website of activities for preschool children, infant to age 5, contributed by montessori educators:

www.productiveparenting.com

You can have a new activity idea each day online or emailed to you!