2 Steps To Stay On Track
If you find that you're easily distracted and can't stay on task, then this post is for you. We outline two steps to help keep yourself on track and stick with the work at hand:
1) Divide your tasks into smaller chunks
2) Set a timer to motivate yourself to focus for a certain amount of time
The Benefits of Making Your Own Body Wash, Soap, or Shampoo
There's nothing quite like the feeling of grating up some soap, melting it down in a bowl over the stovetop, dipping your finger into it and taking a deep breath. The scent carries memories out of the past- thoughts like "I made this today" or "this is what I use. I'd better take care of things today" or even something like "I've got some time on my hands and I might as well use it to make something that I can have a little fun with."
And these are the kinds of thoughts you'll be able to conjure up every time you use homemade body wash, soap or shampoo. And as an added bonus, you're also going to get the benefit of a chemical-free product that has few side effects. To be sure, your skin will be healthier and your pores will be cleaner but what about everyone else using your soap? What's the long term effect on their health? Nothing, really. Unlike the commercially available products on the market, your homemade soap will not harm others. It's all about using healthy ingredients.
Now, most commercial products are made from synthetic chemicals for one reason and one reason only- to make money. The "good people" at Proctor and Gamble aren't thinking about your health or that of your family when they make Dawn dishwashing liquid out of petroleum and bleach (really). But when you're making body wash, soap or shampoo yourself, you can use natural ingredients to provide the same effect as a chemical-laden product while sticking to an organic formula. Now, let's go over how to make your own body wash.
Making Body Wash
The first thing you'll need to do is gather all of the ingredients you're going to need for making your homemade body wash. These will include:
1) A vegetable shortening- this can be a palm oil product or something like Crisco (molasses soap) that allows for the ideal consistency for body wash. You can use organic palm oil if you prefer or purchase a vegan substitute like Earth Balance or Smart Balance. This can be found in the baking section of grocery store, aisle 8 near all of the other fats (Peanut butter, Coconut oil, and Olive oil).
2) An essential oil, either peppermint or tea tree- these act as antibacterial agents and smell great too. Peppermint is a great scent for the winter and tea tree is ideal for the summer.
3) A liquid soap such as Dr. Bronner peppermint castile soap (found in the same aisle as your vegetable oil)
4) A bottle to put your body wash into- this can be anything from a plastic container to an old shampoo bottle, anything you'd like but just make sure that it's possible to get the product out of it.
Now, let's talk about how to make your body wash.
Step One: Measure out everything that you're going to need for the job. The vegetable shortening will be measured out into a bowl and heated with the peppermint or tea tree essential oil. Once this has melted (it won't take long) you'll add in your Dr. Bronner soap and keep stirring until it melts into the other ingredients.
Step Two: When everything is melted, you'll want to fill up your bottle with the mixture that's formed and then slowly roll it back and forth to spread out all of the ingredients evenly. Shake it before each use so that there are no clumps in your body wash.
That's it. Enjoy!
Post Script:
Oh, don't let the fact that we just listed a bunch of ingredients for our body wash overwhelm you. It's really not that big of a deal. We're not making rocket science here. All that this recipe is asking you to do is add in a little bit of vegetable oil to get your soap or body wash consistency and then you can use peppermint and tea tree essential oils to make it smell great. That's it. Nothing more complicated than mixing up two or three things in order to create an awesome product based on your own health and well being.
Making Your Own Soap
Soap making is very similar to making body wash. The difference with soap is that you'll be using lye instead of a vegetable shortening and you'll only have to add in an essential oil or two. Here's the list of ingredients you'll need:
1) A bar of your favorite soap (try not to use an antibacterial soap such as Dial)
2) A few drops of peppermint and tea tree essential oils (or any other scents that excite you- lavender, lemongrass, etc.)
3) A plastic container (an old candle holder for example)- this will serve as your mold for the soap when it's done.
4) A handful of old rags or newspapers.
Now, here's how you make your soap:
Step One: Soak your bar of soap in water for a day or so to soften it up and then grate it up using a grater (a box grater works wonders). Now, if you don't have enough soap for this, you can try to find an extra bar at the store (it's OK if it's antibacterial). Just make sure that the ingredient lists are similar. If not, find another recipe for homemade soap that uses a different type of fat. If all else fails, go with vegetable shortening and give our body wash recipe a shot.
Step Two: Once your soap is grated up, get a pot and fill it with water. You'll want to make sure that the water you put in the pot is at least a few inches higher than your plastic container because this will serve as your mold when everything's done.
Step Three: Add in your soap and let it dissolve into the hot water. Bring it to a boil and then reduce the heat so that warm soapy water remains in the pot. It's important not to boil it because doing so can cause a chemical reaction between the lye and the fats which can release poisonous fumes into the air.
Step Four: To this mixture, add the essential oils and stir until the lye is dissolved. This will usually happen within a few minutes.
Step Five: Take off the heat, remove from the pot and let it cool for at least an hour. This will make sure that your soap is completely cooled down and won't take off like you're about to fall in a pool of hot oatmeal once it's melted. Now, use what you made as your body wash or soap by pouring it into your mold (the plastic container) and then placing into the refrigerator overnight or while you're at work- this will keep it solid enough to be used as a body wash or soap.
Conclusion
It's really not that hard to make your own body wash or soap, especially when you have pre-made ingredients and a method for getting the job done. After all, it's not rocket science and there's no reason to buy a product that you can make at home in your kitchen. What a great way to save money and improve your health by making soap and body wash at home!
Do you have any homemade soaps or body washes? Let us know about them in the comments section below!