The 1st experiments: liquid hand soap

So, this weekend I made the following, all from scratch*:

• liquid hand soap
• liquid dish soap
• mouthwash
• deodorant
• fabric softener
• wrinkle releaser*
• room refresher spray
• re-usable disinfectant wipes
• shampoo

(* The wrinkle releaser was actually made from store bought fabric softener. I had a little bit left over, but wanted to switch to the homemade stuff, so am using it for the wrinkle releaser until it is gone, then I will switch to the homemade fabric softener for that recipe as well...waste not, save more!)

Here's how these first ones worked out. 

Let me start by saying that not one of these products took more than 10 minutes to make. The one requiring the most time was the liquid hand soap, because it needed to be grated then melted on the stove. It then had to cool, but did that all on its own, with no help from me! :-)

So let's start with that one, as it is the one I started with yesterday! Here is the lovely blog where I got my recipe from.

I used a bar of NUK brand moisturizing baby soap with chamomile and grated it into a big bowl. It took about 3 minutes to get the whole bar done and I ended up with just over 1 cup of soap flakes. I then added 1 Tbs of vegetable glycerin, 6 drops of tea tree oil for the antiseptic properties, 10 cups of tap water and stirred the whole thing up. 

I then poured that into a big stew pot that I have reserved for this purpose (won't be used for food anymore), and turned the heat on. The recipe called for medium heat and said it would take about 2 minutes but I was nervous about burning it (I am a lousy cook and hubby man is usually the one who uses the stove) so i set the heat to low. After about 4 minutes, the stuff still wasn't melted, so I turned the heat up, and then it really did only take about 2 minutes. So the mid-heat level seems to definitely be the way to go! I just kept stirring the mixture sporadically whilst it was on the heat. 

After all of the soap flakes had melted, and the mixture was looking very cloudy I took it off the heat and set it aside to cool. It was very watery, and I was worried that it wouldn't work very well, but hoped maybe it would thicken as it cooled. Then I left it to its own devices and went on to a different project.

After about 2 hours, I came back to it and it had cooled completely,  but was still very watery. So I took a spoon and scooped some out and dumped it on my hands...oh my...it was so soft and made my hands feel so good and it smelled amazing. So I got my hubby to hold 2 re-purposed plastic soap dispensers and funneled the mixture into them, then put the left-overs into a re-purposed coke zero bottle. This recipe made enough to fill the two soap dispensers, and the 2L coke bottle. So I won't need to make more for awhile. 

It was still really watery, but about two hours later, when I went to wash my hands, I noticed the mixture had thickened up in the dispensers. It is now a great consistency, although it does come out better if you give the bottle a quick shake before pumping it out!

I love this homemade soap, and I think, depending on the bar soap you use, you could tailor the smell and qualities to your personal tastes. If you give it a go with a different brand, let me know how it works out!

**Update**
The consistency of this soap continued to thicken. It is now very snot like, and you have to be careful to grab it away from the dispenser or it just dribbles down. I still like the smell, but it doesn't lather very well, and you need to use about two pumps for it to be enough to wash your hands. I have a ton made, so will keep using it, but if I were to do it again, I would lower the amount of glycerin, I think. Or try a different recipe altogether. But hubby still likes it, and it does the job. Just a bit awkwardly!

Weekend fun to ensue!

So all of my supplies arrived today, just in time for an awesome "pocket crabs homemaking" weekend! As my very practical hubby pointed out, we still have 2.5 tubes of toothpaste left, so I won't be making any of that this weekend, but hopefully the toothpaste experiment will come soon!

The rest of my list is a go though! Have a gander at what I will be attempting to whip up this weekend with help from Hubby-man and the Nimmer!

• mouthwash
• deodorant
• peppermint shampoo
• daily shower spray
• washing powder
• fabric softener
• wrinkle releaser spray
• liquid hand soap
• liquid dish soap
• room freshening spray
• aroma diffuser
• all-purpose cleaner
• bath, sink and tile cleaner
• antibacterial spray
• multi-purpose citrus cleaner
• and disinfectant wipes!

This weekend, and probably into next week if I am honest, I will post my experiences making all of these, along with links to the recipes I used. I might even start including pictures, if I can figure out what I am doing with blogger! :-)

Super excited for the weekend to begin!!!

On another note, I am on day 3 of not using shampoo anymore! My hair is looking great. It is still not as soft as when I used to wash and dry it with regular shampoo, but it is shinier, and fuller, and holds its shape and style so much better. 

Hubby-man pointed out that it feels a little dry, so I might play around with the amount of vinegar I am using and see if that helps. Right now, I am still using the 8oz water/1TBS of vinegar solution, so I might double the vinegar and see how it goes. Will report back soon!

Adios shampoo!

Ok, I really hate the expression "no 'poo" as I think it just brings to mind constipation. Also, you've only eliminated 4 letters, so it doesn't save you that much energy! So, lets just say right off the bat, I have eliminated commercial shampoos from my beauty regime, and move on from there.

Today I switched to a baking soda wash, and apple cider vinegar* rinse. It's only day 1, so I can't really tell you anything special about results, but here's some information about my reasons behind the change, and what my experience has been so far.

Frankly, I decided to give this more "natural" hair care method a go because my hair looks like crap, and so I have nothing to lose! I have always had really fine, straight, moderately oily hair. It doesn't hold a curl, it goes fly away if someone sneezes to close to it, and if it gets wet, it disappears...really, I look like I am wearing a brown bald cap.

When I lived in the states, and then again in the UK with my hubby, I could buy these really fancy-schmancy expensive salon products that made my hair feel amazing, look amazing, and do all the things pretty hair was supposed to do. But I was spending more than $50 a month on hair care! Insane!

Since living in Korea, I have pretty much given up on knowing what shampoos would work for me (I can't read Korean) and so go with whatever is on sale...usually shooting for something for "damaged hair" if I can find anyone to read the bottles for me! Needless to say, my hair has gone into the crapper, and before I chopped it all off, I usually had it in a ratty ponytail. Not a sexy mane by any culture's definition.

The point of all this rambling is that I had nothing to lose by getting rid of the store bought shampoos. So I started looking online for recipes. At first I was looking for actual homemade shampoos, and found a ton of different recipes for whatever kind of hair you have. I settled on a recipe made with coconut milk which I still plan to use on my hubby and daughter once I make the coconut milk this weekend. But for me, I decided to give the old baking soda and vinegar a try. Worst case scenario it doesn't work, and I try some other ideas.

What I did was mix 1Tbs of baking soda with 8oz of hot water into a cup, and then in another cup, 1 Tbs. of apple cider vinegar with 8oz of water. This supposedly would have been enough for 3-4 washes, but I did them in cups the first time, so wasn't able to save the leftovers. Tomorrow's batch will go into bottles...no more wasting! Also, I heated the water in the kettle right before my shower, so it was wicked hot when I poured the mixtures onto my poor head. Yowza! I will make tomorrow's batch tonight so that the hot water can cool. The hot water dissolves the baking soda better I guess.

When I first put the mixture on my hair, I was worried that it wasn't doing anything. I mean, it felt like I had just poured water on my head, but then I realized it was a bit slick, and that my hands were feeling really soft. As I rinsed my hair after the baking soda, it felt much less greasy than if I had only used water. And after the vinegar rinse, it definitely felt softer. One of the tips I read was to brush your hair really well first before you shower. Mine is pretty short now, but I can see where that would be a good thing if you had longer hair and will definitely remember it as I am now growing mine back out!

Anyhow, after drying, my hair seemed shinier, but wasn't as soft as it usually is after I wash it normally. However, there were less fly-a-ways, without feeling greasy, and it was super easy to style. So, I am still really hopeful that this will work. And after sniffing my hair with extreme caution, my hubby said it didn't smell funny...something we were both worried about with the vinegar rinse. I can now confidently say that whilst it smells when you put it on, the smell is tolerable, and goes away almost immediately!

So that's it for day one. Updates will follow!

*About the apple cider vinegar...If you live in Korea like me, you will look and look and never find "apple cider" vinegar. But you will find TONS of "apple" vinegar, and sometimes this apple vinegar says "fermented apple" vinegar. From everything I have been able to find, "fermented apple vinegar" is the same thing as "apple cider vinegar". It is most likely not organic, but it will work for you. If you are keen to have organic here, or you just want to have your own with the "mother" included, here is a nifty recipe I found to make your own "apple cider vinegar!" Happy homemaking!


**Update**
So, been shampoo free for about a month now and am of two minds about it.

On the plus side, my hair has never been so manageable, and when I blow-dry it in the morning with a round brush, if keep sits shape all day. This is something my hair has NEVER done before. Even when stylist did it in the past, it would hold a curl or shape for about 3 hours and then die. So this is awesome, and I am loving actually having a "style" for a change.

On the negative side, it just doesn't feel as nice as it used to after shampooing and conditioning. And I am totally confused as my hair feels oily and dry and the SAME time!!! What the crap is that about? I've spaced the baking soda washes to every 3 days now, and use the apple cider vinegar 1-2 times a week now, but nothing seems to be balancing out.

However, friends say it looks nice, so even if it feels like crap, visually it pleases.

My hubby's biggest complaint was that my hair smelled "hairy"...yes, he has a way with words...meaning not that it smelled badly, just that is had no pretty smell at all. I fixed this by brewing some rose petals into a "tea" and using that as my water, both in the baking soda mixture and in a squeezy bottle just by itself to apply at the end of my shower when I am just washing with water. He is much happier now, and is back to sniffing me when we cuddle!

ALso, about 2 weeks ago, I started the whole process on my daughter (32 months old, blonde, naturally curly, fine hair). Her hair looks feels and smells amazing! We won't ever go back on her hair care now. Both of us are so pleased and she loves the smell of the apple cider vinegar! LOL!

Oh well, I will keep going on the no shampooing for a few more weeks, but might end up having to try some alternatives. I'll keep updating! :-)

Pocket Crabs Homemaking!

What is "pocket crabs homemaking" you ask? I guess that is a good place to start with this new blog.

I dated a Greek Cypriot guy in college (a full-on AGE ago) and he used to say this expression when making fun of his friends: peen-diis malaga (sorry for the spelling...trying to be phonetic). The second word meant something naughty, but the first meant "cheap" and there was a back-story to its translation...it basically meant "someone who has crabs in their pockets" referring to cheapskates who are scared to reach into their pockets for a dime! LOL! Hence "pocket crabs homemaking!" I don't want to spend one more penny than I have to!

So, to get started on my new frugal lifestyle, I went out and did what anyone trying to save money does - I bought a whole bunch of stuff and spent a lot of money! :-) But, as I assured my budget-conscious hubby-man, the start-up costs would be made up and surpassed very quickly!

So here is what I figured out would be essential for getting going on the basics...

• baking soda (5kg)
• white distilled vinegar (5L)
• apple cider vinegar (500ml)*
• calcium carbonate powder (12 oz)
• Dr. Bronner's Baby-Mild pure castille soap (32 fluid oz)
• virgin coconut oil (20 fluid oz)
• vegetable glycerin (16 oz)
• xylitol sugar (500g)
• essential oils (lemon, orange, peppermint, lavender, eucalyptus, and tea tree: 1-4 oz)
• Rosemary infused extra virgin olive oil (340ml)
• 20 mule team borax (have to buy in England next month)
• desiccated coconut 

I spent just over $120 with shipping on all this stuff, and it should last me more than a year. "But that's not saving very much" you say? Wait till you see everything those ingredients are going to make! Here's my next list!

• re-mineralizing toothpaste
• mouthwash
• shampoo
• conditioner
• body wash
• deodorant
• vapor tabs for the shower
• hand soap
• liquid dish soap
• laundry detergent
• fabric softener
• wrinkle releaser
• all-purpose cleaner
• bath, shower and tile cleaner
• daily shower spray
• disinfectant spray
• room freshener spray
• aromatherapy diffuser
• coconut milk

Super excited to get moving on these projects, and will be turning out the first batches of several this weekend. As I make this stuff, I will post estimated total costs, effort costs, and what I normally would have spent on the purchasing of commercial brands. This way, we can all keep abreast of how much money I am actually saving my family!

Check back soon for posts about my first forays into "pocket crabs homemaking", and their results. 

*About the apple cider vinegar...If you live in Korea like me, you will look and look and never find "apple cider" vinegar. But you will find TONS of "apple" vinegar, and sometimes this apple vinegar says "fermented apple" vinegar. From everything I have been able to find, "fermented apple vinegar" is the same thing as "apple cider vinegar". It is most likely not organic, but it will work for you. If you are keen to have organic here, or you just want to have your own with the "mother" included, here is a nifty recipe I found to make your own "apple cider vinegar!" Happy homemaking!