The 1st experiments: Fabric softener and wrinkle releaser

Sorry for my blogging not being in "real time" with my experiments. I could use the excuses that I work full time and have a kid, but really I am just lazy and got caught up in a Friends marathon Sunday and Monday. But better late than never, right?!?!?!

So here is my take on the fabric softener and wrinkle releaser that I made this past weekend!

First, the fabric softener! I used a recipe that I found at Moneysavingqueen.com. It was super easy to throw together, and smelled divine!

The ingredients called for were:

• 1 C water
• 1 C baking soda
• 2 C white vinegar
• 20 drops EO of choice

You put these into a large bowl, first the water, then baking soda, then essential oil drops, and lastly the vinegar!

For any of you that have ever done the erupting volcano in science class, you know what combining baking soda and vinegar results in...for those of you that didn't, it makes a big-ol' erupting mess! So mix the two together slowly in a big enough bowl. I just used a large mixing bowl and poured very slowly. 

We used eucalyptus and lavender EOs for this one, which resulted in a really nice scent, that smells really clean and fresh. We are not huge floral scent fans, so the eucalyptus is sharp enough to take the frilly trim off the lavender. Once everything was mixed, we poured it all into re-purposed glass jars. Just make sure you give them a good swirl before each use!

As soon as this was finished, hubby man went out and added 1/3 of a cup to our laundry load. The original recipe says to use a half cup, but we really didn't think we would need that much. We line dry, so it isn't like our stuff is ever "Snuggle-fluffy" anyhow. 

It worked great. When we hung the load to dry an hour later, it smelled great, and was just as soft as when we use the commercial stuff. This one was a definitely success and we have added it permanently to our laundry routine! 

For the Wrinkle Releaser, I used a recipe I found on Pinterest. I don't know if you could actually call this a recipe, as it is literally 2 ingredients and 2 steps, but here it is!

1 C water + 1tsp fabric softener 

That's it! Mix it in a sprayer bottle and its done. 

My review on this was again mixed. It worked. But the ease with which it worked did not necessarily make me want to run out and throw my iron into the nearest garbage dump! You spray the shirt liberally, then you have to give it these sharp tugs and shakes and pulls...you kinda have to beat the wrinkles out!

I am going to give it another go, but next time i think I will spray Hubby-man's shirts as they come wet out of the washing machine, then give them a good shake, before hanging them on a hanger to dry. We will see how it goes! 

A confession regarding this recipe. While i think I could definitively have used my homemade fabric softener for it, I had a half a bottle of the store bought stuff left over so I used that instead. It smells really nice, and this way I am not wasting it! It was the only non-natural ingredient I used this weekend!

The 1st experiments: deodorant

Homestead Revival had a simple recipe for homemade deodorant that I gave a go to making yesterday. The recipe called for:

• 1/4 cup baking soda
• 1/4 corn starch
• 5-6 tablespoons of coconut oil (I used 6)
• 5-20 drops of tea tree oil (I used 10)

I put the dry ingredients in a small tupperware first and shook them about till all mixed. Then I added the 10 drops of tea tree EO and then added the 6 tablespoons of coconut oil and stirred it all together with a wooden chopstick. 

The mixture was definitely paste-like, and I was pleased with the texture. I used it all day yesterday and again today. Hubby-man used it yesterday, but forgot this morning, so didn't put it on till this afternoon. We even let my daughter try it, as she very loudly and vocally let us know she also wanted to give it a go!

Pros: I LOVE the smell...its like a tropical vacation complete with exotic sunblock! You know the smell I mean, right? Also, I noticed it worked better than my normal antiperspirant (yes, I was still using that, hence the switch to natural) at keeping me stink-free. I reapplied twice, once in the afternoon, and once before bed, and made my hubby smell my pits in the am. He was not totally disgusted, so yay! He also smelled nicer than usual today after wearing it for a few hours. The stuff is wicked easy to make, and so much cheaper than the stuff you can buy here (think 25/850 cost jump). 

Cons: It balled up in my pits. It went on fairly smooth, but got chalky almost immediately. I think the oil absorbed right out of the baking soda into my skin. I would not feel comfortable wearing a tank top with this stuff on. However, I think that I can fix this problem by adding more oil, lessening the corn starch, and putting less on. So I will update in a few days when I make a new batch.

Overall, I am well-pleased and I think with just a few minor adjustments I can make this work for myself and my hubby! 

**Update**
Ok, so, the original recipe I used for the deodorant, after about 2 days using it full-time, gave me some nasty skin irritation, which I hear is a fairly common reaction for people to baking soda. It smelled great, and stopped my stink like a champ (even working-out funk was erased), but after two days, it hurt to have any rubbing of my pits at all. So I used the following two variations to attempt to overcome the irritation. The first was not as effective on the stink, but did not cause any irritation at all. I just reapplied frequently. The second gives only minor irritation, and then only when I have a tighter top on that rubs my underarms a lot, and holds back the stink very well. I apply in the am, again right before my work out at 4pm, and then after my evening shower. And I smell like a tropical vacation, rather than old onions! Yay!

Skin issues recovery recipe:
6 TBS coconut oil
1tsp baking soda
4 drops tea tree oil
*mix all ingredients (may have to re-mix each time you use as BS will settle) and apply with fingers as needed

Better daily formula:
8TBS coconut oil
2TBS baking soda
1TBS corn starch
6 drops tea tree oil
*Mix and apply with fingers...should stay pretty well mixed.