Homemade Soap

A year or so ago, I stumbled onto some information about sodium laurel sulfates while I was researching homemade laundry detergent.   The history of the products we use every day that are sitting on the store shelves, in our laundry rooms, kitchens and bathrooms never ceases to baffle me.  This information changed the whole way I look at soap.

Soap is such a simple thing.  It is a reaction between a fatty acid (oil) and an alkali, metal hydroxide (potassium or sodium hydroxide).  When loosened with water, soap attracts dirt and allows it to be washed away. The earliest use of soap that has been discovered dates back to 2800 BC in the days of Babylon.  In those days, animal fats were mixed with wood ash to obtain saponification (i.e. make soap).  This soap was a little more harsh, but did the job.  Later on, vegetable fats were substituted in for the animal fats, and so began the production of what we call castile soap. 

Pure castile soap, usually made with olive oil, was used by the masses until it was discovered that the glycerin could be extracted from soap to produce more lucrative products like dynamite and body lotions.  Glycerin is the "moisturizer" in soap.  Yes, you just read that right...they take the moisturizer out, so the soap dries out your skin, and, then, they sell you another product that they put the moisturizer back into so that you can get rid of the dry skin.  Funny, huh?? 

Even better...glycerin is more lucrative if sold to industries outside the cosmetics industry, so they figured out that they can use mineral oil instead of the glycerin as a moisturizer.  Mineral oil is derived from petroleum and the World Health Organization classifies it as a Group 1 carcinogen to humans. 

In addition to mineral oils, commercial soaps use chemicals called sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), sodium laureth sulfate (SLES) and ammonium lauryl sulfate (ALS) to increase the sudsing in their products.  These chemicals were introduced in 1942, right around the time that more households started using city water.  These additives (degreasers) helped diminish oils that were left over from this new castile soap and treated water combination resulting in a "cleaner" feel.  This "cleaner feel" was marketed to be related to the sudsing. That is why we feel the need to see lots of suds to think we're getting clean--it was all a marketing ploy put in place by commercial soap producers that has now stuck with us.  

SLES, SLS, ALS are proven skin irritants.  They are produced with carcingenic chemicals like nitrate.  They are used widely by science as a penetration enhancer, i.e.  their molecules are so small, they are able to pass through your cells taking other toxins with them.  Their manufacturing process is highly polluting emitting cancerous fumes into the air.  They are toxic to fish and other marine animals while they pollute our water systems....shall I go on??

This, my friends is why I am that crazy lady that makes her own soap...plus, it's fun!  I could buy it, but I'm cheap, so I make it myself.   Do I like it??  Yes, yes, yes!  My dry skin has improved tremendously and those occasional adult acne breakouts have almost completely stopped.  Crazy!

So, on this dreary, rainy day, what better fun to have than whipping up a quick batch of soap!

BASIC CASTILE SOAP RECIPE
19 oz distilled water
7.1 oz sodium hydroxide
25.5 oz palm oil
25.5 oz coconut oil
7 tsp essential oils (optional)

IMPORTANT:  Sodium hydroxide is dangerous if handled incorrectly.  Wear gloves and goggles when making soap to avoid burns.  Once saponified, it is no longer hazardous.

You will need a soap mold.  I just use a wood box the hubby put together for me.  It needs to be 15" x 7" and at least 5" high.  Line your mold with wax paper (I used saran wrap here...not highly suggested, but didn't have wax paper)

Weigh out sodium hydroxide.  Set Aside.

Weigh out water.  SLOWLY add sodium hydroxide to the water.  Mix well.

The fumes may get a  little strong, so step out of the room if you need to and come back to finish mixing.  The reaction between the water and sodium hydroxide creates heat, so set the bowl aside to let it cool.

While wating for the the sodium hydroxide mixture to cool.  Weigh out your oils.  Heat them until they become liquid.  Allow them to cool as well.

Both the oils and the sodium hydroxide should cool to 80-100 degrees. 

When they both reach tempature, while stirring, SLOWLY pour the sodium hydroxide into the oils.  I use my kitchen stand mixer with the paddle attachment for this.  Start on the slowest speed.  Let it mix, as it thickens, increase the speed.

The soap will reach what they call a "trace".  This is when you can drizzle some of the mixture over itself and it leaves a trail.  Kind of a cake mix batter consistency.  When you get to this point (this could take 30 minutes or more of mixing), you can stop mixing.  Add any smelly goods here (7 teaspoons of essential oils maximum).  Mix it in for another 30 seconds.

Note:  I don't get all fancy with my soap...it's just for my family.  Don't stress yourself out trying to make it smell or look perfect. 

Now, pour the soap into the mold.  Cover the mold to keep the soap from being exposed to the air.  I just through a small piece of plywood over it.  Let that cure for 24 hours.  Pop the soap out, cut it into bars.  Now, put the bars in a cool, dry place to finish curing for minimum 2 weeks. 

Easy as pie!  Easier to me, because I can not bake a pie the right way to save my life!! :)

Happy Soap Making!!!
 

The Famous Homemade Laundry Detergent

I can't even begin to count how many people I've passed this recipe on to.  I've got it from my friend Dana a few years ago originally as an alternative to expensive commercial laundry detergent.  As our household became more aware of the products we bought and how they effected the environment, it just added to my love for this recipe.


We make a conscious effort to steer clear of buying products with lots of packaging.  We do this in lots of ways...buying used, frequenting the bulk bins at the health food store, staying away from individually packaged anything, enforcing the use of water canteens and reusable coffee mugs, eating only fresh veggies,  hunting and fishing our meat instead of buying it, banning paper towels in our house...really just being aware of what we buy.  There are so many ways to reduce waste, and a little effort by all goes a long way!  Pick one idea or come up with your own, and try it for a week...you may never go back :)

Even though we recycle, it still takes a process that uses energy, transportation  and emissions are still produced.  Don't get me wrong, recycling is MUCH better than throwing it "away"...just where is "away" anyways?   So, in the case of laundry detergent containers, our preferred method of the three R's (Reduce, Reuse and Recycle) is to Reduce.  I triple the recipe, store it in a 6 gallon bucket saved from my bulk wheat berry purchases, and refill an old Tide container as needed. 

Before I give you the recipe, just a  few more bits of info I want to share.  This soap will not suds like commercial laundry detergent.  You will see a small amount of suds while you are making the soap, because soap does make a small amount of suds naturally.  The lack of suds does not mean it's not working.  Suds were actually introduced to soaps for marketing purposes.  We've basically gotten trained to seeing suds and think cleaning.  Commercial laundry detergent manufacturers use sodium laurel sulfate or some derivative of it as a surfactant.  That's what makes the suds.  Unfortunately, it is a proven carcinogen.   Aside from the surfactants, more recently, another set of chemicals being introduced called optical brighteners, are used to "trick" the eye into by altering ultraviolet wavelengths to make clothes look brighter. Studies have shown these agents are extremely toxic to fish and can cause mutations in bacteria. They can also trigger strong allergic reactions in humans when exposed to sunlight.  Last, but not least, commercial detergents contain phenols.  Phenols have been deemed toxic by the National Health Institute.  They can cause damage to the lungs, heart, kidneys and liver. They are very easily absorbed into the skin, making them especially dangerous. Phenols have been linked to serious health conditions and even death.  None of these are something I'd like to have touching my family's bodies all day or entering our waterways.

On a happier note, I like a little smelly good in my detergents...especially on towels and sheets.  I don't add it to my big batch, because I use vinegar as a fabric softener on my dark loads of laundry, and it neutralizes whatever scent I added.  Since I line dry my clothes, a fabric softener helps to do a dryer's work and remove any lint that tends to be visible on dark loads.   If you're not using vinegar as a fabric softener, feel free to add a few drops of essential oils to your detergent.  I like to use lavender, but get creative...try jasmine, lemon, eucalyptus, orange, geranium, rose, vanilla.  You can mix them or try them on their own.  Have fun with it!    

Lastly, I find all these ingredients at Publix.  The Borax is a little less expensive at Target, so if I'm there already, I try to remember to grab a box.  Did I mention, this recipe costs practically nothing?  I make a 6 gallon bucket of laundry detergent for under $5, and it lasts me at least 4 months (if not longer).

I know there are so many versions of this recipe out there.  This one worked right off the bat for us, so I never tried any others.  If you have a recipe you use, please feel free to post it in the comment section!!

LAUNDRY DETERGENT RECIPE

1/3 bar soup (Fels Naptha or other types of soap like Zote )
1/2 a cup of washing soda
1/2 cup of borax powder
2 gallon size bucket to mix in


Grate the soap into a sauce pan. Then add 6 cups of water & heat til soap is completely melted. Add washing soda and borax and stir that til dissolved. Remove from heat; pour 4 cups of hot water (we just use out the faucet, as hot as it would get) into a bucket; now add your soap mixture; stir. Then add 1 gallon plus 6 cups of water; stir. Use 1/2 a cup per load.

Happy Cleaning!