Laundry Detergent ReVisited

For the last four years I have been making my own laundry soap. I made the switch when the store bought Tide bottles kept getting smaller and the price getting bigger. I kept thinking in my head. Why is store bought laundry detergent SO expensive? Plus making my own laundry detergent was a great way to take additional steps into natural living.

You can find my original Laundry Detergent Recipe here, Suds or No Suds.

My original recipe included using a Fels Naptha Soap bar but because of my concerns of the ingredients in the soap bar. Plus I was not crazy about the smell of the Fels Naptha soap bar. I swapped it for a homemade oil based Lavender Soap Bar.

Homemade Laundry Detergent Recipe

1 Bar 5 ounce bar of Handmade Lavender Soap

2 cups of Washing Soda or Baking Soda

2 cups of Borax Powder

A few drops of Lavender Essential Oil

Simply grate the soap bar, then mix it with the wash soda and borax. I put the three ingredients in a food processor to create a fine powder.

Directions:

Use 1 Tbsp of Laundry Soap per load.

I love the new heavenly smell of my laundry detergent. Plus, I am happy to be taking additional steps towards avoiding possible harmful chemicals.

Why I ditched the Fels Naptha soap bar?  It contains petro chemicals, stoddard solvent, artificial color and artificial fragrance. Just like most commercially made laundry products Fels Naptha can irritate sensitive people or pets.

Let’s break down what’s in these ingredients?

Borax is a naturally occurring mineral made up of sodium, boron, oxygen, and water.

Washing Soda or Baking Soda which is sometimes called sodium carbonate or soda ash, is made from common salt and limestone or natural deposits.

Handmade Lavender Soap is created with pure olive oil, palm and coconut oil. Scented with lavender essential oil.

Happy Washing and Thanks for stopping by my blog.

Smiles, Paula

{ Follow Me On Pinterest } Paula Parrish

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How to Go Green with Personal Care

In my personal quest to measure my impact on the earth, there are small things that I do daily to have a positive impact.  From the time that I wake up in the morning I avoid products with chemicals and harmful compounds.  Many common store bought health and beauty products are loaded with tons of chemicals that are potentially harmful to your body and the environment. It is truly disappointing that most commercial manufacturers do not have consumers health in mind as a top priority when designing or manufacturing their products for the mass market.  Therefore, I believe that it is up to me as a consumer, to take a closer look at these products for the safety of my family and the God given planet.  Taking a closer look at these personal care products has lead me to some better, healthier choices for my family, my self, and God’s planet.  The good news is that I have found many companies that have a high standard of care when manufacturing their products.  A few companies that I recommend by personal experience are Natural Garden Soaps ;o), Dr. Bronner’s, and Avalon Organics.

Here is a list of ingredients that I recommend to AVOID.
Parabens. Used as a preservative in many personal cleansing and moisturizing products such as shampoos, lotions, and shaving products.  Parabens are often loaded with yucky methyl, ethyl, and propyl.  Many studies have linked parabens to breast cancer, dermatitis, and allergic skin reactions.
Phthalates.  They are often found in commercially made perfumes, nail polishes, and deodorants. Phthalates are linked to infertility, low sperm counts, and other hormone related problems.
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate.  Countless bath and beauty products contain sulfates. In fact some commercial soaps contain up to 30%, eek.  Sulfates are considered to be highly irritating and dangerous.  Shampoos that include this nasty ingredient are associated with eye irritation, scalp irritation, tangled hair,and frizzy hair. Perhaps of most concern is the link to hormone issues, PMS, oestrogen levels, and cancers.
Top Green Personal Care TIPS.
Make your own beauty treatments at home.  I have numerous natural recipes listed on my sister blog at paulaparrish@blogspot.com.
Look at the label.  Buy products with natural, organic, earth loving ingredients.  Stick with natural ingredients that benefit your health like; olive oil, palm oil, coconut oil, organic herbs, organic vegetables, essential oils and plant derived ingredients grown without fertilizers.
Only use products that you need.  Kick out cosmetics, nail polishes, and unnecessary hair products. Which may contribute to air pollution, carbon emissions, and millions of pounds of waste.  It has been freeing to simplify my life, and have less clutter.
Toss out aluminum based deodorants.  For better health and environment replace your deodorants with natural product.  I believe that spending a few extra dollars is worth it to keep myself and my family away from aluminum and other toxins.
Don’t use cheap shaving cream. Instead of that nasty store-bought aerosol can with the funky smell, use 100% aloe vera gel to shave instead. Works great and is awesome for your skin.
I hope that you found this information to be informative
and helpful for your lifestyle.
Thanks for stopping by and visiting my blog.

Smiles, Paula

{ Follow Me On Pinterest  } Paula Parrish

Honey Bee & Oatmeal Soap

Our Honey Bee & Oatmeal is one of our best sellers.

It is one of my favorite soaps; the smell totally marvelous.

This soap is packed full of natural skin healing ingredients like honey, beeswax and oatmeal.

Honey Bee & Oatmeal soap is made with these ingredients.

Olive oil, coconut oil, palm oil, pure distilled water, Florida honey, beeswax, organic oatmeal and lots of love.

You may ask what are the benefits of these natural ingredients; well here is an explanation.

Oatmeal is gentle on all types of skin, especially recommended in treatment of problem skin type and acne troubled skin. Oatmeal is a natural exfoliant and an anti-inflammatory agent. Oatmeal also removes the dead cells of the skin, revealing a smoother and softer skin. Oatmeal is an excellent skin care treatment, oatmeal helps to relieve dryness, restoring natural moisture balance to aid in healing minor irritations and sensitivities. That is why it works so well on people with skin rashes or eczema.

Honey is a naturally healing moisturizer, full of natural enzymes and vitamins, like C, D, and E, to leave skin soft and healthy. Honey's a natural antioxidant and has wonderful properties which help to protect the skin from the damage of the sun's rays, supports the skin's ability to rejuvenate and refresh skin, leaving it feeling silky soft.

Beeswax has healing, softening and antiseptic properties when used on the skin.  Beeswax is a natural humectant and has emollient, soothing and softening properties and helps the skin retain moisture.

Olive Oil is one of the best natural treatments that you can use for dry skin. It's light plus mild and has antibacterial properties.

Coconut Oil consists of a small molecular structure which allows it to be easily absorbed into the skin, giving it a soft, smooth texture. It makes an ideal ointment for the relief of dry, rough and wrinkled skin. Eczema sufferers often see great improvements with coconut oil based soaps. Coconut oil has anti fungal, anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties. It has wonderful antioxidant properties that protect the skin from free radical damage. It has the ability to nourish and heal the skin.

Palm Oil protection against UV-induced skin damage and skin aging. Palm oil is very high in Vitamin E. Tocotrienols found in palm oil are useful as a sunscreen, containing compounds that reduce penetration of, or absorption of ultraviolet radiation. Tocotrienols in palm oil applied onto the skin are found to penetrate rapidly through the skin and in the highest concentrations.

The handmade soap is recommended for normal to sensitive skin types.

Enjoy this soap on your hands, in the bath and in the shower.
This soap is available for purchase at:  www.naturalgardensoaps.com

Whip up your own homemade facial scrub; it is super easy and work awesome.

Find the recipe here: Honey Bee & Oatmeal Facial Recipe

Would you try this recipe at home?

Suds or No Suds

ECO-FRIENDLY

Homemade Laundry Detergent

I have been making my own handmade laundry detergent for the past few years.

I started making it when the economy turned south in effort to save money

and use something better for the environment.

In addition to that the Tide bottles in the stores seemed to be getting smaller

and the price was getting bigger.

I call that CRAZZZZYYYYY!

I just had enough and I thought no more of this store bought laundry soap.

Homemade Laundry Detergent
1 Bar of Fels Naptha Soap
1 cup Washing Soda or Baking Soda
1 cup Borax Powder
Simply grated the Fels Naptha Soap bar and mix with the wash soda and borax. I put the three ingredients in a food processor to create a fine powder. To make the Fels Naptha Soap bar easier to grate I wrap it in the paper towel and place it in the microwave for 30 seconds.

Directions:

Use 1 Tbsp of Laundry Soap per load.

Everything comes out just super clean and soft as it did when I used the pricey store bought laundry detergent.

This handmade detergent works well in warm or cold water.

This is an exceptionally fresh smelling laundry detergent you can feel

great about using for your clothes.

Cleans and smells FANTASTIC! 

This detergent has no added fragrance, so the clean, fresh smell comes only from the grated soap.

If you prefer a scent just drop in a few drops of your favorite essential oil into the detergent

or use one of our handmade soap bars from Natural Garden Soaps

in place of the Fels Naptha soap bar.

Plus one of the best things is that this handmade detergent is Eco~Friendly and free from Sodium Lauryl Sulfate. Sulfates are foaming agents that is used in commercial soaps and laundry detergents. I choose to avoid products with sulfates because they are bad for the environment and possibly bad for my health. This handmade detergent is safe for septic systems and has no suds which makes it perfect for all washers. Don't be alarmed if it doesn't suds up like yours use to...this handmade natural detergent cleans great with no suds.

What laundry soap do you use to clean your clothes?

Happy Washing!