Em here, so Debra sent us this project in two parts, part one, the epic failure. So then Debra decided to do some research and find out what went wrong and then fixed her own Pinstrosity, part two total success, you go girl! So many times we see on Pinterest how to "Make Your Own Soap", "Make Your Own Laundry Detergent For 10 Cents A Gallon!", make your own everything is the new way to be super frugal, however sometimes these projects just turn out to be a waste of time, money, and high hopes for a money conscience household. Debra did the footwork here, and will definitely be reaping the reward!
The Original
Debra uses Dove, so she went ahead and followed the directions for the "Girly Body Wash", and added lavender essential oils, I am a TOTAL essential oils junkie and can I tell you I am sure her soap smells FANTASTIC! The directions (if you are going to try this at home please visit the original site and follow the directions to a T, I am only giving a synopsis of what to do here) say to use three soap bars and 6 cups of water, bringing the water to a boil and then microwaving each bar for 90 seconds and then stirring it in the hot water immediately.
Debra decided to get her husband on the DIY body wash band wagon since her first try went so well, he is an Irish Springs man she said, so she tried with this new soap brand. He suggested using only one bar of soap so if it doesn't work they are only wasting one bar, not three. So she adjusted the proportions of water to the one bar she was using and here is what happened...
The Pinstrosity
**This picture is for added dramatic effect, she didn't check to see if the container was microwave safe. Soap 1-Debra 0, remember to check first! The soap will be HOT when you get it out of the microwave, Debra burned and blistered herself during the process so please be careful**
Here is the actual Pinstrosity. Debra added the soap to the water, and it turned to complete solid mass. No good.
Here however is where she went the extra mile, she did some research and after finding a forum about homemade soap ( http://www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/household-tips-tricks/473954-diy-homemade-flop-not-such-flop-after-all.html) she found someone who had made Irish Spring Body Wash! Win! So the problem was that she didn't use enough water, so on try two she added the complete 6 cups, and then added some glycerin and coconut oil (apparently this soap is REALLY thick once it turns into body wash, this was to help the mixture thin out a bit). She made the concoction, let it sit for 24 hours, came back to check on it...and success! She says it is VERY thick still, but is in body wash form none-the-less.
The trick to this is the amount of water, for some reason the makeup of the Irish Spring just needs more water, so when doing this project try to shy away from changing up the water to soap ratios, and stick with the tried and true, here is Debra's Pin Win, this is the original Dove that she did first:
According to the original site, she says after calculating everything out you save about 75% on soap if you use the DIY recipe, pretty great right!? So there you have it, a Pinstrosity, a Pinvestigation, and a Pin-Win all in one! Thanks so much Debra! Happy Monday everyone!
-Emilee
I tried this twice and gave up. Both times they came out really thick and slick/slimy and wouldn't lather at all. It was a goo that would slide off the wash cloth or loofa. I may try again sometime in the future, but not anytime soon.
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes out thick and slimy put it in a bowl and beat it with a mixer for a little while...that helps it turn into the right consistency.
DeleteLather doesn't mean it cleans better, so just because it doesn't lather doesn't mean it isn't working.
DeleteSWEET, thanks!!! I LOVE Dove and body soap but hate having to spend so much for it when the bars are so cheap. Looks like I get the best of both worlds at a very reasonable cost! I can't wait to try this!!! Thanks again!!! :)
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to try this. I am super sensitive to fragrances in the soaps, so if I make my own au naturale, hopefully I won't break out! Score! I miss using fragrant soaps.
ReplyDeleteI make my own Dove body wash all the time, and I LOVE it. 6 cups of hot water...not boiling, just simmering + 3 bars of Dove, grated. Stir it in, one bar at at time, and let it melt. Once melted completely, stir and take off the heat. After about an hour I transfer it to empty, clean, shampoo bottles that I've saved. I tried the microwave method, and I like the grated method better.
ReplyDeleteHow many bottles does it make? I'm just wondering if it turns out to be more than 3 bars of soap worth. It seems like I use up body wash faster than a bar of soap.
DeleteI tried this with Irish Spring and ended up with the melted measuring cup as well. The whole microware smelled awful after that everytime we used it. We ended up having to throw it away and get a new one. I tried to save $4 on body wash and ended up spending $60 on a new microwave lol
ReplyDeleteI tried this using a recipe with grated soap (they said any bar was fine), water and glycerin. Followed the directions, measured carefully . . . ended up with a huge saucepan full of what could only be likened to snot. Slimy, sticky, stringy snot. The kids used the entire amount on their slip & slide . . . and I made them hose of the snot before they came back inside!
ReplyDeleteI made this homemade body wash but instead of microwaving the bars of soap, I grated them. Then did the whole bring to water a boil process then reduce heat until all grated soap is dissolved. Worked out great and will definitely make it again
ReplyDeleteHey just found your blog, it's such a good read! I have something similar-ish at wwww.pin-terested.blogspot.com where I work my way through everything I've pinned and post the good and the bad! :)
ReplyDeleteFound your blog after making liquid soap out of my favorite soap, Shea Moisture Olive and
ReplyDeleteGreen Tea Shea Butter Soap. I used 1 gallon of distilled water and 2 TBSP of Swan Glycerin. Came out soft but so thick it won't come out of bottle. Do you have any suggestions for what I might try to thin it? Whipping, more water, more glycerin?