Recipe --and Giveaway

Homemade Foaming Hand Soap

You get the same puffy-creamy soap as in the commercial stuff, only you'll know exactly what yours is made of.

Last summer I was at a Bed and Bath Store when they were holding a special sale of their wonderfully scented foaming hand soaps. It was something like 6 for $20, plus a bonus free one for a total of 7. Needless to say, those nice smelling soaps are long gone. With a household of seven, the only ones that lasted any length of time were the two I kept for the master bathroom. (Coconut-Lime, yeah!)

Well, had I known then how easy it is to make my own foaming hand soap, I wouldn't have spent $20 bucks on theirs, good scents notwithstanding. I've also since learned that fragrances are some of the worst offenders when it comes to carrying heavy toxic loads of nasties, and who knows what else is in their soap? Most commercial soaps and skin care products--of all things--have really bad neurotoxins like parabens, sulfates, and propylene glycol. (Check your favorite brand--you'll probably find one or more of these few that I've just listed!)

When I recently discovered how quick and easy it is to make my own foaming style soap, I determined never to buy another commercial concoction unless my dispenser breaks. (You need a foaming soap dispenser to start with, so you'll have to buy one if you don't already have one.)

Foaming Soap Recipe  

(This is so easy, I can hardly call it a recipe.) 

 

Fill soap dispenser 3/4 full with cool water. Fill the rest of the way with Castile soap, leaving just enough space for the pump, so it doesn't overflow when you close it up. Shake to blend, and presto! You now have your own foaming soap.

 

For those who really want a recipe, or if you're a purist, you could do it this way:

Take about 1 cup of distilled or boiled water, and mix with about 1/4 cup of Castile soap.

 

Not a purist, but just want to save money by making your own? Use the 3/4 water to 1/4 soap ratio, but use any liquid soap in place of the Castile. It will still work just as well. The only difference is that you've got commercial dyes and fragrances as usual. 

 

Like homemade but miss the fragrance? Buy some essential oils and add about 20 or so drops to your soap. You may need to experiment to get it to the level of fragrance you want. 

 

I have only one caution if you use my method, which is, the Castile soap. There is a warning on the label not to get Castile in the eyes. For adults, the soap poses no hazard since it's very diluted, and most grown-ups don't go around sticking their fingers or fists in their eyes. Children, who love to play with suds and, in this case--foam--may experience some irritation. So, if you have little ones in the house, you might want to avoid the liquid Castile. 

 

 GIVEAWAY**GIVEAWAY**GIVEAWAY**GIVEAWAY

The current giveaway is still open. Just leave a comment related to any post this month and you could win!  Please include your email so I can notify you.

This month's giveaway is the hardcover: English Country House Murders and, the British CD "More Tea, Vicar?"

English Country House Murders is an exciting collection of some of the very best writing in the genre by top-notch writers of the past century (and the 19th). You'll find names like P.D. James, Wilkie Collins, G.K.Chesterton, and even P.G.Wodehouse. Dame Agatha Christie  is here, of course, as well.  As the insert of the book says, this is the "first hardcover anthology devoted entirely to mystery, crime, and detective stories set in the specialized and surprisingly dangerous world of the manor."

The dust jacket is a bit dog-eared but otherwise, English Country House Murders is in perfectly eerie-reading shape. 

More Tea, Vicar?-- "Gentle Teatime Classic". "Music on the theme of tea, with a hint of coffee thrown in for those who like their caffeine from beans, not leaves! A light-hearted brew of old favourites and familiar songs for tongue in cheek listening while sipping the glorious nectar which is tea!"

To enter the giveaway, leave a comment. Start off by telling us of a lovely house-museum you've visited, or perhaps how you may have been influenced by Billy Graham at some point in your life.

Warmest Blessings,

Linore