Another one bites the dust!

I have been slowly trying to reduce the number of toiletry items we buy. Not only does it save us money, but it also seems much more self-sufficient! Well, today another one bites the dust! I had gotten us down to: soap (now homemade), shampoo (the latest to bite the dust), deodorant, David's aftershave, and my hair gel. Those are the only things we use on a daily basis (outside of razors), and I think we look and smell just fine!

A bar of my homemade soap after curing.

For the last several years I have used only Dove Sensitive Skin products because Dove is the brand Ob-Gyns recommend to help avoid hormone imbalances. (Some people are more sensitive to them than others and at different points in your life.) I had tried to use their soap to wash my hair previously, and I was just not pleased with the results. My hair seemed really dry. Today when I took a shower, I thought "Hmmm, I haven't tried washing my hair with my nice, moisturizing homemade soap." I tried it, and it worked great! I couldn't tell a difference between that and using shampoo!!! David was pleased that it worked so well so he will be trying it in the near future. (Might I also mention that it is gentle enough to use on children once they understand to close their eyes.)

My hair by the end of the day (please excuse the poor evening lighting). Also, I decided that I cannot cut my own hair. David and Jessica's yes, but not my own!

Next on my list is deodorant. I have been doing my research on this one, but have not finished checking out all of the options. The hair gel is likely to stay because I have almost a lifetime supply from when I bartered School Psychology services for haircuts and hair products. The aftershave I have not found a descent replacement for yet either. It may stay as well.

Money Saving Monday: Making Soap!

This weekend I finally took the beef fat (tallow) out of the freezer and made soap the old fashioned way (using fat, lye, and water)! This was my first time making soap. I might have over done it on the safety gear! It really wasn't as dangerous or as messy as people make it look as long as you know what you are doing (which I did since I had read Soap by Ann Bramson).

Me all decked out in my safety gear!

I chose to make castile soap. It called for 32 oz of water, 11 oz lye, 60 oz tallow, and 26 oz of olive oil. The ounces are measured using a scale NOT fluid ounces. This is very important!!!

The lye mixture

First I measured out the lye and water into a glass bowl that I had placed in the sink. Lye mixed with water gets very hot, very quickly so I didn't want to have to move the container after mixing it! It was also important to stir the mixture with a wooden spoon to make sure it got mixed well. Next I combined the tallow and olive oil by heating it in a large pot.

Combining the tallow and olive oil.

It is also very important what types of containers and spoons you use, because the lye mixture can "melt" aluminum pans due to its caustic nature. I chose to use an enamel pot (although I think you can also use stainless steel), a glass bowl (due to the intense heat), and a wooden spoon. Once the lye mixture and the oil mixture were both between 95 and 98 degrees, I combined them by slowly pouring the lye mixture into the oil mixture while stirring constantly. I stirred the mixture until it traced (meaning you could draw pictures with the droplets falling off the spoon), which took about an hour.

To protect my counter tops, I put down a towel covered with wax paper. It really wasn't that messy. Next time I might just lay down a towel.

Finally I used a stainless steel measuring cup to scoop the soap out into a bunch of old 8 oz sour cream containers (and a few butter containers when I ran out!) I covered them with the lids and placed towels on top of the containers to trap in the heat.

The final product!

The next day I uncovered them and found this beautiful soap!! It needs to cure for at least 2-4 weeks before it will be ready to use. Currently it is laying out uncovered on top of my kitchen cabinets with a light towel over them to keep out dirt. In about a month, I will take the soap out of the molds. There may be a light, white dust covering the soap. This is called washing soda, basically a more intense form of baking soda. I can either use it as is or try to dust some of it off to use in the laundry. I personally wouldn't use it for cooking. I suppose there isn't anything wrong with it, but I am just not comfortable with it!

And there you have it! My first attempt at making soap! It was much easier than I had anticipated! It was also fun, educational, AND economical! What more can you ask for?!?!?! I already had pretty much all of the supplies in my kitchen, and the ingredients cost me very little in comparison to purchasing soap! The expense of making soap really comes down to how much you are willing to spend. The next recipe I would like to try would only cost me the price of the lye, unless I choose to make my own lye. Hmmmm.....now there's a thought! Oh and if you were wondering what my husband's reaction was to all of this, he said, "Wow, it actually feels like soap!"

No Boys Allowed!

Ok, so boys are allowed, they just might want to skip this post! This post is about feminine hygeine. Specifically reusable pads and tampons.

I wash cloth diapers all the time now that my daughter breaks out in a horrible rash in the summer if we use disposable diapers. So the other day I got to thinking, "Why in the world am I buying disposable pads if I am already washing cloth diapers?!?!" So today I took the leap! I took a couple extra cloth diapers I had laying around, cut them in half across the middle, serged the cut edges, and safety pinned them into my underwear using the outer sides as wings and a safety pin!

I also took a trashcan with a lid that I had around the house and filled it most of the way with water and set it by the toilet (with a Do Not Open sign on it for my husband!). This is where I am putting the used ones to soak. My plan is to rinse out the trashcan and toss the "pads" in with the washer with the bucket of dirty diapers for a rinse cycle or two before washing.

I have heard that you can make your own using flannel and such, but I just wanted something quick and easy to try. It seems to be working really well for me, but I also tend to have long, light cycle so this method might not work as well for the person with a heavy cycle. I have also heard that you can make a tampon using a baby sock rolled up. I must say I find the idea interesting but have not tried it yet. For anyone who is interested, there are websites Link out there that sell pre-made reusable pads that may work better for those with heavier cycles.

Haircuts

I am sorry, but I only have a picture of my daughter getting her hair cut. I don't think David would appreciate modeling for my blog!


I cut all of the hair in our house. David used to wait and get his haircut when we went home to visit; however, as those trips got farther and farther apart he decided to let me trim his hair. Apparently, he thought I did a good job because now he refuses to see anyone else! I think the important thing to remember when cutting hair is to start out slow with a little trim. As you become more accustom to how the person's hair behaves, you can take a few more risks.

Another thing to consider is the shape of the individual's head. When I first cut my daughter's hair, I didn't have a lot of options because she didn't have much hair to begin with! My goal was just to shape it up. However, I noticed after trimming her hair that she has an incredibly round face! I started searching on the internet for complimentary haircuts for people with round faces and concluded that the best thing to do would be to let her hair grow out (while occasionally trimming it to keep it even) and eventually layer it as it grows thicker.


One final thing I have learned from cutting all of the hair at our house is that cutting your own hair is very difficult! I am still trying to decide what to do with my own hair. For now it is fine as a bob with a headband, but I don't think I will stick with that look. I am also not certain that I will continue cutting my own hair. I'll have to let you know what I decide to do!