...Cooking up homemade household products that is!!!
So...it's been over a year of low milk prices and lots of us are talking about different ways to save money. In times like these, it's not a good idea to make huge changes in the barn, but some little changes in the house can make a difference. Some of these recipes may have been shared in different posts, but I thought I'd put them all together for you:
Shampoo
1 cup water
1 T baking soda
Mix together in an old shampoo bottle (add essential oils if you wish)
Enjoy this delightful "no poo" by shaking the bottle before use and then massage into your hair - starting at the roots - rinse and repeat as desired
Conditioner
1 T apple cider vinegar
1 C water
Mix together in an old (clean) shampoo bottle
Shake bottle before use and then massage into your hair. Let sit several minutes and then rinse & enjoy!
Dish Soap
2 cups boiling water
1 Tbsp + 1/2 teaspoon borax
2 Tbsp grated bar soap (use homemade soap, castile bar soap, Ivory, or whichever natural bar you prefer)
15-20 drops essential oils (I love lavender or orange)
Heat water to boiling.
Combine borax and grated bar soap in a large bowl. Pour hot water and whisk until the melted.
Cool 8+ hours, stirring occasionally.
Soap will thicken.
Transfer to an old bottle and add essential oils - enjoy!
***I haven't had much luck with dishwasher soap recipes, so if you have one that works, let me know.
Hand Soap
1/4 cup grated bar soap
1 quart of water
essential oils (we love orange in the kitchen and lavender in the bath)
Place all ingredients except oils in a small pan on medium heat - stir constantly til dissolved.
Cool several hours and pour into your old dispenser (if you want to add oils, do that now)
After a day or so, your soap will thicken (not quite to the consistency of store bought). Once thick, go ahead and shake well and you're ready to use!
Laundry Soap
½ cup borax
1 cup washing soda
1 bar Fels-Naptha soap
3 gallons distilled
5gallon bucket with tight fitting lid
Grate the Fels-Naptha.
Pour 4 cups of your water into a kettle. Bring to a biol then reduce heat and simmer. Add grated soap - cup by cup and stir until dissolved.
Pour all ingredients into your bucket and stir together - you'll need to stir before each use as well
Use 1C per load (makes approx. 50 loads worth)
OR
Alternate Laundry Soap
1C Borax
1C Washing Soda
1C Castile Soap
16C distilled H2O
Essential oils - optional
Dissolve Borax and Washing Soda with 6C H2O on the stove (10 ish minutes at medium heat)
While that's "cooking" - combine the rest of the water and the castile soap in a 5 gallon bucket
If you're adding Essential Oils - add them to the room temperature water mixture in the 5 gallon bucket
Pour heated mixture over the room temperature mixture in the 5 gallon bucket
Stir gently with a wooden spoon - stirring too vigorously will give you bubbles (bubbles are undesirable)
Ladle out using a measuring cup or something with a nice pouring spout and refill existing containers
Label your containers
Use 1/4 to 1/2C depending on load size, type of washer, amount of dirt, etc... You can also pour a bit directly on a stain and let sit.
**I'll share my deodorant and lip balm recipe tomorrow
We also use cloth diaper, plant a large garden, and do plenty of canning as well as baking our own bread, making butter, kefir, yogurt, sour cream, etc...the fewer trips to the store, the better!
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