Natural Options: Homemade Powdered Laundry Detergent (Safe, Simple, Effective)

How do I put this simply... umm... I love this stuff!

 

On my continued search for a more pure life, both internally and externally, I have made many changes. One change is how I do laundry. Although some changes have been difficult for me, this has not. Making your own laundry detergent can actually be very quick and simple as you will see in this post. Better yet it is very cheap and that is always a nice perk.

Before I go any further I must say that I was a firm believer in liquid laundry detergent. In fact, I used a recipe very similar to this one to create a liquid detergent. I found a few problems with this. 1. It takes longer to make. You must melt the soap and let it sit overnight, extending the process quite a bit. 2. Storage. It is a lot easier to store a tub of powder than 12 bottles of laundry detergent (or a large cooler of detergent). 3. I think the fresh powder helps scrub the clothes and give an overall fresh scent.

What you will need:
2 cups of Borax
2 cups of Arm & Hammer Washing Soda (this is not baking soda)
1 bar of Fels-Naptha Laundry Bar
(all things listed above can be found in the laundry aisle)

Small grater for the Fels-Naptha bar
Blender or food processor. A blender will give you a finer power, but I have used both and they both work very well.
(both things listed above I recommend using only for this purpose. I would not use for food or drink. These types of things can be easily purchased at a thrift store for this purpose.)

Then you are ready to begin!

 

Grate the bar of Fels-Naptha with the grater (watch those fingers! lol).

 

 

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl.

 

Add small amounts of the mixture to your blender or food processor. (Warning: if you are using a blender be sure to only use small amounts at a time. The fine powder mixture can get compacted down by the blades and burn up your blender.) 

 

Once you have mixed the ingredients from the bowl to your liking place it in an air-tight container for storage.

 

That is it! You now have your very own powdered laundry detergent. Give it a try on your musty towels... I think you will be pleasantly surprised!

 

Note: This may not suds as much as the chemical products in the store, but trust me, it knows how to clean! :)

 Best of luck making your own laundry detergent. If you have any questions or comments please click "Post a Comment" below, I would love to hear from you. If you have your own recipe please share, I also love to hear about how others are making their lives more pure.

 

Lunch Break at the Park!

I cannot think of a better way to spend my lunch than with my family, it’s the best! Especially when you have a 9 to 5 J.O.B. and you have a chance to escape, even if just for an hour. It also helps when you have an amazing mother that watches your children while you are at the office. Fortunately that is my case. Today my mom brought my girls, picked me up from work and took us all to the park where we had a picnic and playtime… whoop! (high five)

Ok, so this picture is horrible, I know. We were moving, the kids were moving and I took it with my phone, I just had to share it. The girls were ready to go and so were their babies, all buckled in! Too cute.

Sunshine and fun!

So thankful for this day and my mother who made it all possible!

Treasure the little things and the everyday moments. 

I know I will miss days like these when the children are grown.

Have you taken your children to the park lately or somewhere else fun and spontaneous?

Hair Side Twist: My Little Girls Love This!

I discovered this hair do while rooting around on Pinterest (which I LOVE by the way).

I enjoy this hair do so much that I have decided to share it here on my blog. It is quick, easy and I always get compliments on my daughters' hair when I do it like this. In fact, I just showed a waitress at Olive Garden how to do it after she was done taking our order!

http://shaunellshair.blogspot.com/2010/02/little-girls-hairstyles-side-twist.html

MY OWN SPIN: After the twist is complete I usually do the ending a little different than this video.

1. Mess bun my way: I make a dew drop (pony tail only pulled halfway through the elastic band) then pull the dew drop up to the side and secure it with a flower. It looks like a messy bun, without the "mess". (see my images below)

2. Spiral curl: Sometimes I will just place the hair in a ponytail and add a spiral curl to it for a different look.

No matter how you finish off this style, I know you will love it too. Visit Shaunell's Hair blog for even more fun ideas!

 

Yes, she's a ham! :)

Natural Options: Silky Smooth Skin Homemade Body Scrub

It seems I have always been plagued with dry skin, especially in the winter. I’m sure it probably has something to do with my love for heat (hot showers, space heater at work, and the furnace at home). Anyone who suffers from dry skin knows that it is not fun or pretty. I have tried many different types of lotions, creams, and scrubs with mostly the same results. My skin would feel great at first, but by the end of the day I was feeling dry again, but NO MORE! I have found something that works amazing for me and I hope it will work just as good for you. Better yet, it’s natural! (I have said goodbye to rubbing dangerous parabens and chemicals on my body!)

Here’s what I love about it (Oh, what don’t I love about it?!)…

• It’s natural and chemical free!
• It lasts for days so I don’t have to waste time doing a 5 step process every morning and night!
• It makes my leg shaving so much closer I actually shave less!
• It can be made with ingredients already in your kitchen!
• No more messy lotions!
• I can use it on my kids too!
• It’s cheap!

My secret?

Step 1: A homemade body scrub (recipe below)
Step 2: Cooler shower. Don’t freeze yourself, you don’t have to with this, just not scolding hot.
Step 3: Pat dry. Do not rub all of the water off of your body.
Step 4: Moisturize (product listed below)

STEP 1
Body scrub ingredients

2 TBSP Olive Oil

2 TBSP Apple Cider Vinegar

2 TBSP Honey

Juice from 1 freshly squeezed lemon

2 Cups Sugar

This may not sound like a miracle mixture, but for me it is pretty close.

STEP 2

Shower and scrub

Wash your body as usual with a light soap that is free of chemicals and not harsh on your skin. Then rub the body scrub all over your body in the shower. Scrub longer on problem areas like elbows, knees, feet or bumps that have formed on your arms, thighs, or buttock. Rinse. You will feel silky, that is the olive oil moisturizing your skin. It is normal, do not over rinse.

STEP 3 

Pat dry
Pat yourself dry with your towel. Do not rub off the remaining moisture and olive oil on your skin. It is ok to still feel a little damp.

STEP 4
Moisturize
Vaseline Cocoa Butter Petroleum Jelly (as pictured below)

I rub the Vaseline evenly on both hands and rub a light layer over my whole body. The results will be astounding. If you do this right before bed you can add a thicker layer for extra moisture. If you want to use the Vaseline on your face (which I recommend with the following advice), use it only at bedtime then take a shower and wash your face and hair in the morning. If not, you may find that your face and hair look greasy throughout the day. I’m speaking from experience. :)

NOTE: Some folks do not like to use petroleum products. If you are one of those people do not fret, this is just an extra step. You will find that your skin is moisturized before this step. However, you may need to use the scrub more often than someone that is using the Vaseline as well.

LAST BUT NOT LEAST!
Do NOT tell your husband, boyfriend, etc. that you are doing this. He will notice, trust me! After only doing this 2 times my husband said, “I don’t know what you are doing different, but your legs feel amazing! I can’t keep my hands off of them.”

Best of luck ladies!

I love comments and feedback so please let me know how this is working out for you. Also, share your natural moisturizing ideas.