For Day 9, we will be on Emily's farm.
Agenda for the day:
- We will learn about commercial products and the ingredients that go into them
- We will create our own deodorant, hand soap, and dish soap/laundry soap
- We will look at the ingredients used in manufactured cleaning supplies
- We will discuss the use and controversy of using manufactured petroleum based cleaning products
Learning how to make your own personal hygiene products can not only be important for good safe hygiene, it can save you some money, keep you clean, be an excellent skill to know, AND be good for the environment!
Homemade Deodorant
1. Melt the beeswax, coconut oil, shea butter together
2. Add the starch and soda. Stir.
3. Add the essential oils. Stir.
4. Pour into molds and cool.
- 1/4 cup corn starch or arrowroot powder (arrowroot powder is much better for sensitive skin)
- 1/4 cup baking soda (less can be used for sensitive skin, I usually use only 2 Tbsp.)
- 3 Tbsp. coconut oil
- 3 Tbsp. shea butter
- 1 Tbsp. grated beeswax
- 5 drops tea tree oil
- 5 drops of some other essential oil (I like lavender)
1. Melt the beeswax, coconut oil, shea butter together
2. Add the starch and soda. Stir.
3. Add the essential oils. Stir.
4. Pour into molds and cool.
Homemade lard soap
1. Melt the lard and cool to room temperature.
2. Pour the water into a bowl. Set the bowl into a cool water bath in the sink. Add the lye. Cool to room temperature.
3. Mix the lard and lye thoroughly until it become thick. This could take a while!
4. When the mixture reaches 'trace' (thick like honey), essential oils can be added for fragrance. They should be mixed in and then the soap should be molded into a soap mold.
5. Allow to set and harden for 24 hours, saponofication will take place.
- 48 oz. lard
- 18.2 oz. water
- 6.4 oz. lye
1. Melt the lard and cool to room temperature.
2. Pour the water into a bowl. Set the bowl into a cool water bath in the sink. Add the lye. Cool to room temperature.
3. Mix the lard and lye thoroughly until it become thick. This could take a while!
4. When the mixture reaches 'trace' (thick like honey), essential oils can be added for fragrance. They should be mixed in and then the soap should be molded into a soap mold.
5. Allow to set and harden for 24 hours, saponofication will take place.
Homemade laundry detergent/hand soap/dish soap
Directions
- 2 cups borax
- 2 cups washing soda
- 2 cups grated soap
- 5 gallons of water
Directions
- Melt the grated soap with 4 cups of hot water until completely melted.
- Add the washing soda and borax and stir until dissolved.
- Add the rest of the water and mix.
- Add a few drops of tea tree oil and lavendar or citrus essential oils.
- Let set for 24 hours.
Homework for day 9: There is some controversy about manufactured deodorants containing aluminum and other synthetic chemicals that have been speculated to be linked to cancers, particularly breast cancer, as the chemicals are applied directly to vulnerable lymph nodes so close to the breast tissues in humans. Read here to learn more about this. Read here to see what the government's National Cancer Institute says, too. What are your thoughts about this? Do you think there is plausible reason for concern? Is this all speculative scare-tactic natural folks trying to scare the public? What are your thoughts? Post your response in the response forum below.