DIY Deodorant!

I am always trying to find a way where we can save some bucks but still have the same "product" that works wonders! I have found through a friend an awesome recipe for deodorant and YES it works! No BO...not even from my mechanic husband!

Another reason why I decided to make my own deodorant it not only the cost savings but also I recently heard about how certain chemicals in deodorants are actually the cause of breast cancer in both men and women.

Also, our family has skin issues and we are sensitive to alot of products, especially if they have alot of added oils and scents in them. My husband found out that the degree deodorant from Costco was breaking him out in like an eczema type of reaction. It make his underarms itch and burn almost as if the deodorant was burning his skin. Safe to say he no longer has that reaction with the homemade deodorant.

What you Need

6 T coconut oil
1/4 cup (4 T) baking soda
1/4 cup (4 T) arrowroot or cornstarch
essential oils (optional)

What to Do:

1. Mix baking soda and arrowroot or cornstarch (I used cornstarch cause I had it already) together in a medium sized bowl.
2. Mash in coconut oil with a fork until well mixed.
3. Add oils if desired.
4. Store in tupperware dish or old deodorant container for easy use.

I took an old deodorant container of Colin's (the one he is allergic too) and removed all the old deodorant and smooshed the DIY deodorant down into the container til it was full then I put it in the fridge to let it harden like real deodorant and my husband has been using it for two weeks now and it works great! I dont have an empty container yet so I use the tupperware shown above and I just use my fingers and rub it on. It melts when you put it on and I like the smell of coconut so I dont add any extra oils.

After all said and done I am not sure the savings but I KNOW I will be saving tons on deodorant especially when the kids start needing some as well. :)

Let me know if you have any questions.

*I doubled the recipe above.

Money Savings Tips & Recipes: Homemade Laundry Detergent

With the new baby coming I am trying to find way to save some money but it doesn't take too much of my time. Plus I see in my future even more laundry than I already do since we will be a family of five! So here is a recipe for laundry detergent that even the "Duggers" use!

This worked out great and only took me about 10-20minutes to make! I tested it on our normal clothes first and then a load of Colin's work clothes and everything came out clean and smelling normal! I think I am in love with this stuff! You buy these ingredients but you hardly make a dent in using them when you make your first five gallon batch!

Here are the ingredients you’ll need to pick up: (Got everything at Wal-Mart except the Fels-Naptha they were out so I went to Central Market where it costs more so will keep looking for it to be at Wal-Mart.)

• Borax ($3.38 76oz)
• Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda (NOT Baking Soda–$3.24 55oz)
• Fels-Naptha Soap Bar ($1.99 at Central and $.97 at Wal-Mart if they have it in stock. You can one bar or about 5 but for this first batch you only need one)
• 5-gallon bucket with lid (Wal-Mart $5.00)
• 10 gallon milk jugs (or other containers) that have been cleaned and rinsed (the concentrate will disperse more evenly if you go ahead and divide it up. I just used a container I found from Wal-Mart that had a pour spout. Pictured in the picture below)
• OPTIONAL: Essential Oil Drops for fragrance (we did not add this, so I am not sure how much it costs)
 
*As far as how many loads go I am working on getting a total which will be awhile. I have been told around 200+ loads though.

 

 1. Grate the entire bar of Fels-Naptha soap.

2. Put in a pot with 4 cups of hot water. Stir continuously over medium-low heat until all of the soap flakes have dissolved and mleted. (About 10 minutes. Do not let boil or it will start to sud up) It should be slightly foamy with no "chunks" or flakes.

3. Fill your 5-gallon buck half ful of hot water and pur in the soap mixture.

4. Add 1 cup of Arm & Hammer Washing Soda and 1/2 cup Boraz. Stir. (To stir you need something pretty long. My husband got a wire hanger and bent it to form a heart like shake and put in his drill and used it that way. You could also get a painters stick. You can submerge your hand to get down to the bottom just make sure your fluid isn't too hot before doing that. )

5. Fill the rest of the 5-gallon buck with water until it is fulll and stir again. Cover and let sit overnight. When you open the top up the next day, it should have gelled some and thickened slightly. Stir again.

6. Get your pouring container that you will be using and use a funneel to fill the container. Fill it half way full with the soap mixture from the 5 gallon bucket. Fill the other half with water and shake.

 

*This can be used on HE machines. See below.

Here are washing amount instructions:

1. Shake your container before each use

2. Use 1/4 cup for an HE machine

3. Use 5/8 cup for a regular machine or I just use my cup from my old detergent bottle and fill it to the top. It comes out to be around 2/4 roughly and seems to do the job.

4. Use an added stain remover for tough stains. I also have used a cup of vinegar or a cup of the washing soda.

 

Let me know if you have any questions and I will try and answer them! Hope you enjoy this savings! You will probably only spend about $15-20 a year on laundry detergent now!

 

Money Saving Tips & Recipes: Dish Detergent

Only three simple ingredients and no prep work to be done just keep these ingredients under your kitchen sink or by your dishwasher.

Here is the ingredients I used per load: (I got everything at Wal-Mart)

1 teaspoon oxygen bleach ($5.47 96oz) (I was told you can get this at the dollar store however ours did not have any of this size on hand)

1/2 teaspoon Dawn dish soap ($2.97 48oz)

1/2 cup white vinegar (poured into a little bowl and place in the middle, top rack. I purchased a cleaning vinegar cause the price was better than the normal kitchen use white vinegar) ($2.98 1gallon)

 

I am keeping track of the amount of loads I can do with this amount of ingredients however just by doing my first load I can tell they will last awhile! I did my first load last night and the dishes look great! I am not a "Green" freak but the reason I did this is because I was looking for little ways to save money that didn't require alot of time. I am pretty sure this will save a good chunk of money especially since I run my dishwasher almost daily. The vinegar also helps keep your dishwasher cleaner and at it tops efficiency. Typically when my dishwasher was acting up I would use the vinegar to do a "deep clean" and it would start washing better. Hope you enjoy this great money saving recipe!

 

I will update down the road when I can tell how many loads I got out of these ingredients.