Well... It's been a while since I updated. And not much in the land of crafty-ness has occured, like at all. I've been spending a large majority of my time cleaning (oh joy, but it makes me very happy) and rearranging every living space in our tiny "apartment" space. It's still got a long way to go (see: very messy craft space that just. won't. clean. up. also, I really have to finish my craft table, like this weekend).
Although, I do have some intriguing news in regards to self-sustainability in my house. Carl has given me permission to make our own laundry detergent, shampoo, face cleanser, moisterizer, and deodorant (for me, that one he won't budge on). So today I spent some time locating some great items to actually make these things, and I found some great resources out there for recipes.
The simpliest laundry detergent recipe I found called for 2 cups finely grated castile soap (Fels Naptha works, or Dr. Bonner's bar soap in a wide variety of scents, or unscented), 1 cup of Arm and Hammer's Washing Soda, and 1 cup borax. So easy, and the ingredients aren't too pricey. Roughly $6 for a large container of borax (that makes A LOT of batches), $3 for the washing soda, and about $5 for a bar of Dr. Bonner's (Fels Naptha runs for $.99 at most grocery stores, so the cost is more effective, but it does have some chemicals in it if that's what you're trying to avoid). You simply add all the ingredients together and use roughly an 1/8 of a cup with each load depending on your water hardness. (Make sure when you grate the soap, you get a designated grater, as J told me. I don't think I want my cakes or cheeses to taste like soap, yum.)
As far as shampoo, the recipe I got calls for 1 cup liquid castile soap (Dr. Bonner's is also great for this, Carl requested peppermint, so that's what we got), 1 cup distilled water, and 2 teaspoons of light vegetable oil (jojoba or grapeseed, which is what we chose because of our hair type, which tends to be drier than normal hair, are GREAT for this). You simply mix it all together and store and use it like any regular shampoo. It has a super runny consistency so if you aren't happy about that, you can start by adding 1/4 teaspoon of xanthum gum to thicken it up, and add more as needed. Your hair can have an adjusting period and using this method does not call for conditioner at all. Although I would recommend that you deep condition your hair every few weeks depending on your particular hair make up.
I'm so excited about increased sustainability in our home for a multitude of reasons. I have a huge issue of being so sensitive to smells from chemicals and perfumes that I get debilitating migraines for days on end, so in response to that we're slowly switching all of our cleaning products over to natural homemade options. It also can be soo cost effective as well as more healthy for our family.
Tomorrow I will try desperately to upload images of my wonderful thrift store finds, as well as some lovely toys that came in the mail this past week.
Also, hooray for December and snow. I hope you holiday season is wonderful.
