Learn how to make your own liquid soap, and you’ll wonder why you ever paid for it:

Difficulty: Easy

Here’s How:

1. Grate or finely chop a bar of soap (about four ounces of soap).
2. Bring four cups of water to a boil.
3. Turn off the heat, and add the soap. Stir to melt the soap. Continue stirring until the mixture is fully combined. At this point the mixture will be very liquidy.
4. Allow the mixture to cool for at least 15 minutes. Then, stir again. At this point, the soap should be slightly thicker.
5. Allow to cool for another several hours or overnight.
6. Stir to check the consistency. If it seems too liquidy, reheat and add more soap. If it seems too thick; reheat and add more water.
7. Once you’re satisfied with your soap, add a few drops of essential oil and coloring, if desired.
8. Then, pour your soap into dispensers, and enjoy.

Tips:

1. Want to make a bigger or smaller batch? Just use one cup of water for every ounce of soap.
2. This recipe stores well. Make up a big batch, a few times a year.
3. Results will vary depending on the type of soap used. Tweak the recipe until it meets your needs.
4. For a super-smooth consistency, run the finished soap through a blender before pouring into dispensers.

What You Need

• A bar of soap
• A knife or grater
• Water
• A sauce pan or pot
• Essential oil (optional)
• Soap coloring (optional)
• Empty soap dispensers

– See more at: About.com and Living well spending less

Filed under: DIY

If you love the smell of citrus, making your own citrus spray at home is a delightful way to bring the scent closer to you all the time. This spray is ideal for wearing or for scenting the air or dabbing on.

Ingredients

• Distilled or spring water
• Citrus fruits (choose oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruit etc. as you prefer) – just be aware that some have nicer scents than others so do smell tests before you decide to use the fruit in question; also be aware that the time of the season can affect the fragrance
• Few drops pure alcohol as preservative

Steps

1. Assemble the necessary ingredients.There are some further items you will want, listed below under “Things You’ll Need”.
2. Pour the water into the jar. Set to one side.
3. Remove as much of the peel from the citrus fruit as you can. Use either the vegetable peeler or the knife and focus on getting down to the pith when peeling but not into the pith.
4. Drop the citrus fruit peels into the jar of water.
5. Tightly fasten the lid. Set the jar aside in a cool, dry place.
6. Shake the jar and sniff it every day.Allow it to sit at least overnight before testing. Once the spray has taken on a fragrance you like, go ahead and strain the water through a cheesecloth or coffee filter into a spray bottle.
   • If it doesn’t yet have the scent you desire, keep letting it sit and shaking it every day until it forms a lovely, strong fragrance.
7. Use the citrus spray. Once you have the desired smell, spritz on yourself, in the air or on sachets for a quick citrus pick-me-up.

– See more at: Wikihow

Filed under: DIY