Making soap/toiletries

[Annpan]

Fee, I'll take some of that (if you want me too) I'll PM you

[Peggy Sue]

I loved your shampoo soap- and your coconut ice too, you ahve the talent for sure!

I've had a go at the shampoo one myself, doesn't look as nice but its much nicer on my hair than shop stuff.

Going to have a go at finding a hand cream recipe next....

[the.fee.fairy]

I made the shampoo soap in a pringles tub! That's why its so nice and round. I thought that it was the perfect size for holding in your hand.

That and i'm too cheap to buy proper moulds...

I've also used orange juice cartons (anyone that had a square piece now knows where they got their shape....), egg boxes and anything else lying about!

I got some great Ikea ice cube moulds from Ebay - stars and puzzle shapes. They're the silicone ones and they're really cute. The stars are a bit small for everyday soap, but they're the perfect size for guest soap. The puzzle shapes are just fab!

I did have one disastrous soap that i made though - a carrot one. It was supposed to come out bright orange and look all flecky and pretty. I made the soap, poured it into the mould, left it for 24 hours and then turned it ou. It looked great. it was a square orange juice carton, and the soap was square, brigh orange and flecky. Then i cut into it and a flourescent orange liquid oozed out. I binned it straight away.

I've got another disaster too, a white chocolate soap that was a plain one that set too quick for me to do anythign with, so i left it to cure, then grated it and soaked it to rebatch it, but it never set hard again. its a nice soap and foams up wonderfully, but its a very very strange texture!!

[Peggy Sue]

Fee I can't imagine using egg boxes- doesn't it make the outside hairy?!

I use an old icecream tub and fight to get it out. I was given some silicone paper which I line the tin with, but it won't lie flat so the soap is all wrinkled and folded around the outside!

I have ot confess I am the sort of person who even with speacial moulds would make a mess!

[shell]

this i must try,i would love to make my own toiletries,i make my own washing gloopy stuff ,really cheap to make and it works although i have to use vanish on the really mucky clothes,and the clothes are soft too so rarely use conditioner on them,i sometimes add oils to scent the clothes,and i clean the worktops with bicarb and vinegar mixed with lots of water in a spray,but am yet to do toiletries,havn`t found a recipe that is cheap enough to make,now i will try the website mentioned,thanks for that,i would love to do shampoo,conditioner,and face cream for sensitive skin,
shell

[Peggy Sue]

I've got a question about vinegar and bicarb mix- One is an acid (vinegar is acetic acid) the other alkali (Bicarb is Sodium Bicarbonate) so don't they just react with the result being a passive salt?

[shell]

it cleans for me but i have a squirt of cheap washing up liquid in it as well,was given rough recipe from a friend so tried it and nw use it to clean,maybe its elbow grease thats doing the job???i just don`t get on with shop cleaners as i end up with asthma

[Louiseh]

A good and natural fabric condtioner is this:

mix equal amounts of water with vinegar, and bicarb of soda, (it will fizz when you add the vinegar and soda) then simply pour into a bottle.

To use add roughly a quarter of a cupful to your wash.

[StripyPixieSocks]

I keep meaning to start making my own toiletries but somehow never quite seem to getting around to it. The reason is I already have far too many hobbies and no matter how well meaning I am if I start another one, one of the others has to go by the wayside!

Can someone lend me an extra few hours in the day, I'd be really grateful

I definitely need to start making lip balm though as I promised myself I would after all the tubes I bought over the years were used up and I'm nearing that time now.

I have always wanted to make some Lavender and Lemon bath salts as well after smelling some in some shop or other... guess I better get on with it

[Peggy Sue]

OOO spare hours in the day, now I'd like some of those too! Perhaps we should check out the swaps pages

Nice thing about soap is you can do it the same time as something else while it is cooling... like bread so it can be rising...while the dog biscuits are baking....and if I'm lucky I can squeeze in some weeding there

[eccentric_emma]

I am just like you StripyPixieSocks! like to try and start too many hobbies! but its a good idea to say you will do it when your shop bought stuff runs out - unless of course everything runs out at once and you find yourself trying to make washing liquid, fabric conditioner, shampoo, toothpaste, lip balm, soap, deoderant etc etc etc all at once!

I quite fancy the idea of making soaps, although I have about two years worth of shop bought ones in the bathroom. But I must confess I saved an empty Pringles tube to use as a mould 'just in case'

[StripyPixieSocks]

I am just like you StripyPixieSocks! like to try and start too many hobbies! but its a good idea to say you will do it when your shop bought stuff runs out - unless of course everything runs out at once and you find yourself trying to make washing liquid, fabric conditioner, shampoo, toothpaste, lip balm, soap, deoderant etc etc etc all at once!

I quite fancy the idea of making soaps, although I have about two years worth of shop bought ones in the bathroom. But I must confess I saved an empty Pringles tube to use as a mould 'just in case'

LOL no just the lip balm for starters I think... start small (she says now knowing that in about 3 weeks time it will be 'the' new hobby and the house will be filled with all kinds of toiletry making paraphernalia)

I bought loads of hand-made soaps from a stall at a car-boot where I lived it was so lush... it had been 3 years there and two years here before I used it all up

I was somewhat addicted to buying toiletries I still have a box-full under the bed, when they are gone I will make my own so I think I can get a head-start on making lip balm.

Being a good girl now though I'm slowly replacing all the bought stuff with hand-made but am taking it one step at a time... still fun though!!

[Masco&Bongo]

Well, I started the thread off, and thanks to Fee, have become slightly addicted...

I've made 4 lots of melt-and-pour soap, bath soak, solid body butter bars, 3 different kinds of ointments and a lip balm!!

Fee posted a link to Fresholi, and they have a great forum, and Helen sells gorgeous ingredients!

[StripyPixieSocks]

I bought some of those ice cube trays from IKEA today like the jigsaw shape and what not for soap making so we're another step closer... I can't wait to get started :D

[Loobyloo]

I've never made my own soaps but I do make my own reusable make up remover wipes and toner.

Will post recipe if anyones interested?

Am quite keen on trying to do my own face cream but I never use soap. What about shower gel? anyone make that?

(apologies if I missed that in any of the previous posts)