Ingredients needed:
Bar of soap
one gallon water
two table spoons liquid glycerin (found in the first aid aisle)
I grated the entire bar of soap (Burt's shea butter bar) with a cheese grater until it made cute little curls.
Add the curls to the gallon of water in a very large pot, add the 2 tablespoons liquid glycerin to the water.
Slowly melt over medium heat until all of the curls are dissolved. The water will look soapy.. ;)
After it is melted, turn off the heat and let it set for 10 hours or over night.
The soap will have thickened a lot so I blended mine with my mixer to make it more consistent. And your done!
I am thinking of even adding some sugar or salt to make a nice scrub.
Update: I have received emails and comments from some followers who are having trouble with this recipe if they used a bar of soap with the lotion formula (the moisturizing bars). I am not sure why this is, but I would recommend using a different bar soap.
I can't get over how easy this sounds! I will definitely be trying this great project!! So glad to have followed your link!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea! I definitely want to try it. It would save a lot of cash for sure.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing! Is this just hand soap? I'm your newest follower!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for following!!! It is just liquid hand soap but it is super easy to make.
ReplyDeleteMy son and I were just discussing the importants of natural soaps. Burt's bees is one he uses. We also discussed the cost. He told me he was going to look into hand making some. I can't wait to share this with him. I am glad I hopped over from Sew Can Do. I started a link party too on thursdays
ReplyDeletehttp://emosaicideas.com/tag/blog-carnival/
I also started excepting guest posts
http://emosaicideas.com/guest-posting/
Does this work in a pump soap dispenser? I jump back and forth from bar soap to liquid at our sinks but my family prefers liquid soap in a pump.
ReplyDeleteIt does work in a pump dispenser, I am working on making a cute one out of a mason jar right now.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for sharing this! I'm your newest follower! Coming by via Creative Bloggers' Party & Hop
ReplyDeleteCan you use any kind of bar soap?
ReplyDeleteThanks for following!!! You can use any kind of bar soap for this, making it super easy
ReplyDeleteHi Karen! i LOVE all your posts!! :) first question i had, i see you answered..about using any bar of soap... second question... do you use just tap water, distilled or what?!
DeleteLove this idea! I would love for you to link up to my new party, Monday Myriad Linky Party
ReplyDeleteAlso, do you button swap?
katieoallred@gmail.com
Great idea!! I just pinned it!
ReplyDeleteRachel
adventuresofadiymom.blogspot.com
Thanks!!!
ReplyDeleteHi, I saw your post on a linky party and I just had to stop by and tell you how adorable this was! Thank you so much for sharing! I am now your newest follower from www.sweetenedbykagi.blogspot.com and I hope you will follow me too! I look forward to your future blog posts :)
ReplyDeleteKagi
Years ago we use to make our own liquid soap just by shaving the bar of soap and adding water but we would find that after a week or two the liquid soap would thicken so much that we could not get it to pour our of the bottles we had it in (it would almost turn to gel).
ReplyDeleteDo you find that your liquid soap continues to thicken?
Thanks for the great tutorial!
You are officially my best friend. I love ANYTHING that will save me money!! I've been planning on doing this for a while now, thanks for the motivation. I love your blog. I'm your newest follower. Would love you to stop by DIY Home Sweet Home
ReplyDeleteJamie
http://diyhshp.blogspot.com/
P.S. I have a giveaway going on. Come over and check it out.
P.S.S. I have a linky every Monday would love you to stop by Monday and link up.
LOVE THIS! This is perfect:) I am seriously loving your post! It is so inspirational and informative. I think my subscribers would really enjoy reading this. I would love for you to come share it at Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways on Frugally Sustainable (http://frugallysustainable.blogspot.com/2011/11/frugal-days-sustainable-ways-4.html). I really hope that you will put Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways on your list of carnivals to visit and link to each Wednesday!
ReplyDeleteWarmly,
Andrea @ Frugally Sustainable
Here's the link: http://www.frugallysustainable.com
wow, thanks for the tip! i have to try this. I can't believe how expensive soap is. it drives me crazy!
ReplyDeleteAmy @ www.themombot.com
Wow!!! Thanks for all the love and really kind comments. I really love anything that can save me money, and the soap did turn out wonderful.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea! I'm going to have to try this.
ReplyDeleteYou made this look so achievable! Thank you for linking to Wicked Awesome Wednesday!
ReplyDeleteYay!! I'm retired this year and will be doing this for everyone!
ReplyDeleteReally? That is just too easy! I love it! Would you please share this with my readers for Fun Stuff Fridays linky party? http://www.toysinthedryer.com/2011/12/fun-stuff-fridays-3.html
ReplyDeleteI've been looking for a recipe just like this! I'm bookmarking it right now!
ReplyDeleteGreat! Thank you
ReplyDeleteI LOVE the idea of the homemade soap and am planning on making it very soon! I was wondering too if the soap continues to harden up as it sits? Do you have to keep doing anything to it to mix it or soften in again before each use?
ReplyDeleteThanks for the wonderful, money-saving soap idea!
I noticed there was a post regarding thickening. I'm interested in trying this myself...but does it start to thicken after awhile? Is the smell nice?
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm almost wondering if this could be used on the face?
Great questions, the soap smells like whatever bar soap you used. So mine smells really good. I have not noticed any thickening, but I would suggest adding water and possibly remixing it to make it thinner. As long as the bar soap you used is suitable for use on the face, I would go ahead and use it! I tried mine and I have sensitive skin, and it worked like a dream. My grandma suggested that if you are worried about it being to thick add 2 cups more water and only use 2/3 of the bar instead of the whole thing. I hope this helps!
ReplyDeleteHOW ABOUT ADDING A DROP OF FOOD COLORING & SOME ESSENTIAL OILS FOR COLOR & SMELL. LIKE MAYBE LAVENDER OR PEPPERMENT OIL & GREEN OR PURPLE FOR COLORS?
ReplyDeletethat would be great!
ReplyDeleteI have been wanting to do this! Thanks for posting about it. I have a bar of hand made soap that I picked up last week, so I will try it tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteGreat! I can't wait to hear how it goes
ReplyDeleteQuick question... does this ruin your mixer and/or grater for cooking with food? Obviously the grater I can buy a seperate 'soap only' one... but can't rationalize a 'soap only' kitchenaid!!! So just curious how you handled the soap in the mixer?
ReplyDeleteMy little mixer did fine and with a good washing won't affect its ability to be used with food. I do have a separate cheese grater, but with a good washing it should be fine to be used with food.
ReplyDeleteJust made this last night. It worked out great. I let it sit overnight to thicken. Man was I shocked to see just how thick it got. I used a very generous sized bar of soap, so I will probably thin it with some water. But I will definitely have to get out he hand mixer due to its' thickness. Thanks for a great idea!
ReplyDeleteMade this last night and it seems amazing. Very cool to prepare it and leave it overnight to cool and thicken. My son is getting a huge kick out of the "science" of it. Anyhow, I used a pretty generous bar of soap and it's very thick. Almost too thick to stir. So, I will definitely be getting out the hand mixer and probably adding some water, too. Thanks for a great idea!
ReplyDeleteAny special storage selections? How long will it keep?
ReplyDeleteI would store it an air tight container or an old jar or milk jug. Mine keeps all year, but you do have to remix it after a couple monthes.
DeleteI made this a few weeks ago using a bar of dr. Bronners Castile soap. It turned out ok, but is very mucousy/almost snotty texture (sorry tmi). It seems to work fine and smells nice but I wonder what is making it stick together so much.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if perhaps there was too much glycerin, I don't know if Castile soap has any glycerin already in it. Have you tried remixing it, it may have just separated too much?
DeleteHi, so, this may be a silly question, but can I use food grade glycerin in this? I've got some wilton glycerin on hand from working with fondant, and I was just wondering if I could use that, or if I should by the non-food grade stuff.
ReplyDeleteI am not sure about that, that's a great question! I will ask my bio chem friend and she what she says.
DeleteDo you use this for body wash or just hand soap? Can't wait to try this!
ReplyDeleteI have really sensitive skin, but I use it as a body wash and have never had any trouble.
DeleteI tried this last night. I used a bar of Dove, 2tbs glycerin and a gallon of water, but it still is not thickened. It has been sitting since about 9 last night, so 19 hours now. Any thoughts? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteInteresting, what consistence is it? Does it resemble (sorry for saying this) snot? I will look into this, but I believe dove bars have a lot of moisturizer in them causing the odd consistence. It reminds me of dial's liquid soap (the moisturizing one). I would try to use your hand mixer to coagulate the consistency and then periodically remix the soap as needed.
DeleteI used a natural Kiss My Face bar of soap and had the same problem. I tried another 2 tbsp of glycerin and waited another night to find it still watery. Having given up on the recipe I figured I didn't need the glycerin anymore so I poured the whole bottle in. Still to no avail. My boyfriend found adding salt to soap thickens it. I added about 1/8 cup. It worked!
DeleteThis sounds great!!! Is this soap used for just hands or could you use it as body soap also???
ReplyDeleteHummmn!!! Just wondering!!!
I added a little bit of lavender and now use it as a body wash and love it!
DeleteKaren, I found this for you:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.savvyhousekeeping.com/turn-a-bar-of-dove-soap-into-liquid-hand-soap/
Seems to be a dove related problem-- maybe you could try and see if it works?
Thanks for finding that! I will have to investigate and see what's up
DeleteAnother tip to stretch this further(great post btw!) would be to put it in a foam soap dispenser. Dilute your soap with more water of course. I've bought the large refill size name brand soap before, filled my foam soap dispenser(like one from Bath and Body stores)one-third of the way up, filled almost to the top with water, shaken till combined, and PRESTO!foam soap. I haven't bought liquid soap in atleast 6 months and still have half of the large store bought refill bottle. With your recipe and turning it into foam...my soap could last FOREVER..bwahaha!
ReplyDeleteI love doing this with soap. You can dilute it a lot further and still get great results. Adding tea tree or lavendar essential oil will also make your soap anti-bacterial.
ReplyDeleteIf you don't want to grate a bar of soap, you can use ivory, put it in the microwave for about 2 minutes and it puffs up and then just break up the "clouds" into flakes and continue. it only works with Ivory for some reason, but since that is the soap we use, that is okay.
ReplyDeleteGreat tutorial! I have gave it a try with tea tree soap and it worked wonderfully! http://sewhooked.com/2012/06/25/all-sudsed-up-homemade-hand-soap/#
ReplyDeleteThanks for the recipe...can hardly wait to try it...looks like you have quite a following!!! TFS Carolyn
ReplyDeleteExcellent recipe! I make my own soap from scratch. I use that for my laundry soap recipe and will use it for my hand soap, too, now. The problem with the caress or dove is probably some of the junk in them. Cleansing bars are NOT soap, they are detergent, which is a different make-up, and possibly why it doesn't work as well. Invest in some locally made soap to avoid some of the possible problems.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your great input!
ReplyDeleteHonestly this does work , however it works best if you add boiling water to the pot after you have melted the soap. Withold the last 6 to 8 cups until after the 10 hrs when you mix the next day. Good luck
ReplyDeleteYou could always buy in the craft dept the big container of glycerine soap and get a essential oil scent you like as well as some color and follow her directions as well. Than you can make gallons and gallons and making it in the scent that you like.
ReplyDeleteI have replaced my daughters really expesive face wash with this. Used nuetrogena bar soap fresh basil and a couple of asperine for problem areas. Exfoliates with baking soda and witch hazel. SUPER WILD! She likes it better than Proactive.
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Made this recipe this morning and now it's gelling up in the the kitchen. Hopefully it will be ready by the end of the day and I can put it in containers this evening before bed. If this works I'll be using this recipe to make body wash for my husband and I as well using a body bar soap. I am SO excited - thanks!!!!
ReplyDelete