Hiatus is over. Thanks for bearing with me while I made some VERY necessary life changes. I am now on a new career path and at a very good turning point in my life. :)
While I was gone, I picked up a lot of REALLY GOOD tips, suggestions and recipes that I have implemented into my daily life in an effort to elevate the green side of things in my household. One of the new things I am doing now is converting bar soap into body wash.
I recently watching a YouTube video that had NBC doing an expose' on soap vs. body wash. One bar of cheap store bought soap was $0.99 and one cheap store bought bottle of body wash was $1.99. Based on the usage study that NBC performed, the bar soap lasted a lot longer than the body wash did. In addition, the soap packaging was easier to recycle than the body wash packaging- one sheet of paper instead of one large plastic bottle. In conclusion, not only was the bar of soap the better deal for your wallet, but it was the better decision for the environment as well. (This is in the eye of the AVERAGE consumer.)
I have taken the above study and expanded it a bit. :) So, if a person were to purchase a natural/cruelty-free/vegan/environmentallysafe bar of soap without packaging (from LUSH, HomeSoap, VeganEtc.), that would be even better, right? Now let's say that same person took that specialty bar of soap and then made it into a body wash, thus lengthening the amount of shower soap for use by 3 times!!!! That would be an even BETTER thing, right?
One random weekend, when I had nothing to do, I grabbed the bar of LUSH Snowcake soap that I got for Christmas and started grating it up. I grated it all into a pot and added 2 cups of water. I heated it on high until melted for 3 minutes and then let it cool naturally. After it was cooled, I had a pot full of a stiff jelly like substance. I added 2 more cups of water and heated it on high for 3 minutes again, stirring it briefly and letting it cool naturally again. Two hours later, I had a jelly substance that was a little less stiff. I separated the goop into two containers and proceeded with adding more water and heating one more time. Two hours later, I had two containers of Snowcake body wash in a thick, but pourable form. I transferred the body wash to some old LUSH bottles (5) we had, and put one in the shower, and stored the remaining bottles in the back of the fridge.
From one bar of soap, I made five 16 oz. bottles of body wash! The amazing part was that it was SO easy.
So, I ask you-why not try this at YOUR home? If it saves you money, and is good for the environment, why wouldn't you give it a try?
Here are a few more links to help you out:
Caress Bar Soap to Bodywash
Frugal Village Bodywash
Soap or Bodywash?
My method was easy and is simply soap and water, but I encourage you to find what works for you. Happy Washing!!! :)
