Hobby or Second Income Homemade Soaps, Sundry, and Remedy Recipes

Several ATS members have asked that we have a thread on making home made things like soaps, balms/lotions and natural remedies. A thread where we can put our recipes and tutorials for making all natural products that will save us a lot of money, and you can also give as gifts to friends and family.

Some of us on this thread already make money from selling our hand made products. You can too.

Since home made soap was discussed on a previous thread, I thought I would include with this post, a simple tutorial on cold process hand made soap. This is not my video, but a good sample for making a small batch, with the important information included.

I'm sure we have a lot of member here who would like to learn how to make their own products. I will be adding recipes for healing body butters, lotions, balms, and other goodies as we go.

I do make my living from my home/hand made products. The market for natural products is wide open, as more and more people decide to not pay high prices for mass produced chemical laden products.

A very Special Thanks to Whateva69 for starting the other thread that led to this one.
irsuccubus, for egging us on, and who also makes her own products.
And getreadyalready for the title, and a kick in the butt

Here is one video on making a small batch of soap.


Des

reply to post by Destinyone


Hey, great idea! Love it. My family being from the country did not always have immediate access to the Dr. when things went wrong, so there are several home remedies in my arsenal. I'll share a couple here.

1. For a minor toothache, hold a couple of whole clove in your mouth and allow the saliva to mix with the oils. Clove has a natural numbing agent. While not a long term solution it may help relieve some discomfort until a dentist can be seen. Now, will it work for a major toothache? I dunno, but I'm not about to bang my head against a wall to knock a tooth out to find out. Like I said, this is for a minor toothache only.

2. The "Mustard Plaster". One has to be a little careful with this because if made too strong it will indeed leave a burn mark on the skin. But a paste of vinegar and powdered mustard is made and applied to an old rag, folded, and held on the chest for a bit to help break up chest congestion. The heat and the vapor combined help. I've used this remedy for a long long time myself and, for me at least, it seems to work well. Sure, you may go around smelling like a Coney Island Hotdog for a bit but it's a small price to pay.

Thanks again for making this thread! Cannot wait to see some of the other contributions especially the soap making as this is something I've wanted to try for a long time.

There are lots of sites for inspiration on DIY and things to upcycle..here are a few of my favorite..

Pinterest
Craftgawker-Soap
Etsy

I used to make handmade soap..I made a decent income doing it...I started out using Sandy Maines soap recipes...everyone LOVED them.

reply to post by MyMindIsMyOwn


Thanks for the clove tip for a tooth ache. You can also buy clove 100% essential oil and use it on the end of a q-tip to get excellent relief from tooth pain. I keep a small bottle of it in my BOB, and also use it in other products.

You can get a small bottle .5 oz in any health food or supplement store.

Originally posted by Neopan100
There are lots of sites for inspiration on DIY and things to upcycle..here are a few of my favorite..

Pinterest
Craftgawker-Soap
Etsy

I used to make handmade soap..I made a decent income doing it...I started out using Sandy Maines soap recipes...everyone LOVED them.

Etsy is awesome. I really like the links you shared with us. Craftgawker will keep me hopping around for sometime.

Thanks

I'm looking forward to getting some of those good old remedy recipes that Grandma used to make.

If, we come to a situation, where we need to fall back on what we already have stocked, having those recipes will come in mighty handy.

My Grannie used to crush up left over candy canes from Christmas, and put them in a mason jar of moon shine...made a real thick syrup she would dole out for the croup. About a cup of crushed peppermint candy canes to about 2 cups of shine. or 100 proof vodka if you don't have shine. Put in fridge or cabinet, stir twice a week until all dissolved.

One tablespoon for bad cough. Do not give to infants.

reply to post by Destinyone


candy canes and vodka???? YUM!

hummm....I think i'm coming down with a cough right now **cough**cough***...

reply to post by Destinyone


Hi Des!! I was just talking to a neighbor about how my mom used to make all our soap. Washed my hair and everything else in it. Still have her recipe and make it in the fall when I can work outside. Just make the plain old lye soap. Maybe I should jazz it up a bit! Grand daughters want to make it but they are still a little young to be handeling the making.
Haven't heard a word about the rock. Come visit sometime. The thread has fallen off the bottom but I have faith the guys will find me.
Love your thread. Glad to see so many people making and remaking things.

Excellent thread idea, can't wait to see everyone's ideas.

Here is mine, the first recipe is powdered laundry soap the second is liquid gel laundry detergent. I work in a bakery and it has never failed me yet! A friend of mine is getting me a laundry softener recipe other than just adding vinegar to the Downy ball, so when it gets here I will add it too.


Powdered Laundry Detergent
# 1 Cup Grated Fels Naptha Soap
# 1/2 Cup Washing Soda
# 1/2 Cup Borax
# For light load, use 1 Tablespoon. For heavy or heavily soiled load, use 2 Tablespoons.

Homemade Liquid Gel Laundry Soap
1/3 bar Fels Naptha or other type of soap, as listed above
½ cup washing soda
½ cup borax powder
~You will also need a small bucket, about 2 gallon size~

Grate the soap and put it in a sauce pan. Add 6 cups water and heat it until the soap melts. Add the washing soda and the borax and stir until it is dissolved. Remove from heat. Pour 4 cups hot water into the bucket. Now add your soap mixture and stir. Now add 1 gallon plus 6 cups of HOT water and stir. Let the soap sit for about 24 hours and it will gel. Stir the next day and before each use. You use ½ cup per load.

reply to post by copperhead12


Hey Copper...good to see you again. Yup, I'm waiting on the rock info sheet just like you. Until they tell you otherwise...it's a meteor in my book.

On your home made soap, you can add all kinds of wonderful ingredients to make it even better.

Shea Butter, goats milk, essential oils, I even use whole herbs in some of my soaps for the exfoliating, and qualities of the particular herb. Oatmeal in soap is a wonderful soap for babies, so soothing, and calming to the skin.

Des

It's always good to keep some liquorice root in the house. just cut off a small piece, scrape off the bark, and then chew it like you're a general chewing a cigar. It'll clean your teeth, keep your breath sweet, and if you've got a cough, it's the best cough medicine around, and is the main ingredient in a lot of pharma cough syrups.

It's also very handy if you're quitting smoking.

Just watched the video, very cool!!

I want to make some soap with crushed walnut, or pecan shells for exfoliating. Maybe add some vanilla oil.

I wonder if peanut shells, and peanut oil are good for it too? We have endless supplies of peanut shells down here!

Originally posted by getreadyalready
Just watched the video, very cool!!

I want to make some soap with crushed walnut, or pecan shells for exfoliating. Maybe add some vanilla oil.

I wonder if peanut shells, and peanut oil are good for it too? We have endless supplies of peanut shells down here!

You can use any kind of shell for exfoliating. Coffee grinds too. I also use dried lime, orange, tangerine, lemon peel. I have a cheap coffee grinder from Walmart, $9.00 to grind shells and dried peels with. Use old glass cleaned spice jars to store the ground product in. The use of the coffee mill, allows you to control how fine or course you want your end product.

Also grind your whole oats, and rolled oats for different kinds of soaps. When you make your soap, remember to add the product after your soap is fairly cool, under 115 degrees to keep the product in a good suspension. Otherwise, depending on what you add, it tends to rise, or sink and not disperse evenly.

Originally posted by TheIrvy
It's always good to keep some liquorice root in the house. just cut off a small piece, scrape off the bark, and then chew it like you're a general chewing a cigar. It'll clean your teeth, keep your breath sweet, and if you've got a cough, it's the best cough medicine around, and is the main ingredient in a lot of pharma cough syrups.

It's also very handy if you're quitting smoking.

You Bet. You have a real winner here. Many people don't know the health benefits of liquorice, TY for posting.

Here is a bit of info on liquorice root. I have it at home, wouldn't be without it.

Therapeutic Uses, Benefits and Claims of the Licorice Root

The licorice root is used in flavoring for its sweetness. The flavor often associated with licorice is actually anise. Licorice is added as a sweetener.
The Licorice Root
The Medicinal Plant Licorice
(Glycyrrhiza glabra )
The root was often given in ancient Rome as an herbal treatment for asthma, dry cough and other diseases of the lungs.
Licorice shows promise as an herbal remedy for bronchitis and whooping cough because of its expectorant (used to loosen and expel congestion in the upper airway.) abilities. It may also stimulate mucous production and secretion in the trachea.
This herb has been shown to be soothing to irritated membranes and acts as an anti-inflammatory.
The licorice root has also been used as antacid.
Gastric ulcers are another target of this herb. Some countries have even experimented with licorice-coated aspirin to help reduce ulcers caused by aspirin use.
The licorice root also helps promote adrenal function, supports lung health, and cleanses the colon.
This herb has also been used as an herbal remedy for sore throat because of its soothing qualities.
Licorice may help combat some viruses such as hepatitis B, influenza, and HIV by naturally boosting the immune system and stimulating the production of interferon.
It has also been shown to relieve rheumatism, arthritis and low blood sugar. In addition it is used as a medicinal herb for hypothyroidism, menstrual cramps, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and regulating menstruation.
Licorice has anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties which explain its uses as an herbal remedy for athlete's foot, canker sores and dandruff.
www.herbal-supplement-resource.com...

Good Morning Fellow Alchemists..

The thread Whateva started that this one spun off, has too much valuable information to not include in this thread.

I decided it needed to be included here, so here it is. Now we have both linked for cross reference.

Get some Magnoplasm Paste for your first-aid kit.,
www.abovetopsecret.com...

I havnt finished reading, but i just wanted to add a few notes

Lemon Juice is a natural deodorant, can you use lemon juice for mens soap?

and lavender is harmful for pregnant woman.

ok back to reading lol and omg im loving this thread, ill just have to figure out the Aussie temperatures and weight. But that's easy peasy, there are some conversion charts on the net.

love and harmony
Whateva

reply to post by Whateva69


Good Day Whateva!

This is a wonderful link, includes video tutorial for making all natural deodorant. If the SHTF, it's one of those things we won't be able to just run out and buy. This is a good, simple recipe, that really works well.It only takes about 15 minutes to make. Little things like this, we often forget about until we really need them.

Did you know that nearly all commercial deodorants contain aluminum salts, usually aluminum chlorohydrate? Manufacturers like aluminum because it effectively suppresses perspiration but the metal has a dark side once it makes its way into our body. Aluminum toxicity It has been linked to cancer, Alzheimer’s Disease, and other health issues. It is especially important for women to take thought to the harmful aluminum materials in deodorant as it has been linked to breast cancer, being that the breast tissue extends up into the armpits.

Most commercial deodorants also contain parabens, which act as preservatives and stabilizers, but which like aluminum can be absorbed into the skin. Parabens mimic estrogen, and though the amounts we absorb on a daily basis might be small, over time, the accumulation can be significant.

Did you know you can make your own wonderful effective deodorant with just a few completely natural ingredients? This recipe is awesome! It’s even edible! It is frugal and very effective! Aaron & I have been using it for over two years now, and it has worked wonders. It smells wonderful, but very faint. For years I tried every natural alternative on the market without much success. It has been successfully tried by hundreds of readers! Coconut oil is an all natural oil that has wonderful anti-bacterial and immune boosting qualities. It can effectively nourish and moisturize the skin. This recipe is also very frugal, costing less than a dollar per batch.

www.passionatehomemaking.com...

I'll work up a deodorant soap recipe for you and post it later.....Des

This is all well and good = as long as you have access to LYE.

ALL homemade soap requires LYE(water) and OIL - everything else is optional.

I have made soap for years and because of the "drug makers" none of my local stores sell lye. SO what happens if TSHTF - and you do not have access to the main ingrediant in soap.

You can google (as I do not remember the exact process) - BUT you can MAKE LYE.

Basically you need fire/fireplace ashes. You filer water thru these ashes and make it strong enough for an egg to float. This IS trial and Error until you get it correct. BUT it is possible.

ANY FAT can be used. Lard, olive oil, exotic oils OR oil from critters killed to eat. Render the fat and use it for the OIL.

To scent or flavor - liquid oil OR vodka will work using herbs or plants. It needs to "steep" for a period of time depending on ingrediants. Basically you PACK as much raw material into a jar then cover with oil/vodka. Shake at least once a day.

Another idea - Always keep some Lavender (Essential Oil) not just Fragrance oil) = this is great for burns - just dab on burned area - some chefs ALWAYS keep Lavender in the kitchen just for this reason. It can also be used in the above soap.

Yes, where do you buy LYE? Is it something I can get at a local organic market, or does it need to be ordered online.

Is Lye the same as the normal Sodium lauryl sulfate that is in most other soaps, or is it different?

And is Borax safe to use? My mother puts it in her laundry a lot of the time, is it something that would irritate skin?

reply to post by Destinyone


Awesome thread!

Hey, the video says "congratulations, in just a few weeks you soap will be ready to use"

Does that mean we have to let it sit around and age or something?

Thanks again,


Mas