October 6, 2014

Save With DIY Foaming Soaps

My home brewed foaming soap refill.

I wash my hands a lot. In order to reduce the impact on my epidermis I have been trying different kinds of soap. Only recently did I try foaming soap for the first time, originally thinking it kind of gimmicky. But I can see that they are on to something with this newfangled foamy fun.

The foaming soap I purchased from the store lasted a long time and was easier on my hands than the bar soap I was using previously. It is also less messy and easier to dispense.

Then I discovered that you can refill a foaming soap dispenser with your own home brewed ingredients. Wanting an inexpensive, gentle and easy refill soap,  I decided to go with a generic baby shampoo.

But even with baby shampoo one must be on the lookout for harmful chemicals. A quick search led me to some of the worst offenders that often hide in soaps and shampoos, even those marketed towards defenceless, innocent little babies.

Potentially Harmful Soap Ingredients to Avoid

- phthalates
- parabens
- fragrance
- PEGs
- Sodium lauryl and laureth sulfate (SLES) and (SLS)
- triclosan
- methylisothiazolinone

Making Foaming Soap For Refill

The most important thing to have first is a foaming soap dispenser. It makes the magic. Just buy a foaming soap you like, then when it runs out use the dispenser for your own home made product.

All I did was fill my empty dispenser one quarter full with baby shampoo. Then I carefully topped it up with water avoiding making bubbles by filling very slowly. After inserting the pump, I gently agitated the liquid until it was fully mixed.

That is it. Ready for use. So simple and frugal. And easy on my manly hands.

Then I found out that using foaming soap can also save a great deal of water. If you don't use water first to work up a lather, but only later to rinse, you can save up to 45% of the water used with bar or liquid soaps.

You can save with DIY foaming soap. Save money, and save water. Plus foamy cleanliness is more fun. Just watch out for those nasty chemicals on the label.

3 comments:

  1. Gam Kau10/06/2014

    I do the same thing. I use Dr. Bronner's castile soap mixed with water. A little goes a long way! Funny how frugal tips are often wonderful for the planet as well.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Gam,

      Thank you for reminding me of Dr. Bronner's castile soap. We haven't bought any for a while, but it is probably the best way to go as it is organic, fair trade and eco-friendly. And as you say a little goes a long way.

      I will be using Dr. Bronner's next time I need to make more foamy soap, although it can be used for so, so many things. We use to brush our teeth with it.

      Check out Dr. Bronner's commitment to organic body care by clicking here.


      Delete
  2. Sounds a good idea, though unfortunately,I don't think we have Dr Bronner's here in the UK. It's really tricky trying to avoid all those chemicals, isn't it - and they write them in such small letters deliberately,so it's really difficult to read!

    ReplyDelete

Comments will be printed after moderation to eliminate spam. We are proudly a no buying, no selling website.

We enjoy reading all comments, and respond when time permits.

If you put a name to your comment we can all recognize you for your contribution.

Thank you for visiting and commenting.