Liquid Castille

[Vintageliving]

Lil Outlaws, thanks for posting the book excerpt.

I'm delighted with this method. I appreciate how easy it is. I find it very handy!

MDL, am looking forward to your xanthum gum report.

 

[Zenobiah]

Thank you for these wonderful tips!

Now to make an emulsified conditioner based on citric acid and water...

 

[Lil Outlaws]

Whomever said they weren't able to find it at Walmart, I'm really surprised!

It should be with the canning supplies, which are usually (I think) on the same aisle as baking goods. Just ask any little old lady you run into there she'll know where it is!

 

[violetflower]

Wow, what a fantastic thread!! I can't WAIT try the shampoo recipe, I have just ordered some pectin extract (all I could here!!), hopefully it will get here at lightning speed so I can turn my castille bars into whipped shampoo!! Can I add sugar as I haven't added sugar to my original batches (will do that next time!) Thank you so much to everyone for posting their results to the experiments!

 

[MagiaDellaLuna]

Wow, what a fantastic thread!! I can't WAIT try the shampoo recipe, I have just ordered some pectin extract (all I could here!!), hopefully it will get here at lightning speed so I can turn my castille bars into whipped shampoo!! Can I add sugar as I haven't added sugar to my original batches (will do that next time!) Thank you so much to everyone for posting their results to the experiments!

Adding sugar at this time will not be a good idea as it will just produce a sticky mess. Your shampoo will turn out fine even though you did not use sugar in your original Castille bars.

Please let us know your results as we are all eager to learn from one another.

 

[Deb]

I'll be trying this next week with my shavings from this weeks fair....
and I"ll post results.

Re long hair: I"m no longer a member of the long hair club, but I used to have it past my waist before I developed PCOS/Hypothyroidism/Celiac and the resulting hair loss..(bald patches with hair being pulled down? not attractive. I need it shorter now to give it volume).

Have any of you ladies tried conditioner only? YOu cover your hair/scalp with conditioner, leave it to soak 10 minutes or so..I used to conditioner up get in, clean myself off, stand for a few minutes and then rinse.

It feels lovely adn silky and clean to me then...at first i couldn't imagine how it worked and then i read the ingredient list.

 

[MagiaDellaLuna]

Have any of you ladies tried conditioner only? YOu cover your hair/scalp with conditioner, leave it to soak 10 minutes or so..I used to conditioner up get in, clean myself off, stand for a few minutes and then rinse.

It feels lovely adn silky and clean to me then...at first i couldn't imagine how it worked and then i read the ingredient list.

I have very dry hair so this sounds like a great idea for a "moisture booster".
Will let you know when I try it.

 

[violetflower]

Wow, what a fantastic thread!! I can't WAIT try the shampoo recipe, I have just ordered some pectin extract (all I could here!!), hopefully it will get here at lightning speed so I can turn my castille bars into whipped shampoo!! Can I add sugar as I haven't added sugar to my original batches (will do that next time!) Thank you so much to everyone for posting their results to the experiments!

Adding sugar at this time will not be a good idea as it will just produce a sticky mess. Your shampoo will turn out fine even though you did not use sugar in your original Castille bars.

Please let us know your results as we are all eager to learn from one another.

Thanks for the advice!

I will definitely will let you know how it turned out!!

 

[Vintageliving]

Am melting/mixing a new batch with EVOO-Castor bars. I'll add glycerin and a little olive oil to it for shampoo. I have really enjoyed using that first batch. My hair and scalp have felt better with this than any of the health-food-store shampoos I'd tried. This is such a thrifty, easy way to make shampoo. It's delightful to be able to put in exactly what one chooses!

 

[soapqueen]

I just made some of this yesterday with a couple of year old bars of my own soap. Even when it had cooled down it was like water; I resisted the temptation to heat again and add more pectin, and left it to sit for several hours by which time it turned to an apple sauce consistency. I added a tbs of glycerin and a few mls of lavender eo, and whipped it up to a lovely mousse. Used a glob this morning as shampoo, and it lathered up really well. Rinsed with a couple of pints of cyder vinegar in water, then rinsed with water. Didn't use conditioner to really test the effects.

I wouldn't say my hair is any better than usual, but it's no worse. So I'm well pleased to have found a way to cut out all the synthetic rubbish in supermarket shampoos, save myself some money, and finally find a use for all my failed batches.

Thanks so much for posting this really useful tip.

 

[soapqueen]

P.S. It's no good as dish washing liquid.

But now I'm thinking of seeing if it would act as an emulsifier to make lotions. I have had some success with using lecithin granules. My understanding is that E-was contains SLS and PEG 100 whiich I think is derived from petroleum, both of which I want to avoid in my products.

 

[soapqueen]

sorry, I meant E-wax

 

[Vintageliving]

Soapqueen, nice to read that the method worked well for you. I, too, am glad to be free of trying to needing to buy shampoo.

I hope someone posts a way to have success with this method for dishwashing liquid.

 

[soapqueen]

Hi VL,
One reason it's not great for washing up liquid is that it makes the water very cloudy. Another is that the bubbles disappear too fast. Another is that it just isn't concentrated enough to cut through the grease. Maybe a pure coconut soap with no superfat and made partly with potassium instead of all sodium hydroxide would go some way to solving the latter two problems, but not sure how you would solve the first.

 

[Vintageliving]

Soapqueen, I'll give the dishwashing liquid another go sometime. I ruined my first attempt by putting baking soda in it. I've got a great jar of glop now. Think I might use it for laundry.

I don't mind cloudy water, nor low suds. Just need it to make the dishes squeaky clean, be easy to use, and economical.

I'll post a report when I experiment again.

At least I've got a great shampoo, which saves money and keeps away things I don't want on my hair or skin.

 

[Vintageliving]

Made my fourth batch of this today. Went through my last batch of shampoo quickly, as I liked it so much.

Last batch was EVOO 95% and Castor 5%. Added 1/2 t. vegetable glycerin and 1/2 t. EVOO, and a bit of distilled water to the cooled batch.

This time I used 6 ounces of soap and 36 ounces of water. Used ultra low heat and cooked it for several hours. It thickened wonderfully when it cooled. Same EVOO-Castor bars as last time, but they were harder, so took longer to melt.

I so like having this recipe!

Batch of dishwashing soap that had baking soda in it which turned to very dense paste, got rebatched. It turned to the consistency of old-fashioned waterless hand cleaner. I'm going to turn it into gardner's hand scrub or something.

Anyone else experimenting with this recipe?

 

[MagiaDellaLuna]

Hiya VL
I have found that the type of shavings used (recipe of original soap) has an effect on the outcome of the "liquid" soap without a doubt.
While I was visiting my daughter in Ireland I grated up a bar of Milk, Silk and Honey whipped soap to use. Cooked it just long enough on low heat for the soap to melt. Once again I ended up with a mousse type result, so it seems that is the result I will get with this type of soap regardless of how long I cook it. The milk (powder) in the soap is the only ingredient which is different to my other whipped soap which produces a completely different result.

This is so versatile and I love it. The trick is to experiment with different base soaps and record the end result of each type, then use that for the purpose to which it is best suited. The mousse makes the best shampoo for me and is the most economical to use.

 

[MagiaDellaLuna]

Have any of you ladies tried conditioner only? YOu cover your hair/scalp with conditioner, leave it to soak 10 minutes or so..I used to conditioner up get in, clean myself off, stand for a few minutes and then rinse.

It feels lovely adn silky and clean to me then...at first i couldn't imagine how it worked and then i read the ingredient list.

I tried this yesterday and cannot believe how good (and clean) my hair feels. I think I will alternate this method with a proper shampoo'ing in future as I have very dry hair and scalp.

 

[Deb]

chiming in late here...

I have one batch on the stove (covered) with pectin busy 'cooking', and I have one batch melted into the water (pine tar) that I'll do tomorrow evening, depending on how this batch turns out. I'm hoping for a nice gel like soap for in pump bottles.

I'll let you know how the pine tar and this batch turned out - both are blended soaps (coconut, pine tar, lard, castor,stearic acid/coconut, PKO, lard, castor/stearic acid) and both are basically scraps from cleaning up the bars I just unmolded and what was in the pot after 24 hours.

 

[Vintageliving]

MDL, interesting about the milk powder and mousse consistency.

Deb, am looking forward to read your reports, esp. on the pine tar.

Yes, the recipe of the soap and how long it has cured make such differences.

Made a 100% lard batch yesterday and will try it for various household chores.