Homemade (Liquid) Laundry Soap

Laundry Detergent is expensive...and I'm allergic to almost everything (Seriously...my list is like two pages long).

 So I decided to make my own!

I used this recipe from One Good Thing by Jillee (I can't say enough about how much I love her!)

So here's how it happened:

Step 1: Grating the soap
I used Dial, because I know I'm not allergic to it (Not sure what scent, i just sniffed until I found something I liked)

 Step 2 & 3:
Add water and melt the soap
Add the Borax and Washing Soda
Mix and mix and mix until it's all melted but DO NOT let it boil (bad things will happen!)

Step 4:

Ladle into separate containers until they're about 1/3 full

(as you can see I have a variety of bottle sizes, turns out I don't recommend any container with a small lid opening)

Step 5:

Add warm/hot water until they are roughly 2/3 full

Put the lids on the containers

Let them sit overnight (They need to coagulate)

The next day all of the "soap" will be at the top and the "water" will be at the bottom (I used quotes because it's all sort a mixed up soapy mess)

Which leads to Step 6:

Use a spoon or the end of a cooking utensil to break up the thick "soap" at the top into chunks

This is where I found out that I needed to use containers with wider mouths, it was very difficult to break the soap up through those tiny openings

Step 7:

Shake shake shake shake shake!!! It needs to be mixed up really well, so shake those bottles like you're pissed a the world!

Step 8:

Add more hot water until they're filled up to the top

Again: Shake Shake Shake Shake!

This is the point were I transfer the soap into an actual detergent container. It makes the soap easier to dispense and I can combine two of the smaller containers into one.

So in this great adventure, here are a few of my findings:

On the negative:

The scent doesn't transfer to the detergent very well
I made a HUGE mess while ladling and transferring
I had extra soap that I had no idea where to store
Mixing the water and soap to get the right consistency is tricky(this batch was super thin, I ended up using about 1 cup per load)
I find that I need to shake my mixture up before EVERY use
I'm finding some marks on my clothes that look like I've used powder detergent

On the positive:

It was super affordable

I'm not allergic!!

It does make my clothes very clean

It seems like there are more negatives that positives...but I'm going to chalk those up to being a learning experience.

I tried another batch using Fels-Naptha that was thicker (Almost too thick), and still had no smell. 

BUT I've found the solution!! Downy Unstoppables will make everything smell amazing, so I just add a small amount to each load and Poof! Magic! 

If you're wanting to try this, I wouldn't discourage you. I'll never go back to buying laundry detergent, it saves so much money, still makes your clothes clean, and is a fun project. 

Besides...I'm sure other people will have better luck than I did with this, I'm a newbie at making my own stuff, and I'm notorious for making silly mistakes when I'm trying new things.

BeDazzled Pumpkins

Carving pumpkins has been a tradition that I was never good at...

Either I almost lose a finger using a knife that was too big and way to sharp, my pumpkin collapses on itself because my cutting skills are mediocre at best, or I mess up and my poor pumpkin looks like someone just got pissed and took out their rage on the poor pumpkin's face.

This isn't my work...but it's a best case scenario of what would happen

But I LOVE having pumpkins on my porch during fall. I also love crafts.

So one day it hit me...DUH Why not use the skills I DO have to make this work for me?

So here it is!

one hour, 4 glue sticks and a lot of bling later....

BeDazzled Pumpkins!!

Homemade (Powder) Laundry Soap

Finally...my first post! 

I've made liquid detergent before trying this, but I had a few issues with this process:

• I could never get it to smell good enough
• I made a huge mess every time
• Getting the consistency right was hit or miss(sometimes it's chunky...sometimes it's so thin I have to add about a cup)
• Sometimes I would still find powdery marks on my clothes(which was the point of me using liquid, so that wouldn't happen)

So I decided to try this recipe from One Good Thing By Jillee (I love her!)

The best things about this recipe are:

• You only use 2 Tablespoons per load!!!
• It's not as messy (It's in my nature to make a complete mess, I'm sure most people could do it without making a mess)
• It lasts longer (It's supposed to last a year, compared to me making liquid detergent about once a month)
• You don't have to add fabric softener

So Here is what you need:

3 bars Fels Naptha, grated 
1 box Borax 
1 box Washing Soda 
2 cups of baking soda 
2 containers of Dollar Tree Oxyclean 
1-2 containers of Purex fabric softener crystals

Use 2 tablespoons per load. Put it right in the barrel if you have an HE washer.

So after 45 minutes of mixing magic....Wallah! (The recipe makes a LOT)

The only things I did differently was add Downy Unstoppables(....it was like magic happened in the washing machine!) and I ended up grating my soap (I don't own a food processor)

Mmmmmm...it smells SO good!

How much of the Unstoppables you add is up to you, I think I added about 1/2 of the container. You can always add more to the wash if you find that it doesn't smell as strongly as you'd like.

And it looks pretty!

Here's the finished product waiting to be used two yummy smelling tablespoons at a time:
















If you have any suggestions on how to make this even MORE awesome, or have any questions I would love to hear them!

The Beginning

Hello There!

Thanks for stopping by!

I'm Shayna, recent college grad, newly wed, and newbie blogger.

Since I've graduated (otherwise known as going 60 to zero in 2 seconds), I've found myself sleeping a lot instead of being productive, so in order to reverse this trend and get back to being the productive busy body I really am, I've decided to start this blog.

The name "Shayna Does it Herself" might mean different things to different people (mostly depending on if you've met me or not).
If you know me, I've been independent for most of my life (not by choice), but I've always found a way to make things work...hence, I do it myself.

I'm also very into literally doing things myself. I like experimenting with things that can make my life easier, more cost effective, won't poison me in the process, and are better for the environment.

Some people have made the comment
"Oh God, you're a Pinterest freak right?"
                                                                                            to which have been highly offended by!

Of course, it started with Pinterest, because what girl doesn't like to waste hours daydreaming about the perfect body, wedding, meal, and house?

However, from there I found One Good Thing By Jillee by following a pin that had step-by-step-by-step instructions on how to make your own laundry detergent.

From there I was hooked....is there anything I can't make myself??
While saving tons of cash money and being even more awesome at life???

Well, I'm here to see if I can be more awesome. And I'll share pictures and experiences of my successes and failures along the way.

I hope you enjoy the trip... it's gonna be a doozy.


Shayna