Why eco-friendly soap is better for your health There’s little shortage of scientific proof why you should wash with eco-friendly soap rather than synthetically produced antibacterial soap, which can be detrimental to both your health and the environment’s. Even those who exclusively clean with biodegradable soap at home, however, may at some point be faced with a dilemma: being exposed to potentially contagious germs (think: shaking hands with someone at a party who just sneezed, or going to the bathroom in an airport) or cleaning their hands with, say, antibacterial soap. Assuming your immune system is strong, if you don’t have access to eco-friendly soap outside your home, consider risking exposure to some bacteria rather than using non-biodegradable soap, especially antibacterial varieties, which may: Weaken your immune system Decrease fertility Alter hormones Cause birth defects A common ingredient in eco-friendly soap [here’s an example of a soap that helps preserves orangutan habitat] is lye. Do you use eco-friendly soap?
Making soap: 5 tips for homemade soap Until around 1916, making soap at home was commonplace. Using wood or plant ashes and leftover animal fats, families produced their own soap for cleaning their clothes and themselves. During World War I, when animal fats were in limited supply, German scientists developed synthetic detergents — and commercial soap was born. Homemade soap became less of a necessity, and gradually the practice dwindled. In recent years, back-to-the-landers and simple-living adherents have revived the homemade soap-making process — but it’s not only in favor with those who leave the big city for rural life or those with an anti-commercialist bent. Homemade soap is good for your wallet: you can make big batches of soap from scratch for less than it costs to buy bar after bar at your local drugstore, and you can reuse leftover bits to make new soap. Step-by-step instructions for making soap at home are widely available online and in various DIY books. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. More resources: Photo credits
Try our Soap Recipes for Making Homemade Soap with easy, no-fail Recipes HAND-MILLED SOAP MAKING RECIPES for SAGE SOAP Photo by Malene Thyssen Here is a soap that you can rebatch, call your own and here you are making soap without using lye or caustic soda. Therefore it is safe, fun and can be used for kids crafts too. Grate 2 cups of your chosen store-bought white soap, or your homemade Castile soap Place grated soap in a heat-resistant glass bowl Add 1/4 cup of water Take a pot of water simmer over a low heat. Remove from heat and add 1/4 cup rubbed sage. Take a suitable mold, such as an ice cream box, which as been pre-smeared in a thin coating of petroleum jelly to ensure that your soap will be released easily. Pour your soap into the mold and place in fridge to set. Once set remove from fridge and release from mold. Once your soap is dry, cut up your bars accordingly and wrap as desired. This is a basic homemade soap recipe that you can then use to substitute sage for oatmeal, add a teaspoon of saffron or paprika for coloring etc. Grate the soap. 4 oz olive oil
Hot Process Soap Making - The New-Fangled Technique? I visited a craft fair a few days ago. I always find it very interesting to wander round and chat to the sellers. One of the soap makers had a lovely range of cold process soaps, I have recently been working with soap making using the hot process, so I asked if they had ever used this technique. I was very surprised to find that they hadn't even heard of the process, despite the fact that they had been making soap for many years, and from the tone of our discussion they obviously considered themselves experts. As the conversation continued it became apparent that they considered the hot process a "new fangled" way to make soap, so it was quite pleasing to be able to set them straight Hot process soap making has been used for centuries, there are several reasons for this... - It is much less reliant on quality ingredients, historically this was crucial, because ingredients of the purity that we now take for granted were simply not available when soap was first made.
Important Soap Safety Instructions On this page I'm going to explain essential soap safety instructions that every soap maker must follow. Please, don't ignore these guidelines. Trust me; this fun craft can become somewhat dangerous if you're not careful. Scared yet? Free Soap Making e-Newsletter Plus instantly receive one of my own personal soap recipe formulas using a combination of sweet almond oil, avocado oil, olive oil, coconut oil, palm oil, castor oil and shea butter scented with an intoxicating essential oil blend. Here are the basic rules that I personally follow for soap making safety: Understand the dangers of lye... The number one reason why people don't try to make soap at home is because they are afraid of the potential hazards. Soap making is just like anything else... whether it's using bleach around the house or frying chicken with scorching hot oils, there are always slight risks involved. Return from soap safety guide to how to make soap Return to the soap making resource home page
Make your own solar power generator for less than $300 Whether you live off grid or just want backup power for emergencies, having a small solar generator at home can definitely come in handy. While most store-bought solar generators can be pretty pricey, you can actually create your own with parts easily acquired through the internet or at local stores for $200 to $300 – and you don’t have to be an engineer to do it. An online tutorial created by Phil Heiple features easy-to-follow instructions with amusing illustrations that guide you through each of the eight steps. When you're done assembling your new DIY solar power generator, place the solar panel in the sun for five to eight hours to charge the battery the first time. The finished product is small enough to tote on camping trips, on the boat, out in the field or while traveling in the third world.
My amazing DIY solar generator I remember the inspiration for building my solar generator clearly. It was close to 20 years ago and we were camping at the dunes in Oregon. Our campground neighbor, in a huge RV, ran his generator for about two hours one evening. It was annoying beyond compare — we go camping for peace and quiet. We later found out from overheard conversations that the RV people were using the gas generator to charge their camcorder. More modern needs Twenty years ago I did not have a camcorder or a digital camera. My solar generator is made up of a single 12 volt, 10 watt solar panel that feeds a sealed 12 volt gel battery. Portable and silent A couple years ago we did a big tour of four states here in the west. One of our best camps was in Zion, where we spent four full days and nights. Emergency power, too Back here at home we have used the solar generator to power our computer’s DSL modem during power outages. Related solar power stories on MNN:
How to reuse water bottles We all know the three “R”s: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. Reducing can be accomplished by purchasing an eco-friendly bottle, and keeping it with you to refill from the tap or water cooler. As for recycling, almost every municipality has some type of either curbside recycling, or a local place you can take your used plastics. The fun comes when we come to the third “R,” reuse. Statistics say that only about 20 percent of plastic water bottles are actually recycled, which leaves 80 percent to end up in landfills, or the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Learning how to reuse water bottles can help consumers save money, provide fun projects for families and kids and protect the environment from over-burdened landfills. Ideas for reuse range from décor to function to gardening. If you aren’t feeling crafty, simply filling the bottles with water and freezing them comes in handy for first aid, or keeping people and pets cool. More recycling stories on MNN: