Things I love:
Saving money
Yummy smelling things
EASY projects
This DIY project was perfect for me! I took 2 bars of soap and made them turn into more than a gallon of liquid soap! So awesome. The two bars of soap were $2.99 together and the glycerin was $1.19.
What you need:
A grater
2 bars of soap (I used pomogranite rose… so good!)
2 tablespoons glycerin (get it in the medical aisle. weird, I know! here’s some online)
1 gallon water
A big ole pot
What to do:
1. Grate all the soap
2. Put all “ingredients” in the pot. (2 bars grated soap, 2 tablespoons glycerin, 1 gallon water)
3. Put stove on medium until all the soap is dissolved
4. Turn off stove and let it be for 10-12 hours. After a couple of hours it will harden a bit and turn cloudy
5. Pour it into an empty milk carton, an old “refill” soap container, reusable soap dispensers, a beer growler (WHO would do that?! Oh right, we did.)
All soaps are made differently – if yours is too runny, remelt with more grated soap. If it’s too hard, add more water.
And you’re done! Super fast and now you’ll have soap forever. Enjoy your soap!
All of these look so awesome and I should do them. I will as soon as we getback from our vacation thank you so much
Is this any kind of bar soap?
I can’t wait to try this one! If I ever find liquid soap in a scent that doesn’t make me want vomit, it costs a million dollars. Here’s my solution! :)
I just did this yesterday- TIP- Dove soap does not work. Trust me I know. It smells amazing but is watery probably due to the intense moisturizer. We will use it up though and continue to make our own body wash forever. Philosophy products truly do cost a million dollars but are heaven- the cleanest smell ever- well, you can buy Philosophy in BAR soap and melt away- I plan on making ‘manly’ body wash for my son and his new apartment- so experiment girls- just don’t use Dove.
Just wondering if you have ever thought about or plan on putting any post to buttons on your site ? As in Facebook or Pinterest etc ? Because I would so like to be able to share your wonderful recipes and hints with others too…. Thanks !
when i make this soap should i use a hard soap?, to start with. i have tried Ivory and im thinking it is to soft. Do you have homemade recipe for Dish soap?
It sounds like you can use the softer soaps such as dove or ivory you just need to use more soap or less water.
I made this liquid soap a while ago but it ended up with mildew in the containers. How can i prevent that from happening?
I’ve had great results using Dove. The ratio is one bar to two cups water. (I made a batch of 3 bars and 6 cups water). I did NOT use glycerin in my recipe.
I should add that it’s nice and thick like body wash!
What’s glycerin? Is that by chance what would make it antibacterial? Is there any way to make antibacterial?
Irish Spring soap works well (1 bar soap to 4 C water)….a stick blender is WONDERFUL to mix everything after it has all softened.
Danita,
You can make it antibacterial by adding Theives essential oil from youngliving.com (I’m not in any way associated with them). I would probably add about 10 drops in a gallon. It would also scent the soap (cloves/cinnamon) too so may want to use an unscented soap.
I am going to try this, I love thieves!!
Used a 12oz. Bar of Asquith and Somerset French lavender given to me as a gift. Followed your directions although I didn’t measure the water -just guessed at it Omitted the glycerin. After mixture cooled, I used hand blender and water to get the consistency I wanted and it smoothed out nicely. Added red and blue food coloring to make the mixture a pretty purple. added lavender essential oil to punch up the scent. Ended up with a little more than 3 quarts when all said and done. Easy process and I’ll continue to do this when hand soap supply runs slow. Thanks for the tute!
Can I use scented Glycerin Soap?
If so what adjustments do I need to make?
Will I Still have to use the spoons of Glycerin in the recipe?
Soap is antibacterial by definition, so there is really no need to add anything to it to make it antibacterial.
http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/best-and-worst-2010-your-guide?page=4
“There is no need for an antibacterial agent – regular soap works just fine. Antibacterial soaps are thought to lead to antibiotic resistance”.
I have made the soap and it turned out very slimming rather gross. Does the glycerin to that? Or maybe the kind of soap I used? It was some French soap.
Do you know if you can use a homemade goat soap?
The glycerin…can it be vegetable glycerin? Is that same thing?
you can add 3 drops of Tea Tree Oil per cup of soap for a natural antibacterial effect. Buy it at health food stores or the homeopathic section of the drugstore.
[...] to find an unscented soap so it is easier on our allergies. The “recipe” I used came from The Burlap Bag, and, of course, was posted on [...]
Recipe that’s great:
1/2 bar of pure soap, grated (about 1 cup)
must use real soap, nothing with moisturizer already added, try Ivory
5 cups hot water
no need for it to be boiling, just warm enough so it will melt soap shavings
1 T glycerin
easy to find at the drugstore in the pharmacy section
1/2 T oil
you can use coconut oil, olive oil, almond oil, the choice is yours
1/2 T dish soap
this helps to create some lather
Drops of essential oil (tea tree for antibacterial properties)
Grate 1/2 bar of soap and put shavings into a large heat-proof bowl.
Add hot water to bowl and gently whisk until soap has dissolved.
Pour in glycerin, oil, and dish soap.
Whisk gently to incorporate.
Let your soap cool – this will take at least TWO HOURS.
Whisk again and you should notice things have thickened up to a “snot” consistency.
Use a funnel to pour liquid soap into an existing dispenser.
Store leftovers for another day.
Tip: shake the dispenser every so often, it seems to help with lather and keeps things incorporated, and if things get too thick, add a touch of water. Optional: you can add a few drops of essential oil to the mix if you’d like a customized scent.
Ps. Got recipe from Steven & Chris
Made it. loved it. slimey texture ‘n all :) now i make it for everyone ^_^
Great gift idea! Thanks!
Dove soap will only work if you lower the water content… I use 2 cups water for one bar of the dove moisture bar (olay moisture bar works the same). it may not make a gallon of body wash but it does make a good amount of creamy body wash (not slimy at all) :D
I made this a month ago with distilled water and a homemade castile soap. Now there’s these little “Beads” in it. It looks almost like the soap is trying to solidify. Is this normal or has the batch spoiled? I use it as a base for several things so I don’t want to be washing with spoiled soap.
I actually make my own soap from olive oil and do this. If you can find handmade/homemade soap it will work just fine, plus you avoid all the petrochemicals in regular soap bars. I just rough chop my soap and put it into a bottle and add water to cover it. Shake every so often, when you think of it, to dissolve. If you forget to shake it, don’t worry, it dissolves just the same. If it’s too thick, add more water. This takes me about 3 days, I just keep the jar or bottle under the kitchen sink. If it separates don’t worry, shake it all up and it will go back together. Some batches have to be shaken several times.
To prevent mold/mildew in your container you need to add a preservative. Anytime there is water, there is the possibility of mold growth. I use peppermint essential oil from http://www.mountainroseherbs. Essential oils are antibacterial etc. and peppermint is a strong one, plus it smells nice. Lavender or sweet orange is nice too. I’ve been making soap for over 10 years and I’ve never had a problem with mold, and I’ve stored soap for more than a year.
MollyMalone, I’ve done that with bar soap too…I use old bar soap to make liquid soap for basic cleaning. I’m curious how you make your olive oil soap though…will you share that? :)
[...] http://www.theburlapbag.com/2011/11/diy-making-a-gallon-of-liquid-soap-for-4/ [...]
THIS IS SUPPER COOL I WILL NEED TO TRY IT THANKS :)
lovely tutorial, definitely going to have to try!