I’ve been buying Kirk’s castile soap for my family. It’s very safe, hypoallergenic, and has like 5 ingredients in it. I love that it’s coconut based too! The only thing though, is that we have been going through almost a bar every week. I am used to body wash…liquid soap. I’m not digging the bar soap. So, I found a recipe online on how to turn a bar soap into body wash! Score! I love Dr. Bronner’s liquid castile soap, but it’s kind of expensive. I keep it on hand to clean the kids with, and to mop the floor with. A little goes a long way with Dr. Bronner’s, but I had 2 bars of Kirk’s soap so I thought I would see how a homemade recipe would turn out. I modified this recipe I found online and here is what I did.
First I grated the bar of soap. 
Then I put 6 cups of water in a pot and turned it on. Once it was almost boiling, I added in the grated soap (about 2 cups). I stirred it until it was melted and set it aside to cool for about an hour.
At this point I added in a few TB of coconut oil and about 15 drops of Lavender essential oil. It made a quart-sized mason jar and a pint-sized jar!
I used some of this the other day when showering. It’s nice and works well. If you’ve ever used Dr. Bronner’s liquid castile soap, then you know that natural liquid body wash has a more “watery” consistency. I am on the look-out for those foaming hand soap dispensers because I would really like to use this soap I made for washing hands too. It should foam up nicely with one of those foaming dispensers!
On to homemade toothpaste! Ok so this was a big step for me. To make something I lather on my body is one thing, but to make something that I actually put inside my mouth is another. Then I realized how silly this logic is. I’m trying to live more sustainably, so I need to trust myself more and trust that God gave us all we needed when He made us and the earth. I’m really trying to live more sustainably for many reasons. One, I want to be ready in the even of a Zombie Apocalypse. Two, I want to never run out of things and have to run to the store. And three, I want to show my kids to be dependent on themselves and not the grocery store. So, I found a recipe on Pinterest that uses: 5 Tbs baking soda -4 Tbs coconut oil -About 10 drops of essential oil -Container (Make sure it has a lid. Baking soda will absorb smells if left to open air.) -*You can also add a bit of stevia or other natural sweetener if you’re used to a sweeter toothpaste. I added some stevia and it did make it more palatable. It is definitely different tasting. I didn’t have any peppermint essential oil so I used my lavender essential oil. Gross! It smells good but the taste is hard to take. However, I am going to use it for myself. I know my husband will never use it. He couldn’t even use the Tom’s toothpaste without gagging. I really do like how clean it makes my teeth feel. It doesn’t bubble up and lather like commercial toothpaste does, but those do that because of all the toxic chemicals in it.
I’m really happy with all my homemade, natural products! I’m ordering a few “peri” bottles from Amazon to store them in. I have a bunch of glass mason jars in the shower right now and we all know how dangerous that can be.
All-in-all, I’m excited about my all my new products I’m making. I’m on my first week of doing the “No Poo” hair method, which is using no shampoo to wash with, however, that is a whole new post in itself. I am documenting it and after a month or so I will update you all!
Hi! I was looking for recipes for shampoos etc. and stumbled across this entry. I happen to have SEVERAL foaming soap bottles of the Method brand. Over time, I apparently bought enough for an army? I’m willing to send a few your way free of charge if you’d like. I am keeping 4 for the sinks in my house but I think I have 2 or 3 to spare. They’d be cheap to mail and I’d rather they go to a good home than to a landfill or need to be recycled. Let me know if you’d like them! I left my email on my comment. 🙂
Thank you so much for offering! Unfortunately, we are in the process of packing and moving so I’m afraid it might just get lost in the commotion. Thank you so much though!
Great post. I just located your blog and wished to let you know that I have certainly loved reading your blogs. At any rate I’m going to be subscribing to your feed and I really hope you are writing again soon.
I was wondering what kind of essential oil you use. I’m looking at getting a peppermint one and read that if ingesting internally (well I wont but just incase I accidentally did) that I should used a CPTG oil and DOTERRA sell these… I was hoping to get my kids to use it also well my 5 year old at least… id like to use it one my 19 month old also, you think it would be ok for her since im sure she will try swallowing it all the time!! thanks again!
DoTerra is a great brand! I would go with that one. You can use it for your kids. I’m not sure about how to use it internally for the baby though. But if you are just using it externally, make sure you dilute it with a carrier oil like coconut or olive oil.
Also is this the reminerlizing toothpaste?
Hi, Jackie.
You can purchase those foaming dispensers at several places. Dollar stores, Bed Bath and Beyond and stores like that. On line you might try amazon.com here is a link for a page full of them….ok I can’t get my laptop to paste. Sorry about that. Maybe you’ve already found it??
Peace
Pamellia
I just want to caution you about using this recipe on a regular basis. That amount of baking soda in your mouth daily is very harsh on your mouth. You might look into making a mineralizing toothpaste for daily use instead and save this for once a week to whiten. I’ve been making toothpaste for over a year and love the recipe with coconut oil, clay, high mineral salt (I use pink salt), sweetener (I use xylitol), and boiling water. You can add whatever EO’s you like. I make a mint (spearmint, peppermint) and a citrus (sweet orange, lemon). I’ve found several blogs that tell how to make it. Try it as is and then tweak the recipe how you like it. My next project is body wash so that’s how I found your blog post. Looking forward to trying this!
I actually don’t use this recipe anymore. I have a homemade remineralizing toothpaste recipe on my website now!
I have used Kirk’s for a long time for many things including a bar soap. If you are going through a lot as a bar let it air dry a few weeks out of the package before you start using it. It won’t dissolve as quickly so there is a lot less waste. It will last a lot longer. Kirk’s is a soft soap so I recommend letting it air dry if you are going to use it in a dry laundry or dish detergent. If it is too soft it will make the detergent rock hard