My new obsession

This is Harmony. Her MySpace page is here

How is Castile Soap Made?

Hello fellow naturals and castile soap lovers! Ever wonder how castile soap is made? Check out this video to find out.

Foaming vegan soap and other homemade bath products

For those of you who are newly-converted Castile Soap enthusiasts, like me, you may have already noticed that when diluted, the soap is rather watery. I've found that this causes me to use more soap than I normally anticipate to use during a washing session. This afternoon, while trudging through the netherworldly cabinet underneath my bathroom sink, I came across a foaming soap dispenser. A lightbult subsequently went off and I dashed to my soap stash in my room to pull out my favourite Dr. Bronner's hemp peppermint liquid castile soap. I dumped about 2 oz. of castile soap into the bottle, and then filled the rest of it with water. The moment of determining my success or failure would come after the test...

*Teesha presses down on the pump*

What elated me thereafter was the pouring out of thick, frothy, cloud-like foam that emitted a heavenly peppermint aroma.

"SUCCEEEEEEEESSS" I shouted, as my words triumphantly echoed in the bathroom. I then raised my fist in the air for victory.

From hereonafter, there will be no watery castile soap mess. My frugality is furthermore sustained, as more soap will be saved with the glorious foaming dispenser *inject maniacal laughter here*

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I no longer use any chemically-infused products on my body. Why not? Since I've decided to stop using chemicals in my hair, why not go all the way and cease to use them everywhere else? All of my cleansers are now castile-soap based; and my black and ashy skin now loves me back for it. I never wear make-up, almost as a rule, because I find the daily face-beating ritual silly, frivolous and addictive because of the way the cosmetic industry feeds from women's anxieties as well as they create them. Hell, I never even wore make-up to my high school prom, five years ago.

Here are some of the concotions I've been whipping with things I've had in my organic stash and kitchen for a while now.

Honey-Peppermint Facial Cleanser
Thanks to Towards Sustainability for sharing this gem!

1 cup of vegetable glycerin
6 tbsp. honey
4 tbsp. liquid castile soap

Sugar Body Scrub (I don't remember the measurements that I used, but whatevs. I listed the ingredients from greatest to least)
White sugar
Almond Oil
Olive Oil
Coconut Oil (You know you're of west indian descent if you have this in bulk! =p)
Vegetable glycerin
Honey
Loose green tea leaves

(you really don't need all of the ingredients in here, just moisten the sugar with whatever oil you've got. The rest are just frills. I got curious, that's all)

Shower Gel (in a 750ml bottle)
1 cup of vegetable glycerin
6 tbsp of honey
4 tbsp of Almond Oil/Olive oil infused with essential oils
Fill the rest of the bottle with Dr. Bronner’s castile soap

::UPDATE::

I forgot to mention what's currently in my shampoo

Castile Soap-based Shampoo
8 caps full of Dr. Bronner's Peppermint Hemp Castile Soap
2 cups (or three?) of water
Half a cup of rosemary tea
1 tbsp of olive oil infused with about 8 drops of Rosemary Oil (yeah, I caved and bought some)

I'd say, keep the sugar body scrub in a cool dry place when you're not using it. But as for the shower gel and the facial cleanser, they're good to be kept in the shower for a long while without having them spoil on you.

Revolutionize the world by making your own cosmetic products. It's cruelty/oppression-free and hella cheap. Up yours, inhumane and unrelentingly capitalist cosmetic industry!! Product junkies, free yourselves!

-t

Rosemary

I'm sure you've all heard somewhere in the natural hair community that Rosemary stimulates hair growth and blood circulation. So being the cheap bum that I am, I decided to boil some ground rosemary to extract its nutrients rather than just running to the health food store for its essential oil. I know the rosemary is organic because it was grown in my mother's garden.

What I did is I spooned the rosemary into a coffee filter and ran it through my coffee maker. This was all very experimental since I have never used a coffee maker to make tea (which is what the rosemary is now, essentially). And it turned out to not be fucked up! It smells heavenly and is a beautiful earthy red colour. I'm going to put some of this in my shampoo and daily spray for some added nutrients...... sooner or later I'm going to try drinking the stuff as tea.... =P

My favourite Freeformers on Fotki

Here's a list of some of my favourite (damn you spell-check for not accepting the Canadian spelling of the word) freeformed dreadheads on Fotki. I, personally don't have an account and refuse to pay for one; however, I am a frequent lurker in the darkness of cyberspace.

Yasu last one
Mochalocks
TalkingYam
Statontc2
BlackAngel Playah (my absolute fave!)
Soul-Rebel
Missharvin1
queenjahzara
Kesiah
nappyheadedblackgirl
somethingfree
chococanelleII *she twists occasionally, but I love the thickness of her hair

Dr. Bronner's Peppermint Hemp Pure Castile Soap as Shampoo

What works for me may not work for everyone else. But what I've found to be far superior to every shampoo/conditioner/moisturizer/facial cleanser/shower gel I've ever used is Dr. Bronner's castile soap. Diluted (4-5 caps full per 250ml of water), it makes the best shampoo for me. It lathers, clarifies and even seems to condition my hair after a good wash. The feeling of the peppermint on the scalp is also cool and refreshing. Now I can't help but sing Dr. Bronner's praises.

Shampooing is something I do every other day to every couple of days. That's only because I sweat a lot and I'm obsessed with smelling clean =). Using Dr. Bronner's full strength would surely strip my hair of moisture, with the frequency at which I wash it. But diluted, it's absolutely fine for me to do it every other day.

I use it for everything now, from showering to washing my face. I don't think I'll ever buy another special purpose soap, when this one seems to do everything well for me. I have a feeling that I'm going to save a shitload of money in the long run. Goodbye Product Junky-ism.


Ingredients: Water, Saponified Organic Coconut & Organic Olive Oils (w/ retained glycerin), Organic Hemp Oil, Organic Jojoba Oil, Organic Peppermint Oil, Mentha Arvensis, Citric Acid, Vitamin E.

Simple and few ingredients. All organic. Fair Trade. Pretty economical. =)

And one week passes...