They say cleanliness is next to Godliness. The same can be said for nature. There is no reason why a survivalist needs to smell like yesterday’s work-socks. Make you own soap!

How to Make Liquid Soap from Handmade Bar Soap

120g (4.2 oz) Soap – this is equivalent to one bar of Lovely Greens Soap Filtered Water – see variations for the amount you need.
1. Grate or cut your soap into small pieces and place into a sauce pan. Pour the water into the pan and bring it to a simmer.
2. Stir the soap and water until the soap has dissolved then take the pan off the hob and set it someplace to cool down. It will look like soapy water at this point.
3. Let the pan sit for 12-24 hours before adding any optional ingredients. Remember that for soap you should be cautious with overindulging with essential oils and that their quantity should be around 2% of your entire recipe. If your starting soap had fragrance in it already you should reconsider adding any at all. Whether you’ve added optional ingredients or not make sure to stir or even blend the soapy mixture well.
4. Pour into bottles (if applicable) and use. If you have sudsy bubbles in your mixture don’t worry, they’ll for the most part settle back into the soap.

Whipped Soap / Shaving Soap

You’ll need 360ml of water for this recipe (equivalent to 1.5 cups or 12.7 fluid oz) Though not a true whipped soap, the result of using the ratio of 1:3 (soap to water) results in a light and creamy soap that creates a rich lather perfect for getting those legs ready for summer. You will find that after you let this soap sit for the required 12-24 hours that the result will look and almost feel solidified at the bottom of the pan. Don’t panic! Just whisk it and after a a few seconds it will look just like the whipped soap in this post. Caution on making whipped soap…though it looks amazingly delicious do not attempt to eat it

Liquid Hand Soap

You’ll need 1440ml of water for this recipe (equivalent to 6 cups or 50 fluid oz)
You’ll be able to stretch that bar of soap into about 1.5 litres of liquid hand soap with this recipe. Fill up your pump bottle with what you need and then store the rest in a clean jar with a lid. Topping up should be a breeze and you’ll feel great at saving so much money on a natural liquid hand soap. One thing that you should be aware of when using this 1:12 ratio (soap to water) recipe is that it needs a bit more time to reach its final thickness than the other two recipes. So don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater if your soap mixture looks too thin after 24 hours. Give it a bit more time and it will thicken up nicely.

One thing that makes homesteaders and survivalists unique is their knowledge of things over others who have not prepped. Trust us, when the grid goes down, having soap and being able to make “clean” trades will be most welcome!

For more information go over to Lovely Greens. A clean prepper is a happy prepper 🙂