Home Made Detergent, Ya'll!

I'm always looking for ways to save money on essentials, as I love to buy non-essentials.  Laundry detergent can be super expensive, so why not try making your own to save some major cash.  I literally do loads of laundry every day, so when I heard about this recipe that can be found here, I decided to make some and enlist the help of my daughters.

OH GIRLSSSSSS!!!!! Get to grinding that soap!  "With a smile, mom!"

I spent around $14 to make my own detergent that should last me a year at 1-2 tablespoons per load.  I mixed all ingredients together in a 5 gallon bucket and then measured out 100 loads into my glass canister and put the rest up on the back porch closet. 

100 loads of laundry detergent right here.  I use an overflowing tablespoon per load.   I'm going to keep track of how long this lasts in my household of 5. 

That's where it goes and that is all you use.  Here's to hoping my clothes get clean.

I opened the door during the wash to see what was going on and if their were any suds.  Here is what I saw.

NO suds.  Just some dingy water. 

Later on, after pulling them out of the washer and dryer, I inspected them for cleanliness and color.  I must say I was impressed.  This homemade betty detergent does a better job than my current detergents which float between All Clear and Purex All Natural.  The clothes were indeed brighter and cleaner than normal.  I put on my favorite green tank (which was greener than normal) and I had no allergic reaction. Yay! I'm just waiting to see how this detergent fairs with my husband as he is allergic to several detergents on the market. If he finds himself itching and carrying on, I will just purchase him a separate detergent.  Cause that's how I roll. 

So, I'm telling you to give this a try.  Save some money.  Spend some somewhere else.  Or not.  But you should.  It's good stuff. 



Merry Christmas!

Curl Junkie Smoothing Lotion Review

While ordering my 6 month supply of Kinky-Curly Knot Today, I decided to give the Curl Junkie line a shot. I needed a really good moisturizing lotion to freshen up Maria's curls as needed, so I ordered the Curl Junkie Smoothing Lotion.  I also ordered a light styler for Reese's hair called Curls in a Bottle.  This styler is much to light for Maria's thick, tight curls but perfect for Reese's fine curls.  I used these on top of the Kinky-Curly Knot Today Leave-In conditioner.  I've been braiding Maria's hair lately because its been wanting to break off and frizz like crazy.  You can see that these braids have been up for a minute.  It's much better on her hair to keep it in braids right now. We are just trying to get it growing and keep it from breaking.  Here she is tonight after I took all the braids out and massaged more lotion into her hair.

 I've used Miss Jessie's Baby Buttercreme in the past and it works great with a braid out on Maria's 3C curls.  No frizz, lots of shine, and lots of defined waves and it will stay like that for several days.  I just don't like the build-up.  So, I got my Curl Junkie Smoothing Lotion in the other day and washed Maria's hair with Kinky-Curly Knot Today, rinsed, and then re-applied the Knot Today.  I layered Curls in a Bottle over that and then the Smoothing Lotion on top of that.  I diffused and it looked good initially.  After school, it had shrunk to her ears and didn't feel good at all.  It's fairly simple to assume I will not be using that combo again.  I got a spray bottle out and started sectioning for her braids.  I do medium sized ones.  About 7.  I would get the hair wet, comb it out, and then apply the smoothing lotion.  I applied about a dime size amount to each section.  Those braids have been in her head for 4 days.  I just took them out and I have a few pics of the result.  It looks nice.  I applied more smoothing lotion throughout the hair for more moisture and suspect I will have to do so tomorrow.  This product claims to be a moisturizing leave in conditioner and I would agree.  Her hair has been in those braids and it was still nicely moisturized.  3C hair is extremely dry and needs lots of moisture.  LOTS!  It's real hard to achieve, I tell ya. 

I've decided its not a bad product so far.  I haven't used it long enough to notice if their is a build-up or not.  The smell is nice for a young girl.  It smells just like Pink Sugar perfume.  Some say it smells like cotton candy and I would agree.  Its a very Tween smell.  I'll continue to use it when I braid her hair up as long as I dont get a build-up.  We will keep the braid out for as long as the hair will allow.  If it starts frizzing and tangling, I'm done. 

This hair down here is Kinky-Curly Knot today layered with the Kinky-Curly Curling Custard.  This looks like it might be day 2 hair.  I can't remember.  I love this look but it's still really dry.  I'm hoping I can add in the Curl Junkie Smoothing Lotion to this hair for moisture. 

And one last picture for the night.  This is after one hour of Wii Fit play. The hair has lots of bounce and movement.  It's just not laying on her head like a limp noodle. It's looking a little frizzy on camera but it looks great in person.  I'll apply some more product to it tomorrow.   It feels really soft.  She loves the feel of it.  Now if I could just keep the girls from fighting and the blankets off their heads...............