Happy New Year!!

Welcome to 2018! I hope you have all brought it in with a BANG!  

We, at The Space We Share, and our families spent an evening looking back over the past year and vision cast for the new. I found it refreshing to remember a few “kodak” moments, but to take a step into a new season. I have high hopes for this year, for me personally, my family, and also for The Space We Share. 

I wanted to share with you a little about my hopes. Feel free to share yours so we can all work at keeping each other accountable. This year I want to take some classes in alternative medicine. I don’t have anything against allopathic medicine, it has its place. I just believe our bodies are so much more capable of healing themselves with the right attention. I am tired of only having my symptoms treated, and not the root cause. 

One of my other passions is getting rid of chemicals and toxins in my home. Over the years I have turned to making my own soap and detergent and choosing Norwex cloths or Young Living Thieves cleaners instead of harsh chemicals as cleaners. 

A lot of times taking this leap can be overwhelming and no one is really sure where to even begin. These are just 3 easy steps you can take for right now. I want to share my laundry detergent recipe with you. It is super easy and literally costs you pennies on the dollar. It will save you loads of money and it is way better for your skin. 

Let me begin by telling you why I even started making my own detergent. It was about 8 years ago and my husband and Izzie (my youngest daughter at the time)  kept breaking out after I washed clothes. Then Izzie started showing signs of eczema. So I, like so many if you, switched to a sensitive detergent in hopes that it would help. It helped a little, but Izzie’s skin kept getting worse. Finally one day, she came up to me and was screaming. Her legs looked like someone had lit them on fire! I knew I needed to do something drastically different for her sake. I did a lot of research and found a recipe that I liked and have never gone back. 

I will share a great recipe for treating eczema sometime in the future. It’s amazing and I know you will all love it, but it is a bit more intensive. So to start you off with something easy AND really fun for those of you with kiddos, this is my recipe for making laundry detergent.

Supplies: 

• 1 bar of soap.

I use the soap I make, but for those just getting started, choose a soap that is free of fragrance, preservatives and artificial coloring. I also don’t recommend anything with petroleum. I have used Tom's of Maine Natural Daily Moisture Beauty Bar in a pinch. It’s  about $3. 

• Water

• A 5-gallon bucket with lid

• 1/2 C Borax

• 1 C Washing Soda

• Not necessary but really nice to have is an Essential Oil of your choice. I only use Young Living.

Step One:

• Set 4 Cups of water to boil in a large pot

• Grate the bar of soap

• As the water begins to boil, add the grated soap and stir until dissolved.

Step Two:

• Pour the soap/water mixture into the 5-gallon bucket

• Add the Borax and Washing Soda

• Stir until well blended

Step Three: Optional

• Add about a teaspoon of the Essential Oil of your choice. I use Lavender a lot.

Step Four:

• Put the lid on, making sure the seal is complete. Let it sit for 24 hours and then open and stir!

You’re done! I use about a 1/2 C for regular loads and 1 C for really set-in dirty clothes. 

On average this will cost you 7 cents a load! 

If you have any questions about the process or the products I use, Norwex and Young Living, leave a comment or email me at wayfaringsoul81@gmail.com.

Love,

Amber