DIY Detergent Chemical Free & Vegan

My favorite natural DIY product is detergent. Perhaps because it is the first product I made or because homemade chemical free detergent has a huge positive impact on the environment and our health. For whatever the reason, I love making, using, and sharing this recipe!

You will need:

Washing Soda - 1 cup

Borax - 1 cup

5 gallon bucket with lid (I bought mine at home depot)

Bar of soap or liquid soap (I use Dr. Bronner’s)

Cheese grater (if using bar of soap)

Measuring Cups (1 cup and 4 cup) 

Bottle of container (An old detergent bottle will do)

Wooden Spoon

Boiling pot

Tea Tree Oil
Water - 4 cups to boil & to fill a 5 gallon bucket

Essential oil (optional)

All of these products can be found at your local grocery store, health food store, or amazon.com

Grab the materials and lets go!

Step 1:
Boil 4 cups of water and fill the 5 gallon bucket half way with hot water

Step 2:
Shred a bar of vegan soap (or use a food processor)

Step 3:
Once water is boiled, slowly stir in the soap shreds until the soap has dissolved. Then add 1 cup of washing soda and 1 cup of borax stir until completely mixed

Washing soda cannot be replaced with baking soda! 

Step 4:
Poor soap mixture into a 5 gallon bucket and fill the rest with hot water. Then place lid on bucket and let cool for several hours.

Step 5:
Once the mixture cooled, add tea tree oil (~20 drops). You can also add an essential oil of your choice such as lavender for additional fragrance

Step 6: Let sit for 24 hours or until it becomes a gelatin

To use:

Stir detergent then fill a bottle (old detergent bottle) half way with hot water and half with the detergent. Shake before use and follow the instructions on your laundry machine for the amount needed and you are ready to use! 

CONGRATS! You just made TEN gallons of detergent! One bucket lasts my family of three six months - In the past two years I've made a total of 4 buckets.



The extra product will not be wasted! Save it for an upcoming easy laundry DIY that will save you money and it is chemical free!

Check back for a natural cost effective fabric softener! 

Every little change you make towards a natural lifestyle is helpful to you, your family, the environment, and is cost effective. 

Chickpea Salad - Easy Vegan Dish

Since I became a vegetarian I've been learning how to cook with dry beans and lentils. Growing up I wasn’t a big fan of beans, but since I am Cuban my grandmother added beans to her dishes and my mom’s favorite meal is black beans and rice (Moros y Cristianos or Congri). As I begin my vegan journey I’ve grown to appreciate beans and constantly learning new ways cook them. They are full of protein so they keep you full, are versatile so they go with any meal, and dry beans are 100% natural. They are also super cheap! Chickpeas (garbanzo beans) are my favorite, so I added some veggies to make a wonderful chickpea salad.

In this recipe I use dry beans but you can substitute for can beans. Most people are afraid to cook dry beans, but it super easy and healthier for you than can beans - just need a little planning. The benefits of eating dry beans (fresh, no BPA, preservatives or chemicals) are well worth the time. A little bit of beans goes a long way because they grow in water. 1/3 cup of dry beans equals 1 cup of cooked beans. 

Grab your beans and veggies and lets make this chickpea dish!


You will need:

1 bag of dry Chickpeas (Garbanzo beans)

1 cucumber

1 tomato

1 red onion

1 green pepper

EVO oil 

Optional: Feta cheese or mozzarella cheese

You can add other veggies (corn)

Kitchen items:

Cutting knife and board

Boiling pot

Drainer

Cooking dry beans is easy: rinse, soak, rinse and cook. 
If you are using can beans skip down to step 6.

1. Rinse dry beans 

2. Soak dry beans for 8-12 hours (overnight is best) in a big bowl. Fill the bowl with water and leave plenty of room because they will double in size OR for every 1 cup of dry beans add 2 cups of water

                                   

3. Once they are done soaking, rinse the beans again in cold water

4. Now they are ready to be cooked! 

Add the beans to a big pot. For 1 cup of dry beans add 2 cups of water OR Once in the beans are in water add 2 inches of water above the bean level

5. With a lid, start to cook the chic peas on high heat until it starts to boil, then let it simmer on low heat for 1.5 - 2 hours.  Beans are done once they are tender

6. In the meantime dice vegetables and add to mixing bowl 

 7. Add seasoning and olive oil - (optional: add lemon or lime juice)

8. Once beans are tender, drain and rinse in cold water.

9. Add to diced vegetables and mix

10. The finished dish!

To make the wooden serving piece/coaster checkout my DIY blog post. 

This dish makes an awesome meal, side dish, or salad topper. Beans are loaded with protein so this is a great source of protein for vegetarians/vegans. 

Enjoy!! 

 What are you favorite bean recipes??

Face, Lip, & Body Scrub - Natural DIY

My favorite part of the day is cleansing my face. It is so relaxing and refreshing to remove the day's free radicals, dirt and build up from my face. During the day your face encounters pollutions and dirt that clog your pores. Cleansing your face removes the surface dirt but exfoliating with a gentle scrub cleans your pores. Take care of your skin to keep it looking fresh and youthful. 


I use a homemade natural face and body scrub to exfoliate my face, lips, and body. It removes black heads, dirt build up, dead skin and leaves a glowing soft texture. Best part is I know it is chemical free and made from Mother Earth's natural ingredients. 


This recipe is a simple face, lip, and body scrub. All the ingredients you probably have in your kitchen and it only takes seconds to make and cost pennies. No excuses not to try this awesome scrub!


If you have acne prone skin you will especially love this facial scrub. All the ingredients work to kill bacteria, heal acne, remove scars, and reduce oil. 

You will need:

1- 2 tablespoons White sugar

1-2 tablespoons of Brown sugar

1 tablespoon Sea Salt

1 tablespoon Honey (vegans: replace with agave)

1 Lemon or lemon juice

Container to store

Spoon to mix

 *You can also add other natural ingredients such as essential oil, green tea, baking soda, apple cider vinegar, or oil (EVO, coconut, almond).  



**These measurements will create a batch for one week. 

Directions:

1. Add dry ingredients then mix wet ingredients and stir into a slight paste. 

2. On a damp face gently scrub in circular motions - Avoid the sensitive eye area

3. If you can let it sit on your face for several min

4. Rinse and pat dry your face - never rub!

5. Follow up with a natural moisturize like 100% pure aloe vera gel or use it straight from the plant

You will instantly notice brighter, glowing, & softer skin. 

Follow these guidelines:

1. You do not need to stick to the measurements. You can add more sugar to thicken or less to loosen the texture.

2. Mix to a slight runny consistency, so it is not too abrasive. The goal is to exfoliate with a light scrub, not scratch your delicate face or body.

3. For sensitive skin, skip the white sugar and replace with more brown sugar (brown sugar is softer than white) and use 2-3 times a week. 

4. Exfoliating opens your pores so only do this night before bed, so outside free radicals do not enter your clean face. 


The benefits of each natural ingredient:

Sea salt: Natural exfoliator and preservative, relaxes muscles 

White & brown sugar: Natural exfoliator, removes dead skin cells, cleans pores, moisturizes; Brown sugar adds a sweet smell

Honey: Heals skin, locks in moisture, natural antibacterial; Excellent for acne prone skin

Lemon juice: Evens out skin tones, lightens skin, reduces oil, removes top layer of skin, reduces acne scars


You do not need to keep this in the fridge. The sea salt preserves the mixture and prevents the sugar from melting into the lemon and honey.  I keep mine in the shower and make a new batch every week. 


Include this scrub in your beauty regime. Create a spa at home with a relaxing atmosphere and natural beauty remedies. Use this scrub as facemask and pamper your feet with an exfoliating massage.


For sweet dreams add 1-2 drops of essential lavender oil to soothe your body before bed. 


Let me know in a comment if you tried this natural face and body scrub!