{ KITCHEN MACGYVER } All-Natural Homemade Liquid Olive Oil Handsoap { TOXIN FREE }

بِسْــــــــــــــــــــــمِ اﷲِارَّحْمَنِ ارَّحِيم

السلام عليكم و رحمة الله و بركاته

Marhaba - Welcome!  If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed, check out the Recipe Index. Or follow me on the social network Facebook. Thanks for visiting!

Today I'm going to post about something different ...

After spending considerable time choosing and preparing nutritious from-scratch foods fom the best possible ingredients for our families, it can be pretty frustrating to learn that the products we are using to cook, bake, eat, store food and clean with may actually be putting our families’ health at risk. But we can eliminate many of these hidden food, food prep and kitchen toxins that could otherwise leach their way into our systems. As a part of my Kitchen MacGyver series I'll be talking about the baby steps I've been taking to make my kitchen and home toxin-free. (and more economical also)

We know in Islam cleaniness is very important and according to a hadith in Muslim we know understand: “Purity is half of faith.” Similarly the Prophet of Islam (عليه السلام) once observed: “God is clean and loves cleanliness.” (Ibn Majah) So we as the stewards of our familes and homes it's our duty to keep them clean and pure. 

“Allah loves those who are clean.” (Quran 2:222)

Nowadays we can find a million and one new products, methods and ideas that keep us spending more money only to be more sick (spiritually, mentally and physically), more broke (and even in debt), less productive and even more uncontented with our lives. In reality, Islam has already given us clear guidelines (Quran and Hadith) on how to worship HIM. And within these guidelines  we have the simple steps to maintain our homes, bring contentment and productivity to our lives.

(I got  5L bottles from this recipe - enough to fill almost 2 of those fabic softener bottles pictured above )

We, Muslims focus in healthy halal foods but I think halal home cleaning are often overlooked. We often forget  to examin the toxic substances that may be present the home right now. While food and water are more ‘obvious’ factors, toxic home cleaning products may also be taking a toll on your health. The EPA has even stated on record that indoor air pollution (with a shocking 12 different chemicals with irritant properties in the air at all times) is contributing to sickness and ill health.

Thankfully, natural solutions do exist. And guess what? They're cheaper and readily available. And people have been using them for generations. 

There's really NO need to go out and buy the latest mass marketed green cleaning products, much like there's no need to buy the packaged faux foods (even the ones marketed as "halal").

Looking online, we can find a myraid of products: wood polish wipes, oven sprays, stain removers, dish detergent, surface wipes, dishwasher detergent tabs, glass cleaner, bathroom cleaner, kitchen spray cleaner, bleach for whites, bleach for colors, swizzle mops, swiffer dusters, magic erasers, spray strach, scented fabric softener, stain remover sticks, and laundry detergents of all kinds.

It is no longer possible to walk into the supermarket and ‘trust’ that the products on the shelves are safe for use. Big business owns the governments, and effectively writes the laws governing their own industries. Their primary objective isprofit, and the health and wellbeing of their customers places a distant 2nd place.

At a bare minimum, we Muslim consumers should always read the labels on products they are considering for purchase, and conduct research on the safety of the ingredients they contain. It is wise to consider natural alternatives and even best to use the homemade ones.

 Honestly, do we need all of these? Were the people at the time of the Prophet Mohammed (عليه السلام  ) using them? I think not. What were they using I wonder? 

We, Muslimahs, keepers of the home can easily keep our blessed abodes pure, clean and spotless with just a few all-natural ingredients. No need to bring toxic chemicals in the home! No need to waste your husband's hard earned money. either!

Which brings us to the recipe I'm going to share today  ...

Seeing that we wash our hands is one of the most important ways we can keep germs, microbs at bay. I'm going to share with you all my All-Natural Homemade Liquid Olive Oil Handsoap that's triclosan and lauryl sulfate free. We know that triclosan is an unsafe ingredient used in most anti-bacterial soaps and serums. And lauryl sulfate is also another toxic sustance used in health and beauty products I'm sure we all have in our homes. These two alone could be putting you at risk for hair and skin damage, immunological problems, damage to your eyes, and possibly even cancer. 

I have used savon de Marseille as the base for my handsoap. It's a widely available all-natural olive oil soap that has been used for generations. Savon de Marseille is a type of ancient and legendary cold-press olive oil soap much like Aleppo , Nabulsi or Castile soap Castile soap). The earliest recipes for Aleppo soap date back to 2400 B.C. And Savon de Marseille has been around for about 600 years. Savon de Marseille is traditionally green or white. The white soap is made with palm oil and least 50% olive oil while the green with least 72% olive oil. Both varieties are exquisite, ultra-moisturizing all-natural skin care. Marseille Soap is recommended by dermatologists throughout the world for dry skin and general dermatitis like eczema, psoriasis, bacterial dermatitis, acne, rosacea. Its incredible purity and moisturizing properties make it ideal for sensitive skins. In France and Algeria it has been trusted for generations to cleanse everything from linens to little faces.

Savon de Marseille is totally biodegradable, requires little packaging and its manufacture is environmentally friendly. Authentic Savon de Marseille is stamped with its weight in grams - a practice left over from years ago which allowed households to compare prices and plan their inventories.

While I've used the white savon de Marseille specifically for babies, the green (shown in the pictures) has far more olive oil content.


If you don't have access to savon de Marseille you can use a Aleppo, Nabulsi, Castille soap or a good glycerin based soap here. Duru is a good glycerin based soap in Algeria. Outside of Algeria Dr Bonner's, Mrs. Meyer's and Clearly Natural are good brands I've used in the past. Alternatively, you can use any bar soap here but results may vary. And if you're really crafty you can even make your own.

Here in Algeria, it's customary to give soap to new guests and babies. I know I usually used to get a lot when I first came here so this is one good way to use up those bars of gift soaps. I must admit  I have an absolute hatred for bar soaps. I hate them as they get so dirty, center for germs and easily get "snotty". And maybe I'm neurotic but I get uneasy when I think of many, many hands have touched that single bar of soap ---> in public bathrooms :p

I have added liquid glycerin to the mixture. Glycerin is made from plant oils and is commonly used in soaps, shampoos, and moisturizers . Glycerin acts as a lubricant to counteract the abrassif effect of soaps and helps to maintain silkiness and smoothnes. Many bar soaps already have glycerin in it, but savon de Marseille is pure soap that doesn't. I tried this experimental soap recipeboth ways, with and without the added glycerin. I found that the below recipe worked fine without glycerin, except that the soap tended to clump and didn’t have as smooth a texture. It made enough of a difference that I would recommend adding the glycerin, but you can also try the recipe without it, if you want.
BTW glycerin can be found in the pharmacy in Algeria.

The savon de Marseille is already made of moisturing olive oil but adding a small addition of olive or almond oil makes for an even more mositurizing soap. And the white vinegar helps kills bacteria and also reduces soap scum build-up in your sink.

This recipe method makes about 5 liters/quarts or 6 bottles worth of liquid handsoap. You can fill empty soap dispensers you have around the house, or even use glass jars to make your own dispensers. One of the baby steps also on my list is to gradually rid my home of all plastics and replace them with toxin-free alternatives such as glass. But remember baby steps. I have bottles in my house (kitchen and bathroom) and put the excess in a large bottle and store them under the sink until I need more. Away from young children's hands, but since it's all-natural even they do get their hands on it you don't have to worry about intoxication.

You can also use this soap as body wash and shampoo. To make it smell nice, add a drop or two of essential oil to the mix. Also use it as base for many other homemade cleaners. 

The cost break-down for me was ... 

-1 bar of savon de Marseille 50 dinars

-water (bottled) 25 dinars

-essential oil - 50 dinars

-glycerin (90 dinars per bottle 45ml bottled but I only used 10ml) - 25 dinars

-vinegar (30 dinars per bottle but I only used few tablespoons) 5 dinars

-olive oil ( about 200 dinars per half l)-5 dinars

---------------------

160 dinars for 5 liters

Compared to 150-300 Algerian dinars for 500ml store bought liquid handsoap bottle .... so that's 10 bottles of homemade soap for the price of 1 store bought (not to mention the homemade version is toxin-free and all-natural) So that's a savings of 1,350 dinars and (many possible doctor visits), well worth the total 15 minutes prep time it took to make it!

The hardest part about this project might be finding and choosing your favorite type bar of soap.

BONUS: If you want to make this a foaming handsoap all you need to do is put the mixture into a foaming soap dispenser.

share this on 

     

{ All-Natural Homemade Liquid OLive oil Handsoap  }

A MEDITERRANEAN HEALTHY TWIST ON THE CLASSIC TUNA SALAD SANDWICH   

SERVING

YIELD: 5 liters

ACTIVE PREP TIME: 5-10 mins 

INACTIVE PREP TIME: overnight

COOK TIME: 0mins

EQUIPMENT

GRATER, BLENDER OR immersion blender, EMPTY SOAP DISPENSER

۞ = SUBSTITUTIONS

. 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 bar 300g savon de Marseille OR your favorite clear glycerin based soap
• 1 TBS non-GMO liquid vegatable glycerin 
• 2 TBS white vinegar (optional)
• ½ tsp liquid oil like olive or almond (optional)
• 4½ liter - 4 ½quart distilled or bottled water
• 15-20 drops of your favorite essential oils, such as lavendar, peppermint, rose, lemon, orange, tea tree, rosemary, etc (optional)

METHOD

GRATE the soap with a cheese grater into a plate. 

IN a large pot, combine the soap with the water and glycerin. Turn on the fire, and heat the mixture on a low heat until the soap dissolves. This happens fast, so be carefult to watch the soap.

ALLOW the mixture to cool completely overnight, up to 24 hours. It beings to cloud up after just 3 hours. If you find the mixture too solid, you may need to add more water - up to ½ cup / 240ml.

POUR ¼ of the mixture into a blender and blend until smooth. Optionally use an immersion blender and simply puree the liquid in the pot. And then pour into the empty clean dispensers. Reapeat until you have pureed all the mixture smooth. Once you have a slimy and gooey consistency it's ready to use. After blending you may find the mixture bubbles, no worries it will settle. 

SA'hadkoum! 

 CATEGORIES:  homemade, natural home

SOURCE:  HENI

©  All recipes, content, and images, including any not yet watermarked, are copyright of THE TEAL TADJINE, unless noted otherwise. You are free to print recipes for personal use, but you may not republish (i.e., copy and paste) anything from this site at other blogs, websites, forums, Facebook pages, and other sites that are available to search engines, without prior written and specific permission. All rights reserved.

If you Just a friendly reminder, any step in the right direction is better than doing nothing at all. Slow and steady progress is the key to long lasting changes. Start with one step, break it down into doable actions, proceed forward and then remember to look back and see how far you’ve come! please stay tuned in for more all-natural toxin free recipes to use in your kitchen and all rooms of your home.

what do you think? how do you make your kitchen and home toxin-fee?