Homemade Dish Soap Recipes

You can try here http://www.cranberrylane.com/soap-techniques2.htm.

I like the idea of lye soap. It is actually much better for your skin. The trick is to use good vegetable based oils. Animal fats tend to be rougher on your skin.
I often wonder what my great, great grandmother used also. I would guess it was her regular soap on a washcloth. I love the idea of making my own things. I like to know what is in my products.
My mother is battling breast cancer right now, so I have taken out all the chemicals in my home. I use natural soaps, shampoos, lotions, and make-up.
I don't think we 'need' detergent based soaps, and I don't think antibacterial is good for us. I did find one website that mentioned a test to make sure all the lye had changed before you use the soap. If the soap isn't acidic enough to use on your skin it is still great for laundry, and dishes (with gloves if you are sensitive). I have been getting my soap at www.bubbleandbee.com. I love her stuff!! I'd love to discuss recipes if you find a good one. I plan to get back to making my own as soon as our move is complete. : )

A.

I don't personally have any recipes for homemade dish soap. I usually keep lotion handy after doing dishes or anything that requires my hands to be in water for any length of time. But here is a link that may have some advice for you. http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf340352.tip.html.

Also, most women used LYE SOAP for washing dishes (and clothes and just about everything else). If you think modern detergent makes your hands red, cracked and dry, lye soap is much worse!

Pretty sure sand was used for scrubbing, but all I have ever heard of was lye soap for washing anything and that was very hard on hands. Have you tried wearing gloves?

Maybe they also used castile soap. I got it at Trader Joes, but I'm sure it's been around for years.

I don't know about home made dish detergents. My hands also get red and raw; I use rubber gloves. It takes a bit of getting used to; I purchase them at my local dollar stores and they really do make a difference. Check out your local Walgreens store and see if they have 'Bag Balm' is comes in a green can about 3 inches square. It has healing properties in it and works great on all kinds of skin issues. Also great in sore bottoms.

Sorry I don't have a spectacular soap recipe, we just use Dawn. But then again we have a dishwasher so most is done there. Have you tried a wand? Then your hands wouldn't be submerged as much. Just a thought. Ok now the real reason I responded. 100 years ago people used lye soap that they made from scratch using ash from the fire and pig fat. Lye by itself was a very caustic chemical, but apparently if you make the soap correctly most people love it. Most people stopped making it themselves b/c it was very time intensive and it became easier/cheaper to buy commercial products w/ the industrial revolution. But lye soap is still available now, so it could be worth a shot. Also another thought. Some things really don't need soap to clean if you do it immediately. Ie does that sandwich plate w/ crumbs really need soap? I say no and just rinse. Even if a little mayo or mustard spills that comes off just fine w/ some rinsing. And then there are things like that lasagna pan that would NEVER come clean w/o elbow grease and lots of soap. But keep in mind while your cleaning if you really need soap. I have also found that sometimes a wet rag is all I need w/ lots of cleaning, fresh carpet stains, windows, etc. It's helping us reduce the chemicals we use. Good luck.

My grandma, who just died last February (in her 80's), actually had lye soap in big disks in her basement (almost like a...oh, what's that game you play on ice (not hockey) with the big 5 pound thing you shove around on the ice? that size). I wonder, if you were really interested in making LYE soap, if you could find an older member of your community who used it as a child? My grandmother was not an old-school, out-in-the-country type of person; she lived in town, with definite access to grocery stores and shops. I bet if you found an older woman from the country, she'd know how to do it.

You can find several recipes on the internet for lye soap. If you get lye, make sure it is not the industrial strength. An article about lye said it takes about 7 weeks for cold lye soap to completely turn into lye.