Favourite homemade soap and shampoo recipes?

[bouncymummy]

Hi mamas,

I am thinking of making some homemade soap for both family use and maybe for some Christmas gifts.  I am looking for some easy, nice smelling :) soap recipes with no lye -I'm not comfortable having it in the house or using it.  I have 2 LO's with very sensitive and dry skin, so I would also like a nice recipe to help their skin out when we do use soap in their baths about 1-2 times a week.   I'm also wondering if anyone has any recipes for homemade shampoo. 

Thanks!

[aPearl]

If you want to make soap completely from scratch (cold process method), you will need lye. It is what makes soap possible. Lye can be dangerous, yes, but if you want to truly control every ingredient in the soap, you'll have to use a recipe that includes it.

There are soap bases you can buy (melt-and-pour method), to which you can add your own ingredients. With these, you won't have to work directly with lye, as it's already been used to make the base.

[MaryMarg]

Don't know about soap--we simply use Dr. Bronner's castille soap.  Here's a great page on making your own shampoo:

http://mountainroseblog.com/herbal-hair-care/

Works great, smells great, and easy to make!
 

[kt~mommy]

i just came across this shampoo recipe yesterday and plan to try it in the new year!

http://www.nourishingjoy.com/homemade-shampoo/