Can DIY Soap Save You Money?

The do-it-yourself trend has been growing in popularity in recent years. Sites like Pinterest made crafting and DIY projects popular. One of the more surprising trends that has come along with Pinterest is DIY soap and detergents.

Making your own soap isn’t that difficult but is it cost effective? Can DIY soap save you money?

The DIY Soap Trend

People have been making their own soap and performing DIY projects for hundreds of years. Think about it, people sewed their own clothing, made household items and their own cleaning agents for years. When Pinterest blew up a few years ago DIY projects made a huge comeback.

Pinterest was started in 2010 and has become a place people turn to for unique ideas. You can find anything from DIY gift baskets to saving advice to fitness tips on the site (or app). One of the most popular Pinterest searches regards DIY soap and how to make it.

How to Make DIY Soap

There are a number of different DIY soap recipes available on the internet. Some are less expensive than others, however, the majority of soap recipes include oils, water and lye crystals. Below is an ingredient list for Lemon Lavender Oatmeal soap.

Lemon Lavender Oatmeal DIY Soap

What you need:

28 ounces cold water
12 ounces lye crystals
48 ounces Crisco
21 ounces Olive oil
18 ounces coconut oil
1 cup pulverized oats
1 cup dried lavender
1 small bottle lavender essential oil
1 small bottle lemon essential oil

You don’t have to have a scented DIY soap recipe though. You can choose one of the simpler DIY soap recipes. Here are the ingredients from a more simple soap recipe:

Homemade Herb Soap

What you need:

4.5 cups of Whole Goat Milk
70 oz. Olive Oil
1 lb. Lard
14 oz. Coconut oil
Beeswax (one votive candle)
398 g Lye
Vitamin E oil (small bottle)
Oatmeal (handful)
Almonds (handful)
Basil Flowers (handful)
Rosemary (handful)
1 Tbsp Thyme
Lavender/Hops oil (small bottle)

Now that you know what you’ll need to make DIY soap, how effective is it in helping you to save money?

DIY Soap VS Store-Bought

DIY soap can be great if you’re looking to use all-organic products but it isn’t the cheapest thing in the world to make (especially if you have to buy all of the products). The ingredients for the Lavender DIY soap recipe above will cost you about $30 for 12 bars of soap. Depending on what kind of soap you normally buy, this could be a steal at $2.50 a bar.

The second soap recipe is a bit cheaper though at $0.70 per bar. All of the ingredients cost you about $45. It makes 65 bars of soap and, if you choose to go with that recipe, it could really save you quite a bit of money!

There are other DIY projects and soap recipes you can try out as well. There are many people who make their own cleaning agents, laundry detergents and other household items. Although it will cost a bit of money up front (if you don’t have all the ingredients), these DIY soap and cleaning recipes can save you money over time.

Will you try a DIY soap recipe?

Photo: Top Inspired and Craft Hubs