Coconut Oil Laundry Stick

Since I went to making my own laundry detergent, I figured I should make my own laundry stain stick to treat stains. Knowing that coconut oil and Eucalyptus worked well for cleaning and stains, I put the two together to make my own stain stick. I have also added lemon essential oil to help with the cleaning factor. I make the stick towards the harder side of a soap making process so that I can just wet the clothes first and not get a mushy mess when I use my stick. This can be done in bar form too, I just like putting it in a container to help keep my hands from getting all soapy. 

The "recipe" is quite simple...

10 oz. coconut oil

1.75 oz. lye *

3 oz. water

1 Tablespoon Eucalyptus oil

1-2 teaspoons Lemon EO (you can add more or omit this)

* REMEMBER - don't take my calculations for granted, make sure to run your numbers through a lye calculator. I used the Majestic Mountain Sage, MMS to calculate this one. ALSO, remember add the lye to the water, NEVER the water to the lye (water to lye your going to die), it will explode hot water all over. 

First off I always get my sink filled with vinegar and water... Just FYI it truly takes a LOT of vinegar to neutralize lye solutions. I have usually not added as much as it would truly take to fully neutralize the lye. I still do it more for my own peace of mind but I thoroughly wash all my equipment after using it and my hands and arms to ensure I don't have any small lye crystals on my arms. I, personally, have never had an issue with making sure I neutralize and remove all lye from the equipment I use. That being said I encourage people to look up a solution that will best fit their sink, or wherever they are washing equipment, to make sure you have an adequate solution to neutralize the acid. There is a lot of differing opinions on what is the best method for cleaning soap making equipment. 

Next I ready my lye solution outside so it cools before I need it. How long I leave it outside definitely depends on the temperature and weather. I check it usually while my oils are melting. 

With this recipe I usually just melt my coconut oil in my little crockpot because I don't make a huge batch since I don't use this as quickly as my bath soap. Plus coconut oil doesn't take long to melt. Yes, the picture is of me doing it in my pot... I also like to let my lye solution cool a bit before adding to my oils to try to get them at the same temperature. 

Once my oils are melted I add the lye solution and then use a hand mixer to mix all the oils together with the lye and bring it to trace. Trace is when it starts to get really "cloudy" and starts to thicken to a runny pudding like state. Once you have achieved this you can add your essential oils and start pouring into your containers or molds for soap bars. Personally once I reach that state I do mix just a little bit more to ensure I have all the oils mixed with the lye. You have now started the saphonation process that is going to make your soap actual soap. 

Just like with soap you use on your body, you need to let the saphonization process happen for 4 wks to allow all the lye to process out. To use the bar after it's processed just wet your fabric and rub the bar over the area to be treated. 

Disclaimer: Please understand that this information is for educational purposes only. I am a mom, I am not a doctor, I enjoy passing on the knowledge I have learned in doing these types of projects and through my research. The statements made here have not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration and they are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure or prevent any disease. Don’t take my word for it…you should always engage conventional wisdom and consult with your medical professional to determine potential drug interactions and safety of use. Always when using essential oils for a medical condition or if on prescribed or over the counter drugs, seek advice from a medical professional (DR./PA/NP/Naturopath/pharmacist) on whether the oils will cause potential adverse reactions. 

These practices are what work for me and my family, if you chose to take and use them I encourage you take my research and do some of your own prior to using the tips I give. While I do a lot of research when putting these posts out it generally fits into what I would do with and for my family. If you have specific issues, allergies or conditions these practices may not work or may be detrimental to what you are intending to do for yourself. Again, I encourage wisdom and discussions with your healthcare provider to determine safe use of all posts that I provide that can be used for health reasons. 

Also know most of my posts contain links to products I have an affiliate association with. As a blogger I don't make much (if anything at all) and when you use links that any blogger, not just me, posts you help us to continue to buy supplies to provide fun posts with ideas and recipes that can be used. None of the links I post cost you any more because you have used my link, but do benefit the posts I do. We are thankful that affiliate sites have chosen to use their marketing budgets to help out those of us who love doing what we do and chose this way to market versus  bigger ad campaigns. This is definitely a great way to support more local businesses/venues!!!