I'm not allergic to anything. Maybe rudeness, which is awfully horrible when I'm PMS'ing and stuck in my own attitude trip. It took me three years of marriage to learn that my husband isn't allergic to coconut. All those times he'd avoid coconut because, "oh, no thank you, I'm allergic," was just his way of avoiding what he claims to be the worst texture on the face of the planet. Naturally such claims had me cooking coconut just about every night, determined to find the one perfect recipe to change his mind on such matters. I succeeded. Twice. Once, because he didn't realize the cookie had coconut in the batter. And then again with coconut fried chicken that he could dip the heck out of in whatever sauce he desired. Although I'm beginning to suspect he claimed his new found joy of coconut chicken because he realized it would stop the endless evening dinners filled to the brim of coconut this and coconut that. I'm pretty sure I was on a two week run before he was drenching his new ever so tasty coconut chicken in whatever he could find. Ranch. A1 sauce. Honey....He hasn't asked me to make coconut chicken since.
All that to say. We're not an allergy family.
But we do have sensitive skin. The kind of skin that breaks out in hives or rashes at the mere mentioning of synthetic anything. For the most part, we make a lot of our daily cleaning products to avoid the constant itching. We use vinegar for just about everything. (Water. Vinegar. Maybe a few optional drops of essential oil. Bam. Multi-Purpose heaven). But what I was really having issues with was our laundry.
Oh goodness. Laundry. Nothing left me feeling comfortable in my own skin; no hypoallergenic laundry detergent was doing it for me. Vinegar and borox were our defaults, and they work fine, mind you. But I wasn't impressed with vinegar in the washer machine. After awhile it begins to rust the interior. It's a great laundry booster, but not for regular use.
So I did some digging around. And I swear the heavens parted and angels sang the first time I discovered these little guys:
I know. Not exactly lil' prince charmers. But what they lack in handsome appearance, they make up with effective maneuvers. These are called Soap Nuts (Sapindus mukorossi), sometimes referred to as soapberry. They are native to Nepal, but tend to grow in several places these days. If you give them a chance, they are totally ready to do a makeover on your laundry routine.
Soap Nuts -which are really little berries- are made up of saponin, a natural detergent. These little guys get placed in muslin little bag in groups of 4-5, tied shut so they don't won't break out in their little washer dance, and tossed in with the rest of the dirty load. They release their saponin goods through the cycle, cleaning the toughest stains.
Here's my favorite part: each little muslin group of 4-5 soap nuts can last up to 5 cycles. Their romantic ways just keep giving. Pop in the same little bag load after load until they are grey and mushy (usually 4-5 loads). Not only is that convenient, it means huge savings. I taught a few coupon workshops early last year (figured out quickly it wasn't for me. Coupons come natural to me, anyone can get free food, and while I still use and rely on coupons, I'd rather talk about health and what you are putting into your body)- in every conversation and group concerning coupons, I've brought up Soap Nuts. Don't waste your coupon time on laundry. A free supply of laundry tools for the sake of your health and the envirornment is not worth it.
Two Pounds of Soap nuts, for about 35 dollars (without the seeds), lasted me well over 315 loads of laundry. That's 315 loads of sensitive skin happiness. 315 loads of peace of mind knowing I wasn't putting more plastic detergent containers back in the earth, filling up my home environment with more toxins, or causing my machine to rust away with vinegar.
Quite literally, I fell in love. And I think you will too. Which is why I'll be offering soap nuts on the shop starting this Friday. Each purchase of soap nuts will contain several natural muslin bags, with extra directions on how to turn soap nuts into a liquid cleaner, which can be used for multi-purpose cleaners, health and beauty products -such as shampoo or hand soap- and laundry. My soap nuts contain the seeds within the shell, unlike other commercial brands. The seed agitates the shell during the cycle, allowing for more saponin to be released, resulting in fresh, clean, skin friendly goodness each load.
Tell me what you think. Have you heard of or tried Soap Nuts before? They work with all washer machines (including HE washer machines). If you have any questions about them, ask away. I'll be happy to answer them for you.
In return, however, I might ask for a coconut recipe.
I'm running out of ideas. :)
(in other news: look what I woke up to! Lovely roses from a handsome mister. A congrats treat -made complete with a coffee drink- on passing my exam for the holistic coaching certification. My favorite part was his excitement over his floral arrangement abilities. It's the little things.)
I linked to my FB and shared privately as well. So glad to share your talent and your beauty with those in my world! <3