DIY Dove Go Fresh Body Wash

Have you seen all the blogs and posts on Pinterest talking about how to make your own body wash? If you haven't heard, you can actually make your own Dove body wash by reconstituting their bars of soap.

By doing this, you still get a creamy, cleansing body wash, the only downside is that it doesn't lather up as much. I'm sorry, but I'm definitely a person that needs to feel the bubbles, otherwise I don't feel like it's cleaning my skin.

Being able to make your own body wash (that actually works!) is awesome, so all I needed to do was find a way to make it lather better, since it was already cleansing. And what lathers better than shampoo? Plus, it's going to be getting you extra clean. Who doesn't like being clean?!

I've seen many posts that say only to use Dove moisture bars. I have used many different brands and I have to agree that I have found that the Dove Go Fresh line works the best.

(It may still work to use your favorite brand, but it will probably turn out a little slimy. Once you lather it up, you can't tell the difference and it really doesn't bother me as long as it gets sudsy, but it may gross you out a little bit. Especially don't use glycerin bars unless you don't mind the sliminess!)

This DIY Body Wash will fill a gallon jug (FULL!) and your shampoo bottle! That's a lot of body wash (about 150 ounces!) for a little price! 

My favorite combination so far has been Dove's Go Fresh Rebalance soap (Plum & Sakura Blossom scent) along with Suave Naturals Everlasting Sunshine shampoo (Passion Flower & Vanilla scent) or the Sweet Pea and Violet scent.

The hardest part is grating the soap. 

(I have an old cheese grater that I only use for making body wash now.)

Lay out a piece of parchment or waxed paper and grate all your soap. If using the Dove Go Fresh bars, use (8) 4 oz. bars of soap per gallon of water.

{If you are using a different kind, start with just a couple bars. Once cooled, you can reheat and add more water if it's too thick, or reheat and add more soap if it's too runny.} Experiment to find your favorite ratio, but like I said, my favorite is the Dove Go Fresh. :)

Pour your water into a large pot and bring it to a boil. 

Then add your grated soap. 

Turn down to medium heat and occasionally stir until soap pieces are completely dissolved.

*Be sure to watch it carefully if your pot isn't enormous. I got distracted and it boiled over...twice. Needless to say, my stovetop is pretty clean now. :)

Once it's completely dissolved, let cool 8-12 hours. (I like to leave it overnight.) It will thicken as it cools.

This is how it should look:

Once cooled, gently stir in the 22.5 oz bottle of shampoo.

Transfer to your containers.

I like to use the old shampoo bottle to use in the shower and I keep the rest in the empty water jug to refill my shower bottle as needed.

(After 12 hours, if your body wash is too thin, just heat it again and add more bar soap. 

If it's too thick, heat and stir in more water.)

Are you still wondering why I would want to go through the work of making my own body wash?

Here's why:

Homemade Dove Go Fresh Body Wash

1 gallon water: $0.88

8 (4 oz. each) bars of soap: $7.97

22.5 oz. shampoo: $1.50
Total cost for 150 ounces of body wash: $10.35

Store-bought Dove Go Fresh Body Wash
 24 oz. bottle: $5.47
Total cost for 150 ounces of body wash: $34.19

That means that this batch of body wash saved me $23.84!!
So, for each 24 oz bottle you buy for $5.47, I can make the same amount for only $1.66! Now that is a big savings! {All prices are what I paid at our local Walmart.}

Plus, I'm not just doing this because it's cheaper...it actually works! I've been making my own body wash for close to a year now and I love it! Think of how much I've saved! It's also a plus not having to buy body wash so often since it makes such a large batch. :)

It's smooth & creamy, and makes your skin feel super soft & silky.
I really want to try an unscented Dove body wash next time and use essential oils to make it smell "manly" for my hubby. :) 

Buttery Crescent Rolls

Does your mom have a favorite recipe that you can NEVER duplicate? One of my mom's many family favorites is her killer dinner rolls. These things are amazing! Any time there is a get together, people always ask her to bring her dinner rolls as her dish to pass. Everyone craves them, and I've never met a person that doesn't like them. They are light and buttery, and perfect for leftover ham sandwiches! 

Mom has given me the recipe, and no matter how many times I try, they never turn out as good as hers. My aunt teases her that she thinks Mom is loading them with MSG to enhance the flavor and that's why they always taste so delicious. I can attest that she does not. :) I've watched her from start to finish. I swear I do everything the same, but it still doesn't work. It's just her magic touch. 

I decided that I need to stop trying to duplicate her rolls, and find a recipe that I CAN make. After making some rolls for dinner last night, I think I finally found my recipe! They aren't quite as light and fluffy as Mom's, but they are still soft and buttery and really hit the spot when you're craving a little taste of home.

I rolled mine into crescent rolls, but couldn't fit them all on the baking sheet, so I did make a small pan of old fashioned dinner rolls. This recipe makes a lot of rolls. :) I wrapped up all our extras and put them in the freezer to enjoy later.

Start by dissolving yeast in warm milk.

Add sugar, salt, melted butter, egg, and 2 cups of the flour and mix well.

Add another 1 1/2-2 cups of the flour and stir well. Dough will be sticky.

Flour a clean surface and scrape dough out onto the surface.

 Add more flour, if necessary, and knead until smooth and elastic.

Don't add too much flour. You don't want the dough too sticky, but it shouldn't be stiff.

 Clean and dry your bowl then add 1-2 Tbsp. oil to coat your bowl.

Place the dough in the bowl. Spin it around then flip it over so that the top is lightly coated in oil.

 Cover in plastic wrap and let rest in a warm place until doubled in size.

 {Decide what type of rolls you want to make. You can fill a greased pan with egg-sized chunks of dough to create old fashioned dinner rolls, or put some smaller pieces in a greased cupcake tin for clover rolls.

If you would like to do crescent rolls like I did, just follow these directions.}

 Once dough is doubled, punch it down and divide into two portions.

Roll each portion of dough into a circular shape. (I didn't do so well at that. Hehe!)

 Take your pizza cutter and slice into sections. 

My rolls were pretty big, but if you want smaller ones, just make more sections.
(Keep in mind that this is only one half of the dough. You will repeat this with the other portion.)

 Roll each section starting at the wide end and rolling towards the narrow end.

 Place on baking sheet with the tip tucked under the roll. 

(I used parchment, but you can also just grease the pan.)

 Let rise until doubled in size.
I had to leave the house so I let them rise while I was gone. It took me longer than I thought so I was gone for an hour and this is how they looked when I came back. Notice how some unraveled a little since I didn't get the tips tucked under well enough. Make sure you do that. :) 

Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

Brush tops with butter while still warm (optional).

Recipe adapted from Nomemade Recipes Blog

Ingredients

2 c. milk, warmed 

2 Tbsp. yeast

1/4 c. sugar

2 tsp. salt

1/2 c. butter, melted

1 egg, beaten

4-5 c. flour

Ingredients

1. Dissolve yeast in warm milk.

2. Add sugar, salt, melted butter, egg, and 2 cups of the flour and mix well.

3. Add another 1 1/2-2 cups of the flour and stir well. Dough will be sticky.

4. Flour a clean surface and dump dough out onto surface.

5. Add more flour if necessary and knead until smooth and elastic.

Don't add too much flour. You don't want the dough too sticky, but it shouldn't be stiff.

6. Clean and dry your bowl then add 1-2 Tbsp. oil and coat your bowl.

7. Place the dough in the bowl. Spin it around then flip it over so that the top is lightly coated in oil.

8. Cover in plastic wrap and let rest in a warm place until doubled in size.

Decide what type of rolls you want to make. You can fill a greased pan with egg-sized chunks of dough to create old fashioned dinner rolls, or put some smaller pieces in a greased cupcake tin for clover rolls.

If you would like to do crescent rolls like I did, just follow these directions.

9. Once dough is doubled, punch it down and divide into two portions.

10. Roll dough into a circular shape.

11. Take your pizza cutter and slice into sections. My rolls were pretty big, but if you want smaller ones, just make more sections.

12. Roll each section starting at the wide end and rolling towards the narrow end.

13. Place on baking sheet (I used parchment, but you can also just grease the pan) with the tip tucked under the roll.

14. Let rise until doubled in size.

15. Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

16. (Optional) Brush tops with butter while still warm.

Italian Pasta Salad

When I met my husband almost 7 years ago, one of the things I really noticed about his family is that, when it comes to food, they are all "pickers". When a dish is made, whether it's brownies, cold pasta salad or even a ham, they very rarely put it on a plate. They each grab a fork when they are hungry, take a bite or two, then come back to it later when they want more. The majority of the time, there are no slices taken out of a cheesecake, just a bunch of fork marks. :)

One of Tony's favorite cold pasta salads to pick at is tuna, but he also loves an Italian salad. I figured it would be the perfect thing to keep in the fridge this weekend for him to grab while he's studying. Finals are coming closer and he's going to be pretty busy. What student doesn't want some of their favorite snacks when the stress is high?

It's super quick to throw together with very little effort. The hardest thing you have to do is cook the pasta, and who can't boil water? :)

This salad is good to eat right away, better when it's refrigerated for a couple hours, but best when it stays in the fridge overnight. Perfect to bring for a potluck or even a picnic!

All you do is cook the pasta, rinse in cold water, and drain.

Prepare your ingredients.

Black olives, pepperoni, broccoli, and red onion.

You can also add green peppers and cherry tomatoes, but I didn't have peppers 

and Tony despises tomatoes. :)

I used the zesty Italian dressing from Aldi, but you can use your favorite Italian dressing. Creamy or original. It may seem like a lot of dressing, but the longer it's refrigerated, the drier it will get because the pasta soaks up the liquid. That's why it's so flavorful the next day. If it gets too dry, just add some more dressing.

Toss it all together!

Ingredients

2 boxes tri-colored pasta (cooked, rinsed in cold water, and drained)

1/2 pkg. pepperoni slices, quartered

1 can black olives, sliced

1/2 c. red onion, diced

1 1/2 c. broccoli

1 bottle Italian dressing

Directions

Cook pasta, rinse in cold water, and drain.

Prepare all ingredients and add them to the pasta.

Pour the dressing over the mixture and gently stir until thoroughly mixed.

May refrigerate overnight before serving.

*Makes about 10-12 cups.

Whipped Coconut Oil Moisturizer

This, my friends, is our 100th post!! 

Since our blog began on January 7th with our post on Easy Caramel Dip, we have had over 6,809 pageviews! 

Thank you so much for all of your support and interest in what we have to share with you! :)

With our 100th post, I wanted to do something simple, yet wonderful. You will be totally shocked at how easy this coconut oil moisturizer is to make and how wonderful it feels on your face!

I have been using this for a week now, and I don't think I will ever go back to using store-bought moisturizers on my face. It seems odd putting oil on your face, and it does feel a little greasy at first, but it quickly soaks in and makes your face feel amazing. Especially when you wash your face at night then apply this coconut oil moisturizer, you will wake up to a non-greasy face that feels soft, rejuvenated, and even younger!

Many people believe that if you have oily skin, using a moisturizer is going to make it even more oily. What they don't realize is that when your skin gets stripped of it's natural oils (using soap or face wash), it needs to be replenished with moisture to balance things out. If you don't use moisturizer, your skin thinks it needs to produce enough to make up for the lack of natural oil and starts to produce excess oil causing greasy looking skin. If you keep your face moisturized, it will help balance things out and improve your oily skin.

Not only does coconut oil work well to repair your dry or oily skin, it's also been known to help

acne

fine lines & deep wrinkles

eczema

psoriasis

diaper rash

athlete's foot

razor burn

and so much more!

Now keep in mind that you're going to want to use organic virgin coconut oil since you're not using it for cooking. If it's coconut oil that's made for cooking, it's generally going to have a higher melting temperature, which will solidify and fill your pores, causing breakouts. When using coconut oil on your skin, the organic virgin coconut oil will reduce breakouts rather than cause them. It may be a little pricier, but totally worth it. :)

Scoop your coconut oil into a mixing bowl.

Then whip it. That's it!

It will become smooth and creamy, very similar to lotion.

Spoon it into your container. 

(I used a little tin that fits perfectly in my make-up bag for traveling.)

Caramel Corn

Remember those huge tins of popcorn that you see around Christmas all the time that are filled with cheese, caramel, and butter flavored corn? Do you have a favorite? Every time I dive into one of those tins, I go straight for the cheese. I love caramel corn, but I'm not a huge fan of it unless it's homemade. Don't get me wrong, I don't let it go to waste. I still eat it. Of course I do. Yep, that's the only reason I need to watch my weight. I don't let the caramel popcorn go to waste at Christmastime. I'll work on that. :)

I wanted to make some homemade caramel corn as a snack for the hotel stay this past weekend. If you are apprehensive about making caramel corn because you don't think you can, just do it. You don't need a candy thermometer for it, and if you ruin it, it's just ingredients you would normally have so it's not like you're spending a ton of money then throwing it in the garbage.

(When looking at my pictures, keep in mind that I doubled this recipe for our trip.)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. 

Spray a large baking sheet with nonstick spray and set aside.

Pop the corn. Remove unpopped kernels then place the popcorn in the pan. Place in oven to keep warm.

Add brown sugar, butter and corn syrup to a large, heavy saucepan. 

Cook and stir over medium heat until boiling.

Once boiling, stop stirring and let it boil for 4 1/2-5 minutes. 

(While it's boiling, spread a large piece of aluminum foil on the counter and coat it with butter.)

After the 5 minutes of boiling, remove from heat, stir in baking soda and vanilla.

Quickly, but carefully, pour over warm popcorn and gently stir to coat.

Return to oven and bake for 15 minutes.

Stir and bake 3-5 minutes more.

(Watch carefully so it doesn't burn. You will end up with this and this doesn't taste good. Trust me.)

Remove from oven and spread on prepared foil.

Let cool then break into clusters.

Recipe adapted from Better Homes and Gardens 

Ingredients

8 cups popped popcorn, plain

3/4 c. brown sugar, packed

1/3 c. butter

3 Tbsp. corn syrup

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. vanilla

Directions

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. 

Spray a large baking sheet with nonstick spray and set aside.

Pop the corn. Remove unpopped kernels then place the popcorn in the pan. Place in oven to keep warm.

Add brown sugar, butter and corn syrup to a large, heavy saucepan. 

Cook and stir over medium heat until boiling.

Once boiling, stop stirring and let it boil for 4 1/2-5 minutes. (While it's boiling, spread a large piece of aluminum foil on the counter and coat it with butter.)

Remove from heat, stir in baking soda and vanilla.

Quickly, but carefully, pour over warm popcorn and gently stir to coat.

Return to oven and bake for 15 minutes.

Stir and bake 3-5 minutes more. (Watch carefully and don't overbake or it will burn.)

Remove from oven and spread on prepared foil.

Let cool then break into clusters.

Sponge Bombs

I mentioned in my post about the DIY Leave-in Conditioner/Detangler that my little brothers had their Jaycees State Wrestling Tournament this past weekend. We were SOOO proud of them! They both wrestled well and won the 2nd place trophies! They were pretty happy to end their season feeling like they did their best!

One of the many reasons they try to wrestle so well during the season is that they know, if they do well and get qualified to compete in the state competitions, along with that competition is a hotel stay. And, of course, Dad isn't going to get a hotel without a pool! :)

Going to a pool without any toys is fun, but bringing a few toys along always seems to bump up the enjoyment a little bit. I had my beach bag of toys (goggles, dive sticks, arm floaties, etc.), but I saw these sponge bombs on Pinterest and knew I HAD to make them!

I'm so glad I did because they had so much fun with them! They were worth every penny and more! (Not that they were even expensive to begin with!) I really wish I would have gotten a picture of the kids playing with them. They even had a bunch of kids that they had never met joining in on the fun. At one point, they had about 15 kids playing! They began forming teams and took each end of the pool, made up rules similar to dodge ball, and started chucking them at each other. (If you got hit, you had to sit out. If you caught it, the thrower had to sit out and one of your teammates got to come back into play. The team that had the last person standing was the winner.) If you don't want to do something like this, check out the Inner Child Fun blog and see the game that they used their sponge bombs for.

Since the kids were whipping them at each other quite forcefully, a couple of the sponge strips did fall out. It really wasn't a big deal because they just brought them to me, I rewrapped the hair elastic around, and they were good as new. They were being really rough with them though, so you probably won't even have to worry about that happening to yours. :)

I only brought 4 sponge bombs, but they all shared and made them work. I wish I had made more, but if you don't have the money or time, even a couple sponge bombs give the kids tons of fun!

Before I tell you how to make them, I have to show you my brothers' proud faces (and our proud parents, of course)! :)

This is Paul with his 2nd place trophy!

And this is Isaiah holding his 2nd place trophy! 

I'm so proud of these boys! All 5 of the Nighthawk wrestlers that went to this tournament took either 1st or 2nd! Okay, okay....enough of my bragging. I'll show you how to make them now. :)

You're going to want to gather up some new household sponges (I'm assuming you probably don't want to use your nasty old ones) and some Ouchless hair elastics.

Cut your sponges into strips. Try to keep them all similar in size.

You can choose to do vertical strips or horizontal,

depending on how large you want your sponge bombs to be.

Gather up about 9 pieces and stack them like so.

You can do all one color, or multi-colored.

 (Maybe do a set of color-coded sponge bombs for team games!)

Squeeze the center.

Wrap the elastic around the center as tight as you possibly can, as many times as you can.

Pull the strips around to shape to help shape them to look more rounded.

There you go! You're all set to get wet! :)