Be THRIFTY! DIY treats for our loved ones.

Hubby and I started giving homemade stuff as a gift since Christmas 2010; But most of them were food since hubby loves to cook. Last year, hubby attended a Soap Making workshop. So, we thought, why not give Homemade Organic Soap instead. =)

Anything that comes from the heart is the best gift anyone can receive on Christmas anyway.

The main reason why hubby attended the workshop was because we didn’t want to buy commercialized soaps anymore as they contain harmful ingredients such as alcohol, AHA’s, aluminum,animal fats,etc.

Hubby only uses natural ingredients to make sure that it will not irritate anyone’s skin.He made 4 kinds of soap – Coffee Soap, Tea Soap, Beer Soap and Antibacterial Herbal Soap.

Here are the benefits of each soap that hubby made:

Why Coffee Soap?

Benefits:

One of the best benefits of coffee soap is that it reduces the risk of skin cancer. If used as a hand soap, it works great in removing kitchen odors from your hands (onions, garlic, fish smells,etc). The coffee that hubby made contained coffee grounds that exfoliates your skin. If used on face, this will help get rid of small lines, wrinkles and rosacea. (Note: Since the soap contains coffee grounds, do not scrub the soap directly to your face).

Why Tea Soap?

Benefits:

This can aid the treatment of skin conditions such us acne, cuts, scars and dermatitis. My 3 year old toddler always gets bruises and cuts that turn into scars because of overactive playing. I read from a GT forum that tea bath can treat them faster. Tea is actually a natural antiseptic. What I did before as I soaked 1 tea bag in his bath water for an hour. So hubby thought, why not make tea soap instead. The Tea soap contains tea leaves from the tea bags but has a smoother texture than the coffee soap; so this can be scrubbed directly on the face. This Really helps get rid of those blackheads. Of all the 4 soaps, this one is my favorite.

Why Beer Soap?

Benefits:

Beer is made of HOPS. Hops is known as a relaxing herb. It also soothes irritated skin and contains skin-softening amino acids. The only thing that I don’t like about this soap is it’s smell. I really don’t like the smell of beer. But I think beer drinkers will love this soap. =D

Why Anti-bacterial Herbal Soap?

Note: The 3 main ingredients of this soap are Guava leaves,Malunggay leaves and Gotu Kola.

Benefits:

Malunggay – Both guava and malunggay (moringa) have anti-bacterial properties. I remember when I was a child, whenever I have a wound/cut, my mom would get malunggay leaves and squeeze the juice out off it directly to the wound. They used it as a betadine-substitute. Malunggay also rich in anti-oxidants; This will help reduce the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines.

Guava – As I mentioned above, guava also has anti-bacterial properties. It is one of the main ingredient of the ever popular antibacterial soap “Safeguard”. According to an Australian PHD student reasearch, guava leaves can be used as a medicine. It can be used in treating acne, blemished skin and other skin problems. Guava is also known to help get rid of body odors (underarm, foot,etc). If you have body acne, blackheads, fungal infection and other skin problems, this soap is the solution to your problem.

Gotu Kola aka Yahong-Yahong in Hiligaynon

Benefits:

If taken orally, this herb aids those with problems with anxiety, mood disorders and varicose veins. Some researchers also say that they help prevent cancer. There are ointments that contain Gotu Kola, which are believed to treat wounds and other skin problems.

To make the soaps look presentable, I was in charge of the packaging.

We hope that everyone who received these hand-crafted soaps enjoyed them. =)