True to the style on my behalf, I put the bubbles in the tub so I could have a bubble bath.Clean, dry, was my body and hair, I threw on my brand new Gucci underwear.  For all the girls I might take home, I got the Johnson's Baby Powder and the Polo Cologne.  Fresh dressed like a million bucks, threw on the Valley shoes and the fly green socks. - Ladi Dadi, Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick

I am all about self-sufficiency so anytime I can find a way to make something myself and save money I am going for it.  The motivation behind this experiment came from laziness mixed with frugalness.  I was low on funds, out of laundry detergent and didn't want to fight through traffic to purchase more.  Thank God for google and DIY bloggers like   wellnessmama.com and mommypotamus.com.  I decided to make my own and I was pleasantly surprised.  I have an HE washer and had no problems using this detergent. I washed all the big items, comforters, blankets, bed sheets and everything came out clean and fresh.  So without further adieu I present to you the recipe I used for my homemade laundry detergent.  Please Note: I have no problem using borax but if you have mixed feelings or want to avoid it mommypotamus.com has a recipe that is borax-free.

Natural Laundry Soap Recipe:

• 1 bar of soap, grated until finely ground.  I used my homemade Castile (olive oil) soap 
• 1 cup of borax
• 1 cup of washing soda
• Optional: your favorite essential oils (ex: lime, lemon or grapefruit)

Grate the bar of soap using a hand grater or food processor into fine particles.  Carefully mix with the washing soda and borax.  Finally, add in your essential oils and stir.  For my heavy loads I use 2 Tbsps, for lighter loads I use 1 Tbsp.  Store the detergent in an air-tight container.