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I’ve always loved foaming hand soap, but it can be a little pricey and I began to notice my hands getting really dry. I did a little research and turns out some of the many chemicals in these soaps can dry out your skin! After I found this out, I decided to start making my own natural DIY foaming hand soap. Luckily, natural DIY foaming hand soap is super easy and cost effective to make.
I’ve been using a natural homemade dish soap for a few years and it always works great for cleaning dishes. This recipe for DIY foaming hand soap is pretty similar as you only need 3 ingredients to make it.
Why I Use Natural DIY Foaming Homemade Soap
My main reason for making my own natural DIY foaming hand soap is because of the chemicals in commercial hand soaps. Many people don’t think having unhealthy chemicals in soap is an issue because we’re not ingesting the chemicals. However, they’re being absorbed through our skin, which can still affect us!
Some of the soaps that I have used in my home have contained bad ingredients such as parabens and sulfates! Parabens are known to mimic estrogen and if this enters your bloodstream your body will think you have more estrogen than you do. With estrogen being a major reproductive hormone it is not something I want to mess with!
Sulfates are another ingredient in hand soap that aren’t so great. Sulfates create the bubbles and lather in soap. Even though it feels like the soap is moisturizing your hands, sulfates are taking the oil out of your skin and leaving them drier. I wash my hands constantly and they get painfully dry when I use store bought soap, especially in the winter. Whenever they get very dried out, I apply coconut oil, which is great for dry and inflamed skin. But, it’s a vicious cycle because the next day after I wash my hands several times, they’ll get dried out again.
What You Will Need:
1.) Soap Dispenser – You can save an old plastic one or buy one of these. I bought a 3 pack and keep one in the bathrooms and kitchen.
2.) 2 Tablespoons Liquid Castile Soap ( I use this unscented baby mild version)
3.) 12-ounces of Water
4.) 1/2 teaspoon coconut oil or any kind of liquid oil
5.) Essential oils for scent (optional) – I like lavender and lemon essential oil.
How to Make Natural DIY Foaming Hand Soap:
1.) Fill soap dispenser bottle of your choosing with water and leave around one inch from the top for the other ingredients. If you won’t use the soap within a couple of weeks, make sure to use distilled or boiled water.
2.) Add two tablespoons of liquid castile soap (you can add more if you’d like but make sure you add this after the water, or it will bubble too much).
3.) Add liquid oil, I like to use coconut oil. This will make your dispenser last longer, but you can skip this step if you don’t have any handy.
4.) Add essential oils for scent (optional).
5.) Close and shake around to mix.
Then use as you would regular foaming hand soap.
I haven’t bought soap from the store in the longest time because whenever I run out it is so easy to make more natural DIY foaming hand soap. I have definitely noticed that my hands don’t get as dried out as they used to since I began making my own soap. I highly recommend this to everyone who is looking to have a natural home, or anyone looking to save some money!
I am so excited to try this. Recently, I purchased ‘floral’ essential oils, one of my favorites is Magnolia. I found the same scented soap in a local shop and it was $12.99. I think your recipe can beat that price. I also plan on adding Argan oil. You did mention coconut oil. Is MCT Oil ok to use?
Right now, I’m just waiting for my Amazon purchase (Soap bottles with foaming pumps) so I can make soap. Magnolia, Plumaria, Rose Garden, Jasmine…I hope I ordered enough bottles. 🙂
Thank you for sharing your ‘recipe’.
Hi PJ, yes, any oil should work. 🙂
Hi Lori! I’ve been making this soap lately, and I love it! I use tea tree oil and avocado oil in it. The only problem is that the avocado oil foats to the top once you leave it sitting. Is there a way to make sure the oil doesn’t separate? How do the unnatural soaps manage this?
Thanks!
Grace
Hi Grace, glad to hear you like the soap. That happens to me too. I always have to give it shake before using it.
Hi Grace and other fellow readers,
Liquid soaps are-as you know-made of oil and water, which don’t mix. The store bought liquid “soaps” that you see most often are not actually soap, not by its true definition where oils and butters are combined with lye and the oil becomes soap. True soap will emulsify the oil and water on its own. The stuff in stores is actually detergents and other chemicals in water, often with some oil to moisturize the skin. They will use an emulsifier to keep the oils and water from separating. There are some natural options, like beeswax for example, but most often you will see an ingredient called Polysorbate 20 or 80 on the label. This is a relatively harmless ingredient used in many, many things including foods. But assuming you don’t want to learn all the ins and outs of Soapmaking, you can simply replace the water with glycerine (some or all), not only will this help keep your ingredients mixed, its great for your skin. (Depending on the oils you choose and how much are used you may still need the occasional shake. You could opt for a lighter weight oil like sunflower or soybean also if you want).
I live in South Africa & we don’t have any liquid soap similar to Castille. Could I use melted Dove soap or perhaps baby soap in place of the Castille? I would love to try making this. Regards, Anni
That might work. Let us know how it turns out if you give it a try.
I would like to try this but have a question first. The formula says liquid oil and gives coconut oil as example. The link for coconut oil appears to be for the solid form. How do you liquify the coconut oil and keep it that way in the soap mixture?
Hi Andrea, coconut oil is solid in colder temperatures and liquid in warmer temperatures.
Maybe avocado oil would work well,too! It’s liquid at room temperature. 😊
Yes, that’s a great one too.
Coconut oil has a melting temp of 76 degrees. There is a coconut oil that stays liquid at room temp that until recently was just called liquid coconut oil. For whatever reason, now its called MCT oil (for Mid Chain Triglycerides). They sell it everywhere, its consumed as a part of one of the new trendy diets, but its all just coconut oil!