One of the very first DIY personal care products I ever made was a foaming hand soap — and for good reason; it is very easy to make, only takes a one or two minutes, and it only requires a couple ingredients, all of which are readily available. If you needed any more convincing, whipping up a batch of your own foaming hand soap costs cents, not dollars, which will save you tons of money over time.
Let’s take a quick peak at the ingredients. The recipe calls for distilled water, Castile soap, a small amount of carrier oil, and some essential oil.
- Distilled water has gone through a process of removing any impurities, which will ensure your homemade soap lasts even longer than it would if you used tap water.
- Castile soap originated from Castile, Spain (hence it’s name), and in a base of fatty oil. Dr. Bronner’s Unscented Castile soap is my go-to and it has all very safe ingredients.
- Carrier oil, or a fatty oil is included for a couple reasons: one, it will very subtly add moisture to your skin, and two, it helps to “grease” the foaming pump, ensuring it lasts a long time, too. A carrier oil is really any fatty based oil. Good carrier oils for this recipe would be jojoba oil, grapeseed oil, or sweet almond oil. However, you can substitute other fatty oils (ie/ olive oil, avocado oil, a fractionated/liquid coconut oil, etc)
- Essential oil(s) — the beauty of this recipe is that you can have a different batch of hand soap every time you make it, just by varying the essential oils you add. If you want something soothing for your skin, lavender is a great choice. If you want something with some cleaning power, citrus oils work well. There is literally no end to the combinations you can make, so please get creative!
For this recipe, smaller batches are encouraged as the recipe does not include any kind of a preservative. I have never had a batch “go bad”, but i would imagine if it were to sit for several months it may. The recipe below will make just under 5oz of hand soap, but of course you can multiply it easily for larger batches. I’ve made 8oz batches regularly and have had no problems using it up!
If you have an empty foam soap dispenser from soap you’ve purchased, you can definitely give it a little clean and reuse it for your own homemade soap. I’ve purchased glass foaming soap dispensers as I do find they are a little more aesthetically appealing, but any foaming soap dispenser will get the job done!
FOAMING HAND SOAP
[ Makes approximately 5 oz hand soap ]
INGREDIENTS:
- 4 oz distilled water
- 1 Tbsp Castile soap
- 1/4 tsp carrier oil (jojoba, sweet almond, and grapeseed are all good choices, just use what you have!)
- 15-20 drops essential oils
DIRECTIONS:
- Combine all ingredients in a foaming hand soap dispenser.
- Give a gentle shake to combine.