DIY Hand Soap & Foaming Soap

It's been a year since I started making my own soap, and I can't tell you how much I love everything about it: the personalized fragrance options, the attractive and sustainable glass bottles, and oh yeah, how inexpensive refills are! I actually prefer it to the store-bought versions.

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Check out how easy and fun this hand soap is to make, and tell me if you get addicted to making your own soap like I did!

It takes mere minutes to make all-natural hand soap that smells absolutely amazing!

The ingredients are simple: castile soap, water, and a few nourishing or essential oils if you like. I like to add olive oil and vitamin E for the skin benefits, and of course, essential oils for their amazing fragrance (and limitless combination possibilities!)

What is Castile Soap?

Soap, by definition, is a mixture of lye and oil that is saponified (aged until it cures and becomes safe to handle.) Now, you COULD literally make the soap itself. But you'd still have to buy lye and oil, and then risk having extremely caustic lye around the house, then wait days to weeks for it to saponify... That just doesn't make sense for my lifestyle. I have bucket loads of respect for those home soap-makers who do it from scratch, especially the more I learn. But for me, I don't think it would save any time or money, so I just buy finished soap in its simplest liquid form available: Castile Soap. It's just plain soap, nothing added, but it's already prepared so it's safe to handle.

Here's the brand I use. The ingredient list is short and sweet: Saponified organic olive, coconut and sunflower oils, organic aloe vera, organic shea butter, natural rosemary extract and citric acid. Whichever brand you buy, make sure it is unscented and has no unnecessary ingredients; you'll want to be able to control the fragrance and additional ingredients yourself.

I love La Almona brand - it's almost totally comprised of organic ingredients, and it's significantly cheaper than Dr. Bronner's as of the time of this writing.

Is it Worth it Financially?

I've had my gallon of castile soap for about a year now, and I still have two-thirds of it left! That's how little you need - it's VERY concentrated and you water it down for regular use. So, whatever you pay for it, know it that will probably last you a very long time! It's considered shelf stable for about 3 years. At its current price (about $41 at the time of publication), this castile soap only costs $1.14 per month if it lasts three years. I'd say that's still cheaper than most cleaning and body products from the store! Keep in mind, I also make my own shampoo using castile soap. I definitely get my money's worth!

What Do You Need to Get Started?

Technically, all you need is castile soap and water! I like to add in a tiny amount of olive and vitamin E oils as well to make my hands feel softer - and of course, I like to use essential oils for a lovely scent! However, this is totally optional!

Other than the ingredients, you'll need something to dispense your homemade soap. You can totally re-use empty soap bottles you already have! I LOVE my glass bottles from Amazon. I have two sets: one set foams, the other doesn't. I mostly use the foaming version - it lasts longer. The square bottles below have foaming dispensers and are so easy to use - no one will believe the soap inside is homemade! Plus, they look so chic, don't they?

However, if you can't afford to buy glass bottles right now, don't let that stop you from making the change. While glass is preferable to plastic for many reasons, I believe that some improvement is better than no improvement, and it's better to start somewhere than put off a positive change! In fact, I still keep my homemade shampoo and conditioner in plastic bottles. Also, I was worried about having glass in the shower. I'm just happy to be using my own products - at least I know what's inside!

Below is the other glass set that I have, this one comes with etched-on labels that read "Hand Soap" and "Dish Soap". They're classic and cute in appearance, and they've held up well for a year so far. Granted I haven't made my own dish soap YET, but I still love the bottles. (Note to self: Make homemade dish soap next.)

Why Make the Change?

The best part of all is that now you can wash your hands the rest of your life WITHOUT coating them in chemicals, preservatives, synthetic fragrances, artificial dyes, and other controversial ingredients!!!

Another benefit is that glass can last a lifetime. No more disposable plastic bottles for me! Investing in a few pump bottles and a gallon of castile soap could provide hand soap, shampoo, and anything else you can imagine for you and your family for many years to come. No need to run to the store when you're out! (And you probably won't run out for three years, haha.) I'd say that's pretty sustainable, affordable, plus it saves on gas money!

There are so many fantastic aspects to castile soap based products, it's hard to pick my favorite! Feel free to experiment with this recipe; there are so many possible variations! You can try more or less castile soap (Dr. Bonner's recipe calls for less; I prefer a little more), different plant oils (olive, almond, jojoba), and any essential oils you like. I usually lean toward citrusy scents, but imagine how fun it would be to use cinnamon or cloves during the winter holidays and florals in the spring.

I'm hope that by now you're as excited as I am to begin crafting your very own homemade hand soap. Below are two recipes to help you get started.

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DIY HAND SOAP & FOAMING SOAP

Prep Time: 5 mins / Makes 14-16 oz each

Olive Oil & Citrus Hand Soap

1/2 cup castile liquid soap (4 oz)

1.5 cup water (12 oz)

1 tsp olive oil

30 drops essential oil for fragrance (15 lemon / 15 lime)

5 drops vitamin E oil (optional)

Bergamot Orange Foaming Handsoap*

1/4 cup castile liquid soap (2 oz)

1.5 cup water (12 oz)

30 drops essential oil for fragrance (20 bergamot / 10 orange)

DIRECTIONS (instructions are the same for each recipe)

1. Gently mix all ingredients together by hand.

2. Transfer into a re-usable pump bottle. Use a funnel if needed.

3. If mixture separates, simple shake gently before dispensing.

*NOTE: It is the type of pump you choose which determines if the soap foams or not. The foaming recipe calls for less castile soap to make it easier on your pump, but you must use a foaming pump if you want that result. Changing the recipe alone won't do it.

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STEP-BY-STEP DIRECTIONS WITH PHOTOS

Step 1. Gently mix all ingredients together by hand.

Step 2. Transfer into a re-usable pump bottle. Use a funnel if needed.

Step 3. If mixture separates, simple shake gently before dispensing.

It foams perfectly!

In case you need funnels, I have this set, and it comes with a small strainer.

Do you have any other tips and tricks to share about DIY liquid soap? We can all learn together how to create amazing smelling hand soap without all the harmful chemicals - and it's so easy to do!

P.S. Stay tuned soon for my absolute favorite all-natural deodorant recipe - that actually WORKS!

With Love,

Molly

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