DIY Foaming Hand Soap
Effective DIY foaming hand soap that you can make at home for pennies. This foaming hand soap recipe is all-natural, organic, and powerful. Organic foaming hand soap recipe for under 50 cents a bottle?! A natural mom’s dream come true.
How to make foaming hand soap for under 50 cents a bottle
It all started on a visit to my sister’s house. She had peppermint foaming hand soap in her bathroom.
I had gone to visit her and snuggle her new baby. Being the good baby-holder I am, I washed my hands before stealing my niece.
“Where did you get this soap?! I love it!”
“I made it.”
Cue shock and disbelief.
It lathered beautifully, smelled heavenly, and felt like it knew what it was doing.
Homemade hand soap.
My life has never been the same.
Related post: The Best DIY Hand Sanitizer
How to save $3.39 this week
I have four children. As a family of six, do you even want to guess how many bottles of hand soap we go through?
Let’s just say a lot!
Innumerable amounts when it’s potty-training time.
Before visiting my sister, the foaming hand soap I used to purchase cost $3.89 a bottle.
Main ingredient? Water!
Not fancy sparkling water…plain ol’ Jane water.
I felt robbed.
After I started making my own hand soap I did the cost breakdown. This DIY foaming hand soap costs under 50 cents a bottle.
And it gets better. It only takes three ingredients (plus water–that I’m not paying $3.39 for!).
Related post: Powerful Homemade Disinfecting Spray
The simple ingredients you need to make foaming hand soap
1. Castile soap: I have historically bought Dr. Bronner’s soap at Trader Joe’s, but have recently started using THIS organic one from Amazon for cheaper. So far I’m very impressed and happy with it.
2. Oil: It needs to be an oil that is liquid at room temperature, so skip the coconut oil unless it’s fractionated. Oil adds a level of moisture and will cut through the grease on your hands.
3. Essential oils: This is for scent, but also adds some antibacterial and antiviral power. Zongle Therapeutics is my current favorite brand, but use what you love!
Read Next: How to tell if your essential oils are FAKE or the real deal
Read Next: Thieves Essential Oil: Make Your Own For $12 A Bottle
DIY Foaming Hand Soap Recipe
What you need to make foaming hand soap
- Foam hand soap bottle: you can buy one like this, or you can buy a bottle of foaming hand soap and reuse the bottle after you use up the soap.
- 1 ½ cups water (distilled or boiled and cooled down works best)
- 2 tablespoons castile soap
- ½ tsp oil (a liquid oil like jojoba, olive, avocado, or grapeseed)
- 10 drops essential oil of choice
Directions
- Pour water into container first (trust me, don’t put the soap in first! It’ll bubble like crazy)
- Add in the castile soap and essential oils
- Close the lid tightly and shake well to combine
My favorite essential oil blends
- 6 drops peppermint + 4 drops vanilla
- 8 drops lemon + 2 drops lavender
- 6 drops orange + 4 drops vanilla
- 10 drops Thieves
Now I don’t have to go to my sister’s house to use soap I love (although I LOVE going to my sister’s house).
I can make it at home for 50 cents…and so can you!
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I’m a grandmother of 7 , moving to a 20 acre farm and would love to stop purchasing chemicals to clean with.
Jan, you are blessed! And 20 acres…you are living the dream!! I hope this hand soap is the step in that directions for you. Here’s a list of other natural cleaners I make if you want to make any more swaps: All the Homemade Cleaner Recipes you Need
I would love to save some money and diy my own cleaning products & soap!!!
You can totally do it! 🙂 This DIY soap is a good swap to start with.
I’ve got a list of 9 DIY Cleaning products I use to clean practically everything is my house. You can check it out HERE.
Wish you the best, Tanya! Reach out if you need anything.
I’m so thankful I came across your blog! I have been saving so many things to my homescreen for later! I can’t wait to try this hand soap!! I’m going to start a binder with all these different recipes! This blog is Gold!
Lexi, I nearly cried tears of joy getting this comment. Thank you for taking time to encourage me!! I’m so glad this blog is living it’s purpose — helping others! Let me know if you have questions. I want to make your life easier 🙂
Does this not need a preservative since it had water in it?
From everything I have read, liquid soap does not require a preservative. The ph level and environment in the bottle (with no fingers dipping in it & not much air exposure) do not encourage bacteria growth 🙂
Hi Melissa!
Im assuming you want use to use the liquid version of Castile soap (as it is widely used in bar form)? I have used Castile for years in laundry detergent, but haven’t seen the liquid form. Must be in a different section of store than laundry products –
Yes, liquid castile soap is what I mean for this recipe 🙂 I’ll update it to clarify for other readers as well! It is in most general cleaner sections in a lot of stores now. I buy it from Amazon or Trader Joe’s. The beauty is you don’t have to heat or grate it. Woohoo!
I have asthma and I also have Black mold growing through out the house.Dont have the money to get the mold problem fixed since it’s everywhere now.had seemless gutters put up they cut the roof looks like with a tool.disnt know it for years since it was coming in between the wall down to the floor.. rain came through the wall for years before I knew what had happened now mold it’s everywhere.. anything kill mold that you know of?? Nothing has worked.was told all need cut out and start over..Yeah Hello.Cost to much..Thanks Pam
OH, Pam, that sounds awful! I’m sorry you’re dealing with that. Black mold is certainly a big issue. If it’s permeated your whole wall from the inside out, removing it is probably the only way to fully get rid of it, unfortunately.
For surface mold, hydrogen peroxide is a good, cheap, natural option. I use 3% in a spray bottle with 10 drops of Thieves essential oil. Lightly spray a small the area and wait ten to make sure it won’t ruin the finish of the surface. If it’s ok, spray the whole area well and scrub until the mold and mold stains are gone, then wipe dry (You probably already know, but definitely wear gloves and face mask when cleaning mold).
White vinegar can also be used the same way.
I wish you the best. And again, I’m so sorry you’re having to deal with this.