It is so easy to make your own foaming hand soap. This is a simple recipe that will take you less than five minutes to make! Pick your favorite essential oils to blend into your preferred soap fragrance! Natural foaming hand soaps will save you money in the long run. Plus, you can double or triple the recipe to make large quantities of hand soap!
Foaming Hand Soap Recipe
Our family goes through a ton of hand soap and every time we empty another soap dispenser I consider making my own hand soap. A few months ago, I finally decided to try making our own foaming hand soap and I can not believe I waited so long. It is SO EASY to make your own hand soap. In the long run you can save a lot of money by making your own soap.
Another benefit of making your own hand soap is that you will avoid all the yucky chemicals found in many commercial hand soaps. There are only FOUR ingredients in homemade foaming hand soap! So much more natural than any soap you could buy at the store! You wash your hands a million times a day…it is nice to use natural ingredients!
The main reason I’ve hesitated to make our own hand soap is because it seems like a lot of ingredients to buy. While, there are a few things that you need to buy initially, most of the supplies will last a VERY long time.
First, you need to find a soap dispenser. You can find hand soap pumps on Amazon. I opted for plastic ones because I could just see one of the kids (okay..or me!) knocking a glass container off the sink! These containers are a very family friendly option! For a budget (and earth) friendly option, you could also reuse emptied soap dispenser containers!Â
One thing to consider is that it is not recommended to use citrus oils in a plastic container. Oils like lemon, orange and lime can break down the plastic materials causing the bottle to degrade. So if you plan to make soaps with lemon, orange or other citrus oils, you will want to use glass.
I opt for other scents besides citrus oils for our foaming hand soap. These are the foaming hand soap dispensers we use! There are a lot of other fun hand soap dispensers depending on what type of style you want.
How to Make Foaming Hand Soap
Gather all of the materials that you need to make the soap and get started!
Step 1: Fill your soap pump with 12 ounces of distilled water.
You could also boil tap water and let it cool completely if you do not want to get distilled water.Â
Step 2: Add 2 Tablespoons of Castile Soap
I recommend this un-scented castile soap from Dr. Bronners. This container will last you forever! You can also use castile to make your own cleaning products!Â
Step 3: Add 1/2 teaspoon Oil (Coconut, Almond, Olive or Avocado)
You can use coconut, almond or avocado oil. You only need a little bit so it is a matter of preference and perhaps what you have on hand. I like this coconut oil and we use it to make other things including bath bombs and essential oil rollers.
Step 4: Top with 5-10 Drops of your favorite essential oil
Now for the fun part of the soap making process! Decide how you want the hand soap to smell. I tend to stick to one essential oil like peppermint, lavender or eucalyptus. However, if you want your hand soap to smell like the amazing smells of some of your favorite hand soaps, then you can make a blend of two or three essential oils together.
Be sure to select high quality, essential oil grade oils. Some essential oils available at the grocery store or home goods store are filled with artificial ingredients. So, if you are trying to be all natural, be sure to read your labels before buying.Â
Step 5: Shake until mixed thoroughly and you start to see bubbles.
Step 6: Pump the Dispenser
Lastly, give the dispenser a few pumps until soap is released. Now your soap is ready for use! SO EASY!
If you want to make your soap dispenser really cute, these waterproof chalkboard labels would be a nice touch! You could even make some of these soap dispenser for end of the school year gifts!Â
Foaming Hand Soap Scent Combinations
We tend to keep our hand soap smells simple with just one essential oil like peppermint or lavender. But, if you are looking for more of a copy cat of the good smelling soaps like Dr. Meyers or Bath and Body Works, then you will want to make a blend of a few essential oils. You can always add more drops than I recommended, but I tend to start with less drops and see how it smells before adding more.
Hand Soap Essential Oil Blend Ideas
6 Drops Peppermint + 6 Drops Lavender
5 Drops Lemon + 4 Drops Lavender + 4 Drops Orange**
6 Drops Eucalyptus + 6 Drops Spearmint
4 Drops Rosemary + 5 Drops Peppermint
6 Drops Lime + 4 Drops Basil**
5 Drops Lemon + 5 Drops Peppermint**
4 Drops Frankincense + 5 Drops Orange**
Some essential oils that smell wonderful on their own include:
Peppermint
Lavender
Thieves (Great antibacterial properties!)
RoseÂ
Tangerine
**Recipe for glass containers only
While it might seem like another “thing” to take care of in the house, once you start making these, you won’t even think twice about it. Better yet, assign one of your kids to be in charge of refilling the hand soap. This is a kid friendly recipe that even little ones can help with some assistance!
Printable Foaming Hand Soap Recipe
Foaming Hand Soap Recipe
Ingredients
- 12 oz distilled water
- 2 tbsp Castille soap
- 1/2 tsp Oil (coconut, almond, olive or avocado)
- Essential Oil Optional
Instructions
- Fill a 15 oz foaming hand soap container with all of the ingredients. Shake Well and pump a few times to get the soap started.
Making your own foaming hand soap is so easy. What you make it once, you will never go back to store bought hand soap!
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So cool. I’m pretty sure a similar recipe is coming in my oils box this month so I’m going to have to do it! I need to get some distilled water.
I’m always looking for recipes for my essential oils. I’m definitely going to make this! Thanks for sharing!
Jill – Doused in Pink
Thanks Jill! It is fun to make your own recipes with essential oils!
So creative Jaclyn- thanks for sharing this idea- I will definitely be trying it!
This is wonderful ! Thanks for sharing this recipe. I recently bought my first oils and I’m always looking for ways to make things.
Thank you! Let me know if you make it–I’d love to hear how it turns out!
I have made this and find that the essential oils and soap settle to the bottom…is this normal or am I doing something wrong possibly?
Hmm I honestly haven’t had that happen. Are you shaking it after you mix it until you get a good foaming soap coming out? Maybe every so often shake the bottle to keep things mixed.
Also, are you using distilled water? I don’t think tap water would work as well.
Can I use grapeseed oil instead of the coconut oil?
Yes you could!
I followed the recipe exactly and it is more a bubbly watered down soap rather than a foam soap. I shook it many times with the same result. Is that how yours feels?
It will not be as foamy as store bought although you should still have bubbles. Are you using a foam hand dispenser?
I have made this foaming hand soap many times and it is the best! I always need to cut the recipe in half because I only have a 7 ounce foaming bottle but it is well worth the very few minutes that it takes to put the soap together. I have used a few combinations of essential oils but this recipe turns out perfect every time!
I am so glad you like it!!