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Have you ever tried making your own natural hand soap? Well, it’s honestly a lot easier than you think!
Making your own DIY natural hand soap only requires 3-4 ingredients, & one of those ingredients is water. Who knew it was that easy?
Surely not me – at least not when I first started making my own hand soap.
Why Should You Make Natural Hand Soap?
Because many commercialized hand soaps found in stores contain a slew of ingredients that can be harmful to your health.
Chemicals and artificial scents are added to the soaps to make them last longer and smell more appealing. Unfortunately, this process makes many hand soaps toxic.
What Do You Need to Make Natural Hand Soap?
Before I dive into the ingredients, I want to note that the great thing about many DIY projects to phase out toxic items in your home is that they often only require a short list of ingredients.
Naturally derived and clean ingredients had been used for many years until the uptick in the use of chemically engineered ingredients & products within the past hundred years or so.
While we’re obviously quite removed from the days when soap was traditionally made almost solely from lye & fats, that doesn’t mean that you have to settle for harmful synthetic ingredients in your soaps.
What I Use:
- Liquid Castile Soap
- Distilled Water
- Essential Oil(s)
- Olive or other oil
- Himalayan or Celtic Salt
- A soap dispenser
- Funnel (optional)
Let’s dive in to a couple of the key ingredients in this hand soap that you may have questions about!
First off – Castile Soap.
What is Castile Soap?
Castile soap is a chemical & synthetic ingredient free vegetable-based soap without any animal fats added. Because of its composition, it’s considered to be safe not only in cleaning your home, but also for cleansing your body as well.*
When it comes to organic and natural soaps and household cleaners, you will often find Castile soap as a common ingredient.
*It’s worth noting that while Castile soap is considered safe for using on your body, it tends to have a higher pH, making it more alkaline. This can lead to dry skin if another component is not added to your soap (I.e., Vitamin E, almond oil, liquid coconut oil).
Where to Buy Castile Soap
One of the most popular Castile Soap’s is Dr. Bronner’s – you can find it on Amazon and in many stores as well. Obviously there are a lot of great options on Amazon including Dr. Bronner’s, and also ones sold by smaller lesser known companies.
You should definitely take a look at some of those smaller companies – they are often family run, & ethically sound.
My current favorite is WholeNaturals Pure Unscented Castile Liquid Soap, which I found on Amazon. Why do I like it?
- It’s hypoallergenic
- No parabens
- No pthalates
- No SLS or SLES
- Palm oil-free
- No added detergents, foaming agents, artificial colors or fragrance
- Manufactured in the USA
- & it’s a Family-Owned business
This soap is strong but also gentle, which is an important component for your skin!
Now on to the next ingredient on our list that you may have questions about: Essential Oils.
What are Essential Oils?
The simple answer: Essential oils are the concentrated extracts of different plants.
The more complex answer: They’re the concentrated extracts of plants collected through distillation or mechanical pressing processes. Since they are very concentrated, they are quite potent so you absorb more of the healthy compounds from the plants by using one or several drops of the essential oil versus ingesting internally or applying the plants your skin.
Where to Buy Essential Oils
The only company I would ever recommend buying from is Young Living. Their meticulous and dedicated process of obtaining their essential oils (rightfully titled “Seed to Seal“) goes far beyond their competitors. I also know firsthand just how amazing the quality of their products is.
I’ve been using Young Living oils & products for about fifteen years now, and they’re a company I know and trust. Not only do they distribute quality therapeutic grade essential oils & products – they also support various humanitarian and philanthropic causes.
Check out their Foundation page to see some of the great work they’re doing to make the world a better place!
What Essential Oils To Use in Natural Hand Soap
These are ones that I like to use:
- Lavender
- Eucalyptus
- Peppermint
- Lemongrass
- Orange
- Purification
- Tea Tree
- Geranium
- Ylang Ylang
- Bergamot
- Clary Sage
- Cypress
- Northern Lights Black Spruce
- Joy
- Lushious Lemon
- Peace & Calming
- Winter Nights
- Simplified by Jacob & Kait blends (Specifically Orange Creamsicle & Tropical Tango)
There are many different essential oil singles & blends that you can use in hand soap, and these just represent a small fraction of my favorites.
Just a word of caution, since they are quite concentrated it is important to understand which ones are “hot” oils that you may need to dilute more, or avoid altogether.
It’s also highly recommended that if you know or suspect you may be allergic to or have sensitivity to an EO or EO blend, either do not use it, or perform a patch test.
If you’re new to essential oils, unsure about oils safety, or even if you’re a seasoned oiler & just need a refresher – the oils safety page on the Young Living site is one you should ready thoroughly.
Now that you know a little more about the key ingredients, let’s make some soap!
How To Make Natural Handsoap
Equipment
- 1 Empty Foaming Soap Bottle / Dispenser preferably glass
- 1 Funnel optional
Materials
- 1 part Liquid Castile Soap about ½ cup or more
- 2 parts Distilled Water
- 20-30 Drops Essential Oil(s)
- 1 pinch Himalayan Pink Salt or Celtic Salt
- ¼ tsp Vitamin E, Olive Oil, Liquid Coconut Oil, or Jojoba Oil optional
Instructions
- First take your empty soap bottle and unscrew the pump cap. Set it aside.If using a funnel, place the funnel in the opening of your soap bottle.
- Carefully and slowly pour your Liquid Castile Soap in the soap bottle until it is about ⅓ full.
- Next add in your distilled water, leaving at least ⅓ to ½ inches of room from the liquid to the base of the neck of your soap bottle or jar.Why? Because when you screw the pump top on, the liquid level will rise slightly. This helps prevent overflow.
- Add the essential oil(s) of your choice to the liquid.
- Add a pinch of your salt to the liquid.
- Optional: Add Vitamin E, Olive Oil, Liquid Coconut Oil, or Jojoba Oil as well.
- Gently screw the top on your soap bottle, & secure it well. Then give your soap several gentle shakes.
- Test it out & make sure the essential oil scent is strong enough to your liking. You can always add a little more if you want it stronger!
Notes
- You will notice that as your soap sits for periods of time that the essential oils will rise to the top, creating what looks like a film.
- This is completely normal – all you need to do is give your soap a few gentle shakes when it happens (likely once or twice a day)
Now that you’ve made DIY Homemade Natural Hand Soap
To conclude, that was pretty simple, & kind of fun wasn’t it? There are so many different ways to DIY common household products like this. And we’re only getting started!
Want to know what some of my favorite essential oils are that I use in my own home? Check out 20 Essential Oils You Want for a Healthier Home.
As always, drop a comment below to let me know how you liked this DIY project. And don’t forget to like & share with your friends – sharing is caring!
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I can’t wait to try this!!
It’s super easy to do – honestly can’t wait to make it again!
This is so awesome! I can’t wait to try it. With 2 young kids, I’m always looking for ways to keep them free of chemicals that are found in a lot of products. Definitely saving this!
It really is eye opening to see what’s actually in a lot of common products! Going chemical free is a challenge but it’s so worth it. Glad you’re going to try it out – it’s a fun process!
This is great, it’s nice to be able to do it at home. I will try following your steps. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you – I hope you enjoy this DIY project!