DIY Foaming Hand Soap
Make your own foaming hand soap with just two ingredients plus water. It is budget-friendly, non-toxic, and super easy to do!
Equipment
- 1 foaming soap dispenser
Ingredients
- 1/3 of dispenser- liquid castile soap
- 2/3 of dispenser- filtered or distilled water
- 20-50 drops of essential oils see notes below for dilution amount
- 1/2 tbsp - 1 tbsp olive oil, fractionated coconut oil, jojoba oil, sweet almond oil, or grapeseed oil optional
Instructions
- Leave about a 1/2″- 1″ of space at the top of your soap dispenser for air/the pump. Keeping this in mind, fill your soap jar 1/3 of the way with castile soap.
- (Optional) Next add 1/2 tbsp - 1 tbsp of a skin-friendly oil, if using.
- Add your essential oils and mix them together with the soap (I use the back of a spoon or fork to stir them). See notes below for how much to add.
- Add filtered or distilled water to the remaining 2/3 of your dispenser (leaving some room at the top for air/the pump). Stir this together, and you’re done!
Notes
- Essential oils are concentrated and potent, and need to be diluted when used.
- You can add up to 12 drops of essential oils per 1 oz of liquid (2% dilution), but I typically only add around 30 drops total to my soap dispensers. For a kid’s soap or for extra-sensitive skin, err on the side of caution and use a 1% dilution rate, which would be 6 drops essential oils per 1 oz of liquid.
- Use a glass liquid measuring cup to determine how many liquid ounces fit in your dispenser if you aren't sure.
- Water and oil (castile soap is made with saponified oils) will naturally separate over time, though I haven't found this to be much of an issue. Shake your dispenser periodically to incorporate the ingredients again. I typically do this about once a week, or whenever I remember.
- If you add the optional 1/2 tbsp - 1 tbsp of oil, your soap will need to be shaken more often to keep the ingredients fully mixed together. The added oil doesn't emulsify as effectively as soap made only with water & castile soap.