I started making my own foaming hand soap pretty early in my switch to a more natural lifestyle. With concerns over antibacterial ingredients in many hand soaps and potty-training little ones who found the need to wash their hands/arms/the counter with soap a thousand times a day, I needed a healthy and frugal option.

Thankfully, there is a natural, homemade and incredibly simple option that works just as well and doesn’t cost $3.59 a bottle like the foaming versions at the store.

The recipe itself is literally so simple that I now have my six year old refill the bottles and it takes just seconds to make. I keep the few simple ingredients on hand and we never have to buy hand soap or worry about running out…Surprisingly, this foaming version also makes a decent shaving cream in the shower…

Before you begin, you’ll need a foaming hand soap container. I originally ordered this pretty but pricey foam dispenser online before I realized that there was a much more frugal and inexpensive option: Buy a bottle of foaming hand soap, pour it out if it isn’t natural, and reuse after the soap is used up.

4.11 from 67 votes

DIY Foaming Hand Soap Recipe

This easy foaming hand soap contains only water, organic liquid castile soap, a moisturizing oil, and optional essential oils for a simple and frugal homemade soap.

Prep Time5

Yield:

Author: Katie Wells

Materials

12 oz water (distilled or boiled is best if not being used within a few weeks)
2 TBSP castile soap
½ tsp olive oil (or almond oil)
essential oil (optional)

Instructions

Fill the soap dispenser with water to within about 1 inch of the top.
Add at least 2 tablespoons of liquid castile soap to the water mixture. NOTE: do not add the soap first or it will create bubbles when the water is added.
Add the oil and any essential oils if you are using them.
Close and lightly swish to mix.
Use as you would any regular foaming soap.

Notes

You will need a foaming soap dispenser for this soap. Either buy one online or reuse the bottle from a store-bought foaming soap.

Do you make your own soap already? If not… will you start now? Share below!

This easy foaming hand soap contains only water, organic liquid castile soap, a moisturizing oil and optional essential oils for a simple and frugal homemade soap.

Sources

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About Katie Wells

Katie Wells, CTNC, MCHC, Founder of Wellness Mama and Co-founder of Wellnesse, has a background in research, journalism, and nutrition. As a mom of six, she turned to research and took health into her own hands to find answers to her health problems. WellnessMama.com is the culmination of her thousands of hours of research and all posts are medically reviewed and verified by the Wellness Mama research team. Katie is also the author of the bestselling books The Wellness Mama Cookbook and The Wellness Mama 5-Step Lifestyle Detox.

Comments

292 responses to “DIY Foaming Hand Soap”

Ashlee

April 17, 2024

Hi! Can I use a different oil like avocado oil?

Reply
1. Jamie Larrison
  
  April 20, 2024
  
  Yes!
  
  Reply
Maria Gardner

October 2, 2022

I tried this and I think 3 tbs of soap is better. I just didn’t feel as clean with 2 tbs of soap. Otherwise, I had kept many foaming containers as gifts or bought. I knew I would find a good recipe sometime. I haven’t put an essential oil in it because I bought Dr. Bronner’s Lavender soap. Thank you, Katie, for a good recipe. And thank you for all the good suggestions. I have used your recipes for many years now.

Reply
Robyn

August 29, 2021

Hello! I am trying to getting all my supplies to start making the switch to natural cleaning. Maybe this is a stupid question but can one use any organic olive oil for this hand soap? Or are there specific qualities that the oil need to have?

Reply
Christine

July 20, 2021

My family is drastically reducing the plastics we use and tried Blueland.com and so far love the products. But I was wondering how I can make my own instead of the tabs (which I really like so far). In an effort to cut out the plastics also using bar soap for body and shampoo bar soap. Could I make this recipe with castile bar soap instead of liquid??

Reply
Deborah Waterhouse

July 2, 2021

how long does diy foaming hand soap last with out essential oils? and do you have recipe for diy no rinse foaming soap for when not home?
Deb

Reply
Paula

February 3, 2021

Is anyone else having a problem with the pump clogging after awhile? I have been using this recipe in a foaming pump at all sinks in the house and they stop pumping after about 6 months or so. It’s hard to find replacement pumps, so I have been buying new bottles with pumps which is expensive. Guess I can switch to the cheaper plastic bottles, but I prefer the amber glass that I bought on Amazon if their pumps would hold up.

Reply
Kylie

December 13, 2020

I see recipes saying to use distilled water is it alright just to use boiled water instead

Reply
Leslie

August 13, 2020

Hi. I have been making homemade liquid hand soap but now I am hearing the you should use some type of preservative to keep dangerous bacteria and mold growth from forming in the soap. I do not want to use preservatives if at all possible (I want it natural) but if it highly suggested, do you know of a safe and healthy preservative that I can use for my soap?

Reply
Monique

July 15, 2020

Hello,

Is it alright to use alkaline water?

Reply
Christine

July 9, 2020

Just made my first batch. Very excited about the results! The soap came out nice and foamy and my hands felt super clean!

Reply
Caroline

May 4, 2020

Thanks for this! Just paid $7 for a bag of foam soap refill which seemed absurd considering how much soap actually in there. Oh well. Anyway, how much essential oil to add? I mean I know strength varies according to personal preference but a baseline?

Reply
Megan

April 24, 2020

Hi, I made this recently; the foam is perfect to begin with, and the smell is amazing, but I can only wash my hands for maybe 5-10 seconds before the lather is completely gone and my hands don’t easily glide over each other. I certainly can’t wash them for the recommended 20 seconds!
Can you suggest any reasons why this might be? Is this a normal result? Do I need more Castile soap? Should I add glycerin or Aloe Vera (I’ve seen both suggested in other recipes but not sure if they help lather)
I love the idea of making my own, but especially in the midst of a pandemic, I want to be sure that my homemade product is actually cleaning my hands properly!

Reply
1. Katie Wells
  
  May 19, 2020
  
  The soap is still there and cleaning even when the bubbles aren’t visible but for helping with glide, you can add a little bit of glycerin which will help with the texture.
  
  Reply
Sumru

April 17, 2020

Water and oil naturally don’t blend together and you only start getting the feel of the nourishing oil when the soap comes to an end so I found out that you need to add emulsifier with the same amount of the oil you’re using.

Reply
1. Kay
  
  June 7, 2020
  
  I’ve been making this for a few months now and love it, but I’ve found it’s started clogging my drains. A quick google showed that’s common with castile soap but I can’t find a good solution. Is there anything you can add to prevent it from building up in drains?
  
  Reply
  1. BJ
    
    July 8, 2020
    
    Kay, try pouring a tea pot (or coffee carafe) of hot water down your drain, weekly or monthly, as needed.
    
    Reply
Donna Da costa

April 13, 2020

Just wondering if you can use fractionated coconut oil instead of almond or olive?

Reply
1. Katie Wells
  
  April 23, 2020
  
  Yes
  
  Reply
Betty

March 31, 2020

I don’t know what went wrong, but I followed the recipe and the soap doesn’t foam coming out of the foaming dispenser. It foams on my hands like regular soap, which is fine, but not was I was looking for.

Reply
1. Katie Wells
  
  April 8, 2020
  
  Did you use the ingredients listed here? And in the same amounts? And what kind of foaming dispenser did you use? I’d love to help troubleshoot…
  
  Reply