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DIY Foaming Hand Soap

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Katie Wells

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DIY Foaming Hand Soap Recipe - all natural and frugal
Wellness Mama » Blog » Natural Home » DIY Foaming Hand Soap

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.

DIY Foaming Hand Soap Recipe - all natural and frugal
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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 minutes
Author: Katie Wells

Materials

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.

Katie Wells Avatar

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”

  1. Harsh Lath Avatar
    Harsh Lath

    5 stars
    How do I make soap antibacterial. I read somewhere in comments that Tea tree oil can be added, but just want to confirm

    Reply
  2. Wendy Avatar
    Wendy

    If using distilled water, what’s the estimated shelf life of this product?

    Reply
      1. stephanie Avatar
        stephanie

        Crazy question – Can you use distilled water from the store – that’s sold in jugs – or do you recommend boiling your own water?

        Reply
  3. Rebecca Avatar
    Rebecca

    If essential oils shouldn’t be in anything but glass containers, what about the plastic straw from the pump? Thoughts?

    Reply
    1. Miles Avatar
      Miles

      I’m not sure. It would stand to reason that if these oils are in a nondiluted state, perhaps, but I cannot be sure.

      Reply
  4. Miles Avatar
    Miles

    Hello everyone!
    I unable to find empty foaming dispensers anywhere near where I live, opted to try something unique- a spray bottle.
    They’re cheap and readily available. This is my recipe for showering soap.
    The recipe:
    1/3c castille soap
    1 tsp olive oil
    1 small drop of Neem oil (great healing oil!)
    10 drops of Tea Tree oil (anti-bacterial+healing)
    4 drops White Flower oil (Chinese antiseptic+topical anisthetic oil-smells ‘pepperminty’)
    4 small drops Friars balsam
    In a medium spray bottle, add the friars balsam and oils to 1/4c warm water and mix about. Then, once thoroughly mixed, add the castille and top up with more warm water. Gingerly mix.
    I rise myself in the shower then spray this on wet skin and it feels great!
    P.S. if you add 2Tbsp of Baking soda to the mixture and change the bottle to a squirt type, then you have a great gardener’s hand soap! Have fun with it!

    Reply
  5. Amber Avatar
    Amber

    I am allergic to hemp so I cannot use Castille soap. I bought some without realizing it was hemp and made hand soap and my hands broke out in hives. is there anything I can use as a soap, body wash, shampoo, etc because I really don’t want to use the chemical stuff.

    Reply
    1. Johanna Avatar
      Johanna

      I just used my natural dish soap and filtered water. Seems to be working pretty well. Think I need more soap in it, though. My pump still clogs sometimes, though.

      Reply
    2. Miles Avatar
      Miles

      I have never heard of Castille soap being made of hemp, but I’m sure crazier things do exist… if you have the time and energy, you could make your own with a small investment… it is a lengthy process! Good luck and let me know if it works out for you. Happy soap making!

      Reply
  6. Harsh Lath Avatar
    Harsh Lath

    5 stars
    Soap I have made is not thick enough and also is not foamy, any ideas how to address that.

    Reply
      1. Harsh Lath Avatar
        Harsh Lath

        5 stars
        Actually I had put in a normal bottle, would put in foaming soap bottle.

        Reply
  7. Pam Avatar
    Pam

    I have made several batches of this, and it is perfect! And I feel so much better that my kids are using something all natural. One questions: I have read in other places that essential oils can do leach the chemicals from plastic containers. Is it safe to use in plastic containers or do I need to use a glass container?

    Reply
      1. Pam Avatar
        Pam

        Peppermint and tea tree oil in one and sweet orange in another. I plan to make a lemon scented one for the kitchen when I run out of the store bought soap I was using before I discovered this recipe. Love love love it! I’ll keep looking for a glass foaming container. May have to do the DIY mason jar next.

        Reply
        1. christy Avatar
          christy

          I haven’t seen the DIY mason jar directions would you care to share them please?

          Reply
          1. Pam Avatar
            Pam

            Just do a search for mason jar DIY foaming soap dispenser, and you should find it. There are lots out there but I think they are basically the same instructions. I haven’t tried it yet.

      2. Kim Avatar
        Kim

        “Glass” foaming soap dispensers are very popular now. Try Amazon.com they wide variety to choose from.

        Reply
      3. Esther R. Avatar
        Esther R.

        I read that Amazon has glass dispensers but they are expensive. They have several tints of glass.

        Reply
  8. Harsh Lath Avatar
    Harsh Lath

    Hello,

    Thanks for the recipe. I believe Castille soap has Lye (which I believe is a chemical), then how come this soap can be called totally natural.

    PS: By the way, great website.

    Reply
  9. Nichole Avatar
    Nichole

    I was almost confused reading the instructions. B/c it made it sound like to make it with boiling water means you’re going to let it sit unused for a few months? Is that what you’re saying? If it’s going to be used instantly, don’t use boiling water?

    Where can Bronners castille soap be found? Is it going to be in most health food stores? Also, do you think Vit E oil will work? I already bought a huge bottle of it at target a month ago and figured that might be a nice Clear colored option since the Olive oil color might be an issue (from what other comments say).

    I do need to start making these though b/c we go through a bottle of Bath and Body Works foaming soap in a week (for two people) and it was getting a little too pricey. Plus, in the winters, their soaps give me dermatitis (b/c of the cold already screwing with my hands), and the cheapest soaps in stores that are about a dollar are just meh, full of chemicals. Thanks for this recipe!

    Reply
  10. Maureen Avatar
    Maureen

    Thank you sooooo much!! My 5 yr old daughter was just diagnosed with eczema this week and we were told not to use antibacterial soaps, anything with fragrance or dyes either. I’ve used castille soap for years in cleaning & as a laundry detergent. Just never as a hand soap. I spent 1/2 an hour this morning in Target trying to figure out what hand soap I was going to change her to because everything has either a scent, antibacterial or dye in it. So after a quick web search in the soap aisle I found your site & this recipe & I feel sooo much better now! Thanks!!

    Reply
    1. Alisa Avatar
      Alisa

      You should try modifying your daughter’s diet to try to find the culprit causing her eczema. I stopped eating corn, and 2-3 weeks later noticed that my very bothersome & sometimes very painful eczema that I had suffered with for more than two years had disappeared. I accidentally tested my hypothesis that it was corn by eating some gluten free bread with corn in it, and back it came for about two weeks after avoiding corn again before it healed again. It may not be corn for your daughter, but definitely related to diet! Getting rid of gluten cleared up my relentless acne even during my cycle when it would get the worst. It may actually be a combo of getting rid of the two.

      Reply
      1. Isolusine Avatar
        Isolusine

        I agree with the food allergy comment above, has she been tested for food allergies? My son suffered from terrible eczema during his first year of life and it was most likely due to an egg allergy. His allergist said the majority of young children with eczema have an egg allergy. My son’s eczema has been almost totally cleared up since we started avoiding them in his diet. However, I think many kids outgrow that allergy by age 5 so it may be that or something else…just worth a shot. Eczema can be so terrible 🙁

        Reply
  11. Kay Avatar
    Kay

    I’ve been wanting so much to try this recipe, so a while back I purchased a bottle of Method soap to get the dispenser. Today I made the recipe, and I am flummoxed — this doesn’t look right! I used boiled water, 2 Tbsp Dr. Bronner’s unscented liquid castile soap, 1/2 tsp olive oil, and lavender essential oil, just like the recipe. I followed instructions exactly. But every time I shake up the bottle and let it sit until the next use, it looks like all the yellowish oil has risen to the top. Surely this isn’t right? There was never any mention in the article or any of these comments about having to re-shake the bottle every time before you use it (and that would be a total pain, anyway!), so I don’t understand why mine is doing this. I live in an area with medium to medium-hard water — that doesn’t have anything to do with the ingredients not staying mixed, does it? After having this happen, I went back and re-checked all my ingredients. I noticed it said “at least 2 Tbsp castile soap,” so I added another 1.5 Tbsp of the soap and re-tried it (someone else said they use a ratio of soap to water 1:5), but still the same result – the oil keeps separating each time it’s shaken. It looks kind of gross, too. Any suggestions or ideas?

    Reply
    1. Katie - Wellness Mama Avatar
      Katie – Wellness Mama

      It can do that and I think it does depend somewhat on the water. Next time, you can use less oil if you want, it just keeps the pump from sticking and keeps hands from drying out. Almond oil is clear, so that would be another option that wouldn’t have the color that you don’t like

      Reply
      1. Karen Avatar
        Karen

        We have been making this great recipe for about a month using Dr. Bronner’s unscented Baby-Mild. We go through a bottle in about 2 weeks, so I didn’t bother to boil the water or use distilled water. We did not add additional oils as the soap already has oils added. We find the soap sinks in the bottle and it has to be shaken each time. Although it doesn’t dry out our hands, it does leave a “tacky” feeling on our hands. Any suggestions?

        Reply
        1. Evelyn Avatar
          Evelyn

          I just use straight Castile soap. No water, no oil, just the liquid Castile. Peppermint. I use this for dish washing, and I hand wash all dishes. No issues with dryness. So I started doing it in the bathroom. So much easier to just pour the soap in the bottle and use a fraction of a pump… not a full pump. HTH

          Reply
          1. Bev Avatar
            Bev

            I love this idea so easy and you can get the soap at Costco!

    2. Karen Avatar
      Karen

      My soap also has the oil on top and we have to swirl before each use. I wondered why no one else has mentioned it. Followed directions perfectly. We don’t have hard water. It’s kind of a pain to have to swirl it, especially with kids and their dirty hands!

      Reply
  12. Fawn Avatar
    Fawn

    I made homemade baby wipes for 6 years and found that adding two or three drops of tea tree and lavender EO’s kept them from mildewing. I assume the same amounts of EO’s in this foaming handsoap recipe would be enough to prevent the growth of bacteria.

    Reply
  13. Trish Avatar
    Trish

    If using a Dr. Bronner’s bar soap for this liquid soap recipe, is it necessary to add a preservative to the finished product to prevent bacteria, etc.?? Or is the preservative already in the Dr. Bronner’s bar soap? Does adding lemon or orange EO provide enough anti-bacterial properties without the use of a preservative. Thanks! I have been making this and wasn’t adding a preservative and wondered about the shelf life.

    Reply
    1. Barbara Avatar
      Barbara

      I always add a few drops of bleach to everything as an antibacterial. Works great!

      Reply
  14. Laura A Avatar
    Laura A

    Sounds pretty simple. I definitely will try this recipe. If it’s organic, good for us! I was a a teen during the “hippy” era when everything we did was toward saving our planet! We started the EPA & many others organizations bettering our world. Just too bad many of us gave up on saving the world, so we went back to making the almighty dollar. Your website is a breath of fresh air. Thanks.

    Reply
  15. Missnik Avatar
    Missnik

    Would this work without foaming dispenser, just as regular liquid hand soap?

    Reply
      1. Madeline Avatar
        Madeline

        I made homemade soap years ago from a recipe in a book but it was really thin. This led to using more, not feeling clean, my then toddler making a mess with it, etc. Now I know why.

        And glad I continued reading the posts as I was ready to go out and make it again and just use the soap bottles (not foaming) I have in the bathrooms already. Now I will investigate where I can get the ‘foaming’ variety.

        Thanks

        Reply
  16. Stephanie Avatar
    Stephanie

    In other research I’ve done for homemade bath and body products, I found that anything made with water or water based ingredients need a preservative added to avoid bacterial growth. Does anyone know?

    Reply
    2. Jenny Avatar
      Jenny

      I have had the same concern ever since I noticed something swirling in my soap (other than the settled Castile soap)… has anyone else seen any growth in their homemade foaming hand soap? Ideas on how to prevent it?

      Reply
      1. Elise Avatar
        Elise

        This is a really late reply, but I read that the PH levels in all soaps (liquid castille included) work in a way that the product would not go rancid, so you wouldn’t need to add anything to this recipe. If you were making a lotion with water you would need to add a preservative, of which Vitamin E is not. Unfortunately there’s no such thing as a ‘natural’ preservative, but because preservatives are added at a .1 – .5% ratio it’s negative impact on your skin would be extremely minimal.

        Reply
  17. Tiffany Rose Reposa Avatar
    Tiffany Rose Reposa

    Just made two soap pumps of this foaming soap in about two minutes! So easy! I used lavender peppermint for my bathroom and peppermint tea tree for the kitchen.

    Reply
  18. Miss Marjorie Avatar
    Miss Marjorie

    Can I use coconut oil instead of almond or olive? Coconut is anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and is great for the skin, will not allow dryness. My only concern would be that it hardens. Has anyone tried it? I love wellnessmama! Thank you!

    Reply
    1. rachel Avatar
      rachel

      You could probably do fractionated coconut oil…it doesn’t solidify at room temp. I added Vit E oil to mine instead of the olive oil and it works well…

      Reply
  19. Tarynn Avatar
    Tarynn

    I have been using this recipe for a couple months now and was curious if I should clean the pump of the soap dispenser when I make new batches of soap? And if so, any tips?

    Reply
    1. Sue Avatar
      Sue

      To clean used container: Wash dispenser well. Rinse with clear vinegar. Rinse again and let drain. The vinegar helps kill any bacteria that may be in the container.

      Reply
  20. Trish Avatar
    Trish

    I use Trader Joe’s dish soap and water to make my foaming hand soap. I put about an inch of dish soap in the empty container and fill the rest with water. Give a little shake and done! Sooooo simple and easy!

    Reply
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