• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to after header navigation
  • Skip to site footer
Wellness Mama script logo

Wellness Mama®

Simple Answers for Healthier Families

  • About
  • Favorites
  • Podcast
  • Blog
  • Shop
  • Health
  • Natural Home
  • Motherhood
  • Mindset
  • Natural Remedies
  • Beauty
  • Organization
  • Travel
  • Reviews
  • Recipes
DIY Foaming Hand Soap Recipe - all natural and frugal
  • Natural Home

DIY Foaming Hand Soap

Katie WellsMay 22, 2013Updated: Jul 30, 2019
Reading Time: 2 min

This post contains affiliate links.
Click here to read my affiliate policy.

Jump to Recipe
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

DIY Foaming Hand Soap Recipe

Katie Wells
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.
4.07 from 62 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 mins

Ingredients
  

  • 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.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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.

Category: Natural Home

Share this article

FacebookTweetPinLinkedIn
Print / PDF / Email

About Katie Wells

Katie Wells, CTNC, MCHC, Founder of Wellness Mama and Wellnesse, has a background in research, journalism, and nutrition. As a wife and 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.

  • All Posts

You may also enjoy these posts…

Homemade Liquid Hand Soap

Liquid Hand Soap Recipe

How to make a foaming hydrosol face wash with essential oils

DIY Foaming Face Wash With Hydrosol & Essential Oils

DIY Resuable Hand Warmers from Mismatched Socks

DIY Reusable Hand Warmers from Baby Socks

Bath and Shower Cleaner Spray to Tackle Rust and Soap Scum

DIY Bath and Shower Spray for Soap Scum, Rust

Soap Nuts Shampoo Recipe- easy and natural

Soap Nuts Shampoo

Gardeners Hand Salve Recipe

Gardeners Hand Salve Recipe

Reader Interactions

Discussion (290 Comments)

  1. Ronda Ryan Colavito

    November 22, 2013 at 12:06 PM

    I’m so excited you posted this. I was thinking about making my own foaming soap and hadn’t gotten around to finding a recipe. If I wanted to use it as body soap, would you recommend adjusting the ingredients at all?

    Reply
    • Jenn

      December 12, 2013 at 9:03 PM

      I use liquid castile soap and coconut milk (equal parts) for a body wash, I love it. I use Dr. Bronners mild….that with the coconut milk gives it a very light fresh scent that isn’t drying.

      Reply
      • Ronda Ryan Colavito

        December 13, 2013 at 4:45 PM

        Thanks! I’ll give that a try.

        Reply
      • antigoni

        December 14, 2013 at 2:27 PM

        how long is it good for?

        Reply
        • Jenn

          December 16, 2013 at 10:58 PM

          I keep my last bottle in the shower. It lasts me about a month before I run out…I don’t know if it would last longer.

          Reply
          • antigoni

            December 18, 2013 at 5:41 PM

            thank you!

      • Heather

        February 6, 2014 at 7:01 PM

        Just a q– coconut milk from the can or the carton in the fridge? Thanks!

        Reply
  2. Jessica

    November 16, 2013 at 6:15 PM

    Can’t wait to try it. Just switching over to more natural products. Love your site. I’ve found tons of useful information.

    Reply
  3. Marci Carley Mitchell

    November 14, 2013 at 9:29 AM

    Your website is awesome! Ran out of foaming hand soap this morning and sure enough, there’s a recipe on here for it! Thanks! Makes me feel that one day I might be free of WalMart! lol

    Reply
  4. April McBride

    October 29, 2013 at 2:49 PM

    I just made this soap and put it in my handmade mason jar dispenser! This is the creamiest foaming soap I’ve ever used! Thanks a bunch!

    Reply
    • christy

      March 27, 2014 at 11:30 PM

      is your mason jar dispenser for foaming soap or regular hand soap?

      Reply
  5. dana

    October 13, 2013 at 12:34 AM

    how do i make this soap antibacterial?

    Reply
    • Teresa Greslik

      October 15, 2013 at 3:09 PM

      I use a different recipe but I use a few drops of tea tree oil for the antibacterial properties.

      Reply
      • Juliana

        December 13, 2018 at 9:16 PM

        Do you become immune to the tea tree oil? I have been using dr. bronner’s hemp/tea tree liquid soap in a pump dispenser for a long time, it does dry my hands out a lot, so I am trying to figure out a better hand soap option. Why would I want a foam soap rather than a liquid soap? I need to find an easy hand soap for frequent use that is moisturizing. I like the tea tree for it’s antibacterial property, but maybe using it all the time is not a good idea? Thanks for any help.

        Reply
  6. Nikki

    October 1, 2013 at 2:20 PM

    After making this, how long is it good for in the dispenser? I can’t wait to try this! Thanks 🙂

    Reply
    • Sylvia Molina

      October 6, 2013 at 8:03 PM

      I have been using this method for a year, I use Dr Bronners peppermint scent and add vitamin e and sometimes coconut oil. I also use the food coloring in liquid to give it color for the different decor. Up to two weeks

      Reply
      • karen

        February 7, 2014 at 2:26 PM

        Doesn’t the coconut oil harden and clog up your dispenser (unless it stays warm)?

        Reply
        • Nichole

          March 17, 2014 at 11:01 AM

          it shouldn’t, but it depends on the temp in your home. You could try some Vit E oil instead! Good for the skin and won’t harden.

          Reply
        • Catherine

          March 20, 2014 at 10:28 AM

          You could use fractionated coconut oil if you are worried about it hardening. Fractionated CO is liquid at all temps.

          Reply
  7. Joy Shank

    August 2, 2013 at 1:20 AM

    I love this soap recipe but keep having a problem with the dispenser. The pump is not recoiling (you have to pull it back up). I have bought two different foaming soap dispensers and it happened with both within a few days of making this soap. I have 2 little ones and it’s difficult for them to pull the pump back up every time. Any suggestions?

    Reply
    • Wellness Mama

      August 2, 2013 at 3:08 PM

      Add more oil… it is just the soap sticking…

      Reply
      • Mary

        February 6, 2014 at 9:16 AM

        Where is a good place to buy essential oils that aren’t pricey?

        Reply
        • Katie - Wellness Mama

          February 6, 2014 at 2:22 PM

          I get mine at https://wellnessmama.com/go/mountain-rose-herbs/

          Reply
      • Johanna

        March 22, 2014 at 6:37 PM

        Mine is doing the same thing. Added more oil and no improvement.

        Reply
        • Jill

          May 23, 2015 at 11:36 PM

          4 stars
          Could be the lid is tightened too much. Like with baby bottles & water bottles, sometimes if the lid is too tight it won’t let enough air in and even out pressure for suctioning contents out. Downside is if you have to loosen too much it could leak if turned on the side.

          Reply
    • Nikki

      February 26, 2014 at 2:19 PM

      I have the exact same problem with the pump getting stuck. I made liquid soap from a natural bar soap, which is quite goopy/jelly, but works alright in a regular soap dispenser, but in the foaming dispenser, the pump gets stuck… I ended up dumping it out of the foaming pump and now I might have to go back and try again but add some oil??

      Reply
      • Kat

        June 10, 2014 at 3:35 PM

        5 stars
        You need to add water. The kind of soap that works in a traditional hand soap dispenser needs to be watered down by at least half to work in a foaming one.

        Reply
  8. Melissa

    July 19, 2013 at 1:49 AM

    Just made this using, Bronners castille peppermint liquid soap, sweet almond oil, and lemon lime essential oil. After a couple of pumps it had dried my hands out terribly. Anyone know what to add – take out to make it less drying. Thanks

    Reply
    • Randall Rodriguez

      August 8, 2013 at 8:58 PM

      Not all the people responds equally to olive oil soap.

      I have found that for some people high percentage olive soaps can clean too deeply the skin drying it out.

      I prevent that using 30% olive oil, 25% sunflower, 5% castor and 40% palm, yes, palm… I am from Costa Rica and we have very good laws protecting the workers and environment and the lands have decades with the same palm trees that were planted for rebuilding the economy of agricultural little towns that collapsed after the big banana companies left the country and thousands of unemployed people, in other words no orangutans in danger (we don’ t have them anyway) The castor has to be added after trace and it will be very moisturizing.

      Reply
      • Stephanie Hammond

        July 14, 2014 at 9:04 PM

        5 stars
        Thanks for the heads up about Palm Oil in Costa Rica! Congratulations to your country for having a truly sustainable product. As a conscious consumer I’m always on the look out for products grown sustainably. Also, thank you for the additional ingredients to the recipe.

        Reply
    • Emily Freeman

      November 22, 2013 at 10:17 AM

      My girls have trouble with the peppermint & citrus soaps making their hands exceptionally dry. I use almond, rose, or lavender Dr. Bronner’s and they haven’t had any more problems. I don’t add the oil either, just the soap & water and it works just fine (used the same dispensers for over a year).

      Reply
      • Kristen

        November 2, 2015 at 8:31 PM

        Lemon, (& most citruses) is a degreaser so it will strip all of the oil from your hands. That’s why it is used regularly in laundry and dish soap. Also, citrus oils are predominately made of monoterpenes which are prone to oxidation and become skin irritants when that happens. Peppermint has menthone, a ketone, which is a skin irritant in large amounts, or if a lower grade is used. Adding some skin nourshing essential oils comprised of alchols, esters, and other ketones will help to avoid these issues….think Lavender, Rosewood, Myrrh, etc., like you you. Adding a skin soothing carrier oil will help prevent these problems as well.

        Reply
    • Cassie

      March 10, 2015 at 9:40 AM

      5 stars
      Hi. I have heard that Jojaba Oil is GREAT for eliminating dry skin (hands). I get dry hands so so bad in the winter esp if I have em in water too often. So I’m currently making my first NON TOXIC foam soap! Although I have coconut oil, I realized I need Jojaba oil too to take care of my dry hands:-)

      Reply
  9. Shannon

    June 26, 2013 at 4:19 PM

    I make my own liquid Castile soap from a bar and when mixed in the dispenser it is getting gel like. It does not do it in any other dispenser and I have a few. Just the method foaming dispenser – the gel seems to be clogging it. I tried a lesser amout of Castile soap and the same thing. Any suggestions?

    Reply
    • Wellness Mama

      June 27, 2013 at 9:14 PM

      I’ve never tried with homemade liquid soap, so I’m not sure, but that sounds like it is the problem…

      Reply
    • Shasta

      July 11, 2013 at 6:46 PM

      I have made my own liquid Castile soap from eco-friendly websites, and mine too gels. I kept mine in large Ball jars and now can’t get it out to put it into dispensers. Not sure why this is – none of the recipes seem to come with that warning or how to reverse the gelling.

      Reply
    • Theresa

      October 2, 2014 at 4:09 PM

      5 stars
      I make my own liquid Castile soap and added some to test in a foaming soap dispenser and had no issues, might be that your soap is not this enough for the dispenser, not real sure though.

      Reply
  10. diana

    June 25, 2013 at 1:59 PM

    maybe dumb but i guess im sort of a weirdo about the antibacterial. i guess what im saying is that if the potty training kids dont wipe well and it gets on their hands how does this soap kill the ecoli? thats the only reason i wouldnt make it.. i like hand soap that kills germs well. or does this too?

    Reply
    • Wellness Mama

      June 25, 2013 at 11:07 PM

      Studies show that proper washing for at least 20 seconds with soap does just as well as antibacterial soaps without the risks 🙂

      Reply
      • RuthyAnn

        September 2, 2016 at 7:59 PM

        been saying this for year ANTIBACTERIAL HAS TO MANY CHEMICALS, ‘SOAP” AND 20 SECONDS TO 25 SECONDS, works the best,

        Reply
    • rachel

      January 3, 2014 at 3:43 PM

      Most-if not all- citrus essential oils have natural antibacterial properties…as well as many other essential oils. So, adding a lemon or wild orange EO would smell nice as well as be beneficial for knocking out germs…

      Reply
    • Ian Tanner

      March 18, 2014 at 12:30 PM

      I’m a single dad raising my 10 year old son. We bought SoftSoap Antibacterial from costco. used it for years. Every winter my son’s hands cracked, chapped bright red and painful. His doctor recommended petrolium jelly. We used it and it worked. THEN I READ THE INGREDIENTS on the SoftSoap huge jug from costco. BAD BAD BAD! We started using Doctor Bronners bar soap in the shower and Doctor Bronners liquid Castille soap from Trader Joes in a diluted form for liquid soap. Guess what? NO chapping, cracking redness or pain and NO PETROLEUM JELLY. READ YOUR INGREDIENTS ON ALL YOUR FOOD AND BEAUTY PRODUCTS! DO RESEARCH! MOST OF IT IS TOXIC POISON!!

      Reply
    • Nancy

      January 29, 2015 at 8:23 AM

      i know this post is old but wanted to let you know that using antibacterial soap for a long period of time, 3 months or more makes you become immune to it…so it isnt doing any good anyway, all you are doiongis adding chemicals you dont need. Its like taking antibiotics for too long, they stop working and cause harm.

      Reply
      • Nakacwa

        June 5, 2016 at 10:35 AM

        What can I do to cure candida?

        Reply
« Older Comments
Newer Comments »

Join the Conversation... Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Please read the comment policy.

Recipe Rating




The information on this website has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent, or cure any disease. By accessing or using this website, you agree to abide by the Terms of Service, Full Disclaimer, Privacy Policy, Affiliate Disclosure, and Comment Policy. Content may not be reproduced in any form. Ads provided by CafeMedia Family & Parenting Network. Displayed ads do not constitute endorsement or recommendation by Wellness Mama.


Content

  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Podcast
  • Favorites
  • Wellnesse

Support

  • Newsletter
  • Podcast Application
  • Medical Review Board
  • My Books
  • Sitemap
  • Contact

Policies

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
  • Full Disclaimer
  • Affiliate Disclosure
  • Promo Guidelines
  • Comment Policy

Join the
Wellness Mama Tribe!


Copyright © 2023 · Wellness Mama® · All Rights Reserved · Powered by BizBudding