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”

Harsh Lath

May 10, 2014

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

Reply
Wendy

April 28, 2014

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

Reply
1. Katie – Wellness Mama
  
  April 29, 2014
  
  A few months
  
  Reply
  1. stephanie
    
    September 13, 2017
    
    Crazy question – Can you use distilled water from the store – that’s sold in jugs – or do you recommend boiling your own water?
    
    Reply
    1. Wellness Mama
      
      September 13, 2017
      
      Either 🙂
      
      Reply
Rebecca

April 23, 2014

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

Reply
1. Miles
  
  April 27, 2014
  
  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
Miles

April 15, 2014

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
Amber

March 30, 2014

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
  
  April 1, 2014
  
  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
  
  April 27, 2014
  
  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
3. Gina
  
  January 15, 2015
  
  Have you tried Saponified Coconut Oil Soap instead?
  Here is the kind I recently ordered in a gallon jug:
  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004ZC8JOI/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B004ZC8JOI&linkCode=as2&tag=wellnessmama-20&linkId=SIYJKOUX4URXZPBY
  
  Reply
Harsh Lath

March 29, 2014

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

Reply
1. Katie – Wellness Mama
  
  March 29, 2014
  
  Is it in a foaming soap bottle? It will only work in that type of bottle…
  
  Reply
  1. Harsh Lath
    
    April 27, 2014
    
    Actually I had put in a normal bottle, would put in foaming soap bottle.
    
    Reply
Pam

March 25, 2014

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. Katie – Wellness Mama
  
  March 25, 2014
  
  Which oils are you using. It should be ok, but if you find a glass foaming container, please let me know 🙂
  
  Reply
  1. Pam
    
    March 26, 2014
    
    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
      
      April 1, 2014
      
      I haven’t seen the DIY mason jar directions would you care to share them please?
      
      Reply
      1. Pam
        
        April 24, 2014
        
        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. Miles
        
        April 27, 2014
        
        Here is the link-
        https://bodyunburdened.com/diy-foaming-mason-jar-soap-dispenser/
  2. Kim
    
    August 4, 2015
    
    “Glass” foaming soap dispensers are very popular now. Try Amazon.com they wide variety to choose from.
    
    Reply
  3. Esther R.
    
    August 20, 2016
    
    I read that Amazon has glass dispensers but they are expensive. They have several tints of glass.
    
    Reply
Harsh Lath

March 22, 2014

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
1. Katie – Wellness Mama
  
  March 23, 2014
  
  The lye is used in the soap making process but is not present in the final product. It “saponifies” the oils and makes them usable for soap.
  
  Reply
2. Johanna
  
  March 23, 2014
  
  Lye is made from wood ashes and is natural.
  
  http://journeytoforever.org/biodiesel_ashlye.html
  
  Reply
Nichole

March 17, 2014

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
1. Katie – Wellness Mama
  
  March 17, 2014
  
  you can use vitamin e oil and you won’t have to use boiling water if it is used quickly
  
  Reply
Maureen

March 9, 2014

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
  
  May 26, 2014
  
  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
    
    November 11, 2014
    
    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
Kay

March 3, 2014

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
  
  March 4, 2014
  
  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
    
    December 19, 2014
    
    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
      
      August 1, 2015
      
      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
        
        August 29, 2018
        
        I love this idea so easy and you can get the soap at Costco!
2. Karen
  
  March 19, 2018
  
  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
Fawn

February 19, 2014

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.

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Trish

February 12, 2014

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
  
  December 20, 2014
  
  I always add a few drops of bleach to everything as an antibacterial. Works great!
  
  Reply
Laura A

February 9, 2014

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
Missnik

January 30, 2014

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

Reply
1. Katie – Wellness Mama
  
  February 3, 2014
  
  Yes, but it would be very thin.
  
  Reply
  1. Madeline
    
    April 7, 2014
    
    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
Stephanie

January 14, 2014

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?

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1. Gina
  
  January 15, 2015
  
  I believe Vitamin E is a natural preservative.
  
  Reply
2. Jenny
  
  July 7, 2015
  
  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
    
    February 16, 2016
    
    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
Tiffany Rose Reposa

January 3, 2014

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.

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Miss Marjorie

December 17, 2013

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
  
  January 3, 2014
  
  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
Tarynn

December 4, 2013

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?

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1. Sue
  
  February 3, 2014
  
  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
Trish

November 22, 2013

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