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

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.

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”

Sarah H.

March 31, 2020

Thanks so much for creating this simple yet effective recipe! Stores are selling out of hand soaps quickly due to the Covid 19 outbreak. I look forward to using your recipe to make our own.
We’ll be using boiled water, liquid Castile soap (from plant therapy), olive oil & lavender EO. I’m thinking of adding a little vegetable glycerin oil to help with moisturizing because that’s what I have on hand.
Do you foresee any issues with this? Thoughts on how much I should add?

Reply
1. Katie Wells
  
  April 8, 2020
  
  That should work. I’d add about 1/2 tsp of glycerin
  
  Reply
  1. Sarah Hall
    
    May 15, 2020
    
    The soap came out perfect & so easy to do! I’m about to make it for a third time. My 7 yr helped me make the last batch. He requested peppermint oil for his bathroom – it’s very refreshing!
    The 1/2 tsp of glycerin did the trick for moisturizing. My hands had been so dry, cracked from all the extra cleaning lately but they’d now healed.
    Thank you!!
    
    Reply
Elise

March 20, 2020

Thank you, so much, for the recipe. I bought the Lavender Castile soap at our supermarket for $14. That seems expensive, but for the amount of stuff I can do with it, it’s worth it. If you want a good, clean glass container that is easy to wash, use a mason jar. You’ll need to make a hole in the lid for the foaming pump to go into. You can either hot glue the pump into the hole or just leave it loose. The mason jar is easy to fill and clean and you can boil them to disinfect them if you want. You can usually find a pack of canning jars for cheaper than a glass soap dispenser and then you have several to use around your house. Hope this helps with the sterile dispenser dilemma. 🙂

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Roberta

February 11, 2020

I think this is my 3rd hand soap mix. Today I used olive oil with 3-4 drops each of: Frankincense, ylang-ylang, clary sage and rose hip oil. Perfect! The scent is light and it feels healthy on my aging skin. I am 61 and I have been really rough on my hands, over washing due to working in the medical and/or health and human services side of things for many years.

Reply
Marissa

January 29, 2020

Thank you for all the links to other foam pump bottles. I am looking for glass ones but cannot find them! Do they not exist? I don’t like the look of the plastic, even if they’re clear. Mine stain over time and look cheaper to me. Anyone know of a vendor?

Reply
1. Katie Wells
  
  February 22, 2020
  
  I’ve never found a reliable place for glass ones, but have made my own with mason jars before.
  
  Reply
2. Heather
  
  May 7, 2020
  
  Here are a couple good options:
  
  1) https://www.amazon.com/InterDesign-Foaming-Dispenser-Bathroom-Countertop-/dp/B00UYJK9JO/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1466622608&sr=8-1&keywords=foaming+hand+soap+dispenser+glass&linkCode=sl1&tag=drecom0d-20&linkId=b9bcee0e5c55f9331b9823df06f1c313
  
  2) https://www.amazon.com/Mason-Jar-Foaming-Soap-Dispenser/dp/B01DE56W4A/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&linkCode=ll1&tag=wellnessmama-20&linkId=ee9b4b411ef1721319dc41700f77e5b6&language=en_US
  
  Reply
Theresa

November 26, 2019

I am making liquid foaming hand soap and having trouble getting my oils to bind well in the globe. The oil seem to have sellted at the top in the container. Am using natural Castile!

Reply
Donna

November 17, 2019

Is there a way for this to turn out clear or at least not separate? Am I doing something wrong. I don’t think I have seen other comments about this. Thanks for any tips!

Reply
Amy

August 20, 2019

Castille soap dries out my hands, even the baby stuff. I added jojoba oil but still the same problem. Need an alternative.

Reply
Karen

June 12, 2019

Hi there,

Just wondering how long the soap will keep for? If I were to make in bulk, would it last for several months?

Thank you in advance!

Reply
Angela

March 22, 2019

Do you have any concerns about Dr. Bronner’s Castile Soap using Hemp? The wording on the packages and the blog is a bit concerning as well….just wondered if there is another option besides Dr. Bronner’s.

Reply
Kristi

February 28, 2019

What makes this antibacterial? Thanks!

Reply
1. Dave
  
  April 9, 2020
  
  Soap in general is antibacterial. Other than that, nothing.
  
  Reply
Karen

February 27, 2019

I made the foaming soap with my little one yesterday. It was easy, fun, and feels so much better than the store-bought stuff! Thank you so much!

Reply
Suzy

January 19, 2019

I am new to using liquid castile soap and was wondering if you need to use a preservative once you add water or aloe gel?

Reply
PJ

January 9, 2019

I’ve just made my first ‘batch’ of your homemade foaming soap and can I say – you’ve created a monster. I’m in LOVE with this. I used Magnolia essential oil and it’s absolutely the best smell in the world. I did use a little Argan Oil as well. I saw a bottle of Magnolia Foaming Soap at a local Hallmark store and they were charging $12.99 for their bottle. I think I made 4 bottles for that price. And to me, the fragrance is identical! I don’t know how much soap I, myself, can actually use but I’m going to have enough to last me the rest of my life. My next batch is going to be Plumeria. There’s no stopping me now. I now have gifts for people too hard to shop for. Thank you so much for sharing your ‘recipe’.

Reply
Lindsy

December 6, 2018

Does anyone have a recommendation to make this recipe more moisturizing? I made it today but it makes my hands feel a little dry after. More olive oil maybe?

Reply
Lindsy

December 2, 2018

Hi! I wanted to recommend the book The Cheese Trap by Dr Neal Barnard and Eat for Health by Dr Joel Fuhrman! Love this post, thank you!

Reply
Christine

November 22, 2018

Hi! I have been making your recipe for about 18 months and I love it! It has helped the eczema I struggle with on my hands significantly. Here is my question… I made soap and realized it had white “funky stuff” growing in the bottom. I assumed I needed to clean my dispenser out and start over. I did that a week ago and that funky white stuff is back!! Any ideas? Thanks!

Reply
1. Dave
  
  November 28, 2018
  
  Nothing is growing. The soap separates.
  
  Reply
Dave

November 19, 2018

Anyone else have issues with this separating? After a day or two, the bottom of the soap dispenser has about an eighth of an inch of cloudy white liquid at the bottom with the rest of it clear.

Reply
1. Dave
  
  December 6, 2018
  
  For some reason when I originally posted a week ago, only two of over 100 comments were showing up (both along the lines of, “this stuff is great”). Now all the comments are showing and obviously everyone is experiencing the soap separating. Sadly it looks like this is unavoidable.
  
  Reply
Dedra

September 9, 2018

I love this recipe as is. I split it into two, one with grapefruit and the other with peppermint. Thank you!

Reply
Nadine

August 25, 2018

I made the foaming hand soap. My problem is the Pure 100% almond oil will not mix no matter what I do. It floats on the top. Is there anything I can do to make it mix with the water and castile soap?

Reply
Jackie

August 22, 2018

My soap only separates after sitting for a couple of days. Typically, we’ve gone through our small bottle by then, and I’ll just give my refill bottle a quick shake before refilling the smaller one. If for some reason we still have leftovers in the pump, a quick shake of that easily rights any separation. Dr Bronner’s castile works great!

Reply

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