DIY Foaming Hand Soap

When we were trying to get pregnant with our daughter, it didn’t happen as quickly as we wanted it to. After months of nos, I started researching fertility and was so shocked to learn that it can be impacted by the very products we use in our homes. Words likes “parabens,” “phthalates,” and “fragrances,” became red flags, and our quest to free our home of toxins began.

What are parabens and phthalates?

Phthalates are used in many ways. They’re prevalent in cosmetics, used to make plastics more flexible, in cleaning products, toys, etc. While more research needs to be done, studies have already linked at least one type of phthalate to cancer and endocrine disruption. In addition, others are believed to effect development and reproduction. You can read a bit more about them here. Parabens are typically used as preservatives in products like makeup, soaps, toothpaste, etc. They have been banned from use by the European Union, but not in the US, as they are linked to hormone disruption. Hormone disruption is linked to a higher risk of developing breast cancer. You can read more about parabens here.

DIY Hand Soap is inexpensive to make

On top of that, our family is on a pretty tight budget. I always look for ways to cut costs, to help us pay off our remaining debt and build our savings. My daughter loves playing in water which leads to a ton of hand-washing. I found that once she started potty training, we were going through hand soap SO fast. At $3-$4 a pop for our favorite non-toxic soap, the cost was adding up quickly! For this recipe, I buy one big (32oz) bottle of Castile soap. I’ve found it on Amazon and in store at both Target and WalMart. The least expensive has been in store at Wal-Mart for about $12/bottle. One big bottle makes TEN 16oz jars of foaming hand soap.

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It’s also more Eco-friendly

In addition to being frugal, we also try to reduce our waste and make Eco-friendly choices as much as possible. It feels good to know that rather than 10 plastic bottles that need to be recycled, we have reduced that to one. Foaming hand soap also seems to last longer than gel soap in our house, which is an added bonus. We invested in a set of these soap dispensers. Just make sure that you go with a dispenser made specifically for foaming soap, or this recipe won’t work.

How to make foaming hand soap

That brings me to one of my favorite DIYs for our home. It’s SO easy to make your own foaming hand soap. I can’t believe I waited so long to try it. This recipe will make two, 16 oz bottles of soap. I usually make one for the kitchen and one for our bathroom. If you’re lucky enough to have more than one bathroom, make as many batches as you need 😉 Here’s how you do it:

1. Add 3 cups of filtered or distilled water to a bowl. As long as the soap is used within 2-3 weeks, filtered is fine to use. We’ve never had problems with it going bad, but we do go through it quickly.
2. Add 3/4 cup of Dr. Bronner’s Baby Unscented Pure-Castile Soap. You can use any scent of Castile Soap. We go with this one because my daughter and I both have very sensitive skin. I also like to have the option of scenting it with my favorite essential oils.
3. OPTIONAL: Add 20 drops of doTERRA On Guard Essential Oil (I think the equivalent Young Living oil would be Thieves) and 10-15 drops of your favorite scent. I usually go with wild orange or lemon, because I love the smell of fresh citrus.
4. Gently stir, so that you don’t create a ton of bubbles at this step.
5. Slowly pour into 2 glass soap dispensers.

That’s it!

It takes me about five minutes total to gather my supplies and make a batch. So easy, right?! Also, if you want it to lather a little more, add a little more Castile soap. If you want a little less, use less soap. I’ve tried making it with different amounts of soap and this seems to be the sweet spot for what our family prefers. When it’s time to make a new batch, I make sure to thoroughly wash the dispensers before adding the new soap.

I hope this has been a helpful tutorial for you! If you decide to make this, please let me know how you like it in the comments! Check out our other recipes here!