If a prize were to be given to the “world’s greatest dad,” I know just the man to win.
Okay, so maybe I’m a tad bit biased, but my father would certainly be a top qualifier. While not perfect (I’m sure he’ll agree), he’s the kind of man that makes the word “father” a warm, cozy feeling of nostalgic memories.
Growing up, my mom worked the weekends at the local hospital which meant my dad was on mommy/daddy duty every Saturday and Sunday. He did his very best to provide me with the weekend adventures every young girl dreams of: trips to Home Depot and the dump yard. (Seriously, I enjoyed every moment of our weekend trips.) And he always made Saturday mornings extra special with Bisquick pancakes and syrup (we didn’t know about real food just yet).
One of my most vivid memories of our weekends together will always be hand-washing. Silly, right? But, it’s true.
My dad was all about hand-washing! In the early 90’s little bottles of on-the-go soap weren’t available, but that didn’t stop my dad. Hand-washing was a habit he intended to instill in me. Along with flossing and brushing my teeth (probably due to his large investment in my pearly whites). Braces are not cheap, folks!
I still have happy thoughts when I look at a bottle of yellow Dial soap. Nostalgia!
Life is different from when I was five. I’ve learned pancake syrup isn’t real (sorry!), but maple syrup is pure heaven. I’ve also discovered pancakes can still be enjoyed every Saturday, made from a delicious homemade recipe versus a yellow box. Of course, with a switch to homemade, I’ve also discovered that orange soap is far from “healthy” or enjoyable (desert-dry hands anyone?).
Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not all about natural perfection. But when a natural alternative is as easy as mixing a few simple ingredients in a jar and calling it a day, I’m all over it!
Homemade liquid hand soap is one of the simplest natural recipes you can make. In fact, it really doesn’t even need a recipe, but I’ll give you one. Homemade hand soap is a bit different in consistency (watery) from the orange thick soap my dad regularly squirted on my hands, but it does the job just the same, if not better.
So, suds up the kids and share the hand-washing love. My dad will thank you!
How to Make Homemade Hand Soap Video
DIY Liquid Hand Soap
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup castile soap liquid
- 1/2 cup distilled water
- 1 TB vitamin E oil (optional)
- 1 TB sweet almond oil or olive oil or jojoba oil (optional)
- 15 drops tea tree essential oil optional
- 5-10 drops lavender essential oil optional
Instructions
- In a mason jar or recycled soap dispenser, add the water first (to prevent bubbles) then the liquid castile soap, followed by the oils. Shake the ingredients together.
- Shake the soap dispenser before using, then squirt a small amount on your hands as needed, rinsing with water.
Video
Notes
- Super Versatile: You can make cleaning and body products with the same soap.
- Inexpensive:Â A 32-ounce bottle of castile soap will cost $17. Yes, this is more expensive than a bottle of all-purpose cleaner, but it will last you for months! Castile soap is highly concentrated so a little bit goes a long way.
- Non-Toxic: Castile soap is made with easy to recognize, simple, non-toxic ingredients. This is why you can use it on your skin and the surfaces in your home.
The “where to buy” links provide you with information on the products I use to make this soap and many other DIYs.
Oh whew! So glad to hear that because I had just added a TB of vitamin E oil to my hand soap and was almost in a panic that I was going to have slimy hands! Haha! I did end up splitting into two and adding more water and soap and skipping the Almond oil just in case. It works fine by the way even with only half a TB of vitamin E! Another great recipe! And thanks for answering so quickly. I know you are very busy with your new kitchen and all! 😉
Debbie,
You’re welcome! I’m so glad it went well. And thank you again for pointing out my comment… I was way off, lol!
We just moved out of our house so new floors can go in this week. The kitchen is so close to being done. So close.
Hi Kristin,
I was in the midst of making this soap when I ran across one of your other reader’s questions where she asks about not using the vitamin E and your answer was “Vitamin E may cause the soap to be a bit slimy, so I’d only use a small amount (1/2 tsp).” – which made me a little confused because A. It didn’t seem to answer her question and B.I thought the recipe called for a whole Tablespoon! If not, what does TB stand for? Sorry, I sound so uneducated! And thanks for all your great recipes!
Hey Debbie, I apologize for the confusion. My answer was meant to answer a glycerin question. Glycerin will make the soap slimy, not vitamin E. I’ll have to go back and make sure I answered that question correctly :). Thank you for pointing this out. The TB does stand for tablespoon. 🙂
____
Okay, I went back and searched the comments. Yep, I totally missed that one. I’m not sure how I misread her comment (I often answer a bunch of comments at one time or maybe it was incredibly late at night), but I did! My answer was totally off from her original question. Yep, glycerin will make the soap slimy (a question many people ask when it comes to body wash and soap recipes on the blog), but vitamin E doesn’t have this same effect. And to answer her original question: Yes, vitamin E can be left out of the soap.
Thank you so much for pointing this out!
For those who are asking, I use a foaming soap pump for this recipe, and it works GREAT! 🙂 Just wanted to share.
Awesome, Paula! Thank you so much for sharing!
Thank you for posting this awesome DIY! I am wanting to get into soap making, and I’ve never made liquid soap before. Would this castile soap work ( http://www.target.com/p/dr-bronner-s-unscented-baby-mild-pure-castile-soap-32-oz/-/A-10770135#prodSlot=medium_1_2&term=Organic+Castile+Liquid+Soap+Unscented ) ? I’m not sure if it’s undiluted or not.
Thanks again!
Hey Jessica, Yep, that’s exactly what you need :)!
Can I add this DIY liquid hand soap recipe, along with a link to your site to my blog? I am writing a DIY story right now on all my favorite DIY recipes for the home and i love your recipe. thanks!
Hey Everley, Thank you for asking. I’m so glad you like the hand soap. You’re welcome to add a link in your post, for example: “Find my favorite hand soap, here.” We don’t allow the full recipe/directions to be copied to another website per copyright laws. I look forward to seeing your post. Best, Kristin
Oops I meant for this to go homemade dish soap, sorry!
I made this with goat soap that I get from local farm, they said it would be fine to use with dishes, but it seems kind of greasy and no suds at all, any suggestions/
Hey Heather, I’ve never tried using a bar of goat soap, but I think that may be the issue. The Sal Suds, in particular, is a phenomenal grease-fighter! The castile soap also fights grease more than regular bar soaps.
I just made this soap and I love the smell, but it is very “watery”. How can I make it a little thicker since my hubby is accustomed to store bought soap and I don’t want him to snub my creation! LOL
Hey Angel, I’m so glad you like the smell. The soap will be pretty watery (especially compared to store-bought soaps), but you can try adding more castile soap to thicken the mixture, if you have room in your jar. I believe a couple of readers thickened their soap with xanthum gum. You could also add the soap to a foam pump bottle (if you have one available). I hope your husband likes it :)!
Where do you get the pretty jar for your homemade hand soap?
Hey Heather, This jar came from HomeGoods. It’s a mason jar with a soap pump lid. I think it would be pretty easy to make :).
I just made this with fractionated coconut oil and it became very solid – I didn’t add water – any ideas why?!
Hey Lisa, Did you add water, or just the oil and castile? Try adding the water in the recipe. I think that will help.
Can coconut oil be used for the nourishing oil or is it too thick?
Can the Vitamin E oil be omitted?
Can any Essential Oil scent be used?
Looking forward to trying this!
Hey Kara, Fractionated coconut oil may be used for the nourishing oil. Regular coconut oil (for cooking) will be too thick and clumpy. Vitamin E may be omitted. Any essential oil that doubles as a scent and additional cleaning power may be used. 🙂
This could be a dumb question, but what does TB stand for (in measurements)?
Hey ilekca, Not dumb at all :). TB stands for tablespoons and tsp stands for teaspoons.
Hi, I was just looking for a recipe like this! Thanks for sharing. I have Dr. Bronners peppermint soap can I use this? What about his sal suds product? Can you also tell me what the purpose of the tea tree oil is? Lastly, how long does this last? Can I make a large amount and store under the sink so I can easily refill my bottles? Thank you!
Hey Kaia, Dr. Bronner’s Peppermint Castile Soap makes a great hand soap! The tea tree adds cleaning power, but you can skip it and just use the castile soap, if desired. The soap, when using distilled water, will last a few months. You can definitely make more and store the extra under the sink. I just wouldn’t let the extra sit for longer than 3 months due to the water.
Hi dear, I only have the castile soap (not the liquid-kind) in my country. Can it still work? How should I use it?
Hey Rina, You can add the grated castile soap to the water, baking soda and borax mixture. Just wait until the castile soap melts before you turn off the heat, and stir frequently.
That’s the 12 oz jar in your photo, right? I love that shape and I do have one in the cupboard…probably the best size, right? Because it’s just too much for a half pint but not enough for a pint and doubling wouldn’t fit in a pint lol
Hey Helen, Yes, this is a 12-ounce Ball canning jar :).
perfect ::) Does it thicken as it sits? because it’s like water right after making…
Helen, It should remain pretty watery, but when you apply it to your hands it should easily suds and clean.
I saw on another website where someone added guar gum to their recipe and it thickened it right up. Going to try!
Hey Tracey, Guar gum might work! Another option a reader recently shared is adding a tablespoon of salt to the recipe. I guess the soap thickens the soap? It’s worth a try!
The problem with that, though, Kristin…wouldn’t salt make your hands a bit dry? I love the oils you have in your recipe and want nice soft hands. 🙂 I actually tried the guar gum. You can see what happened at my blog here: http://traceys-journal.blogspot.com/2015/12/make-your-own-thick-liquid-hand-soap.html
It worked great! Just took a little trial and error. 🙂 Thanks again for this recipe!
Hey Tracey,
Yay, I’m so glad the guar gum worked! Thank you for sharing!
The salt may dry your hands out, but I don’t think that small amount would dry them out too much. I use a salt scrub on my hands weekly and it works very well, without any drying issues. I think the tablespoon wouldn’t be noticeable, but I could be totally wrong.
Oh, I see. Great!
Hi! I’m new at making homemade items. I found your post on here and am going to try to make your liquid hand soap. Thanks for sharing your posts!!
Welcome to Live Simply, Klunger! I think you’ll love making the hand soap.
Do you have a dish washing receipe?
Hey Jmcobb, My recipe will be posted at the end of this month (it’s been on the calendar!) on Live Simply. I prefer to use Sal Suds (the cousin to castile soap) for dish washing soap.
Ok another question, do you have any info on the bacteria that may form in homemade soap? At this website http://www.greenideareviews.com/2012/07/22/diy-homemade-liquid-hand-soap-review-does-it-work/ He says it is not a good idea to have water based hand soaps as they can grow bacteria and fungus. I would rather here from someone that actually has used a homemade soap for a long period of time and what their results are?
Hey Alisha,
I noticed in the article that the author makes a great point, “…She pointed out that anything with water is at risk for microbial growth. Especially if tap water is used…” Water can equal bacteria growth in homemade products which is why I’m very careful when adding water to a DIY! For short-term use, I don’t have any issue with using tap water. In fact, I make most of our hand soaps with tap water because they are used within three weeks. If you’re planning to use the hand soap for a longer time period, I recommend going with distilled water. The author of the post also made a gallon of soap and the recipe was a bit more complex than this recipe. I wouldn’t recommend making a gallon of this soap due to the water issue (sitting on the shelf for months). Thankfully, this soap literally takes 5 seconds to make :). Hope that helps.
Hi I was wondering if I was to double the recipe and make a larger amount at one time, is that a problem? How long does it last, or stay fresh? We go thru a lot of soap and is easiest to have some to just refill are little dispenser.
I’ve just made this up! I used almond castile soap (smells delicious!) And I used lemon, orange, lavender, tea tree essential oils in the mix. A lovely fresh sweet and citrusy clean scent! It’s quite watery, but it seems to do a great cleaning job so it’s nice to know that I can dilute the castile soap and make it go a long way! I look forward to trying this out over the next while.
HI,
Couldn’t Doctor Bronners be used as a liquid hand soap on its own? Sorry I am just a little confused as to why go to all the trouble of mixing so many things together when Doctor Bronners could be used on its own?
Am really interested to hear the responses!!
Hey Tracey, Dr. Bronners is highly concentrated so a little bit goes a very long way. Using straight Bronners may also dry out your hands.