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: 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.
Love this DIY Homemade Liquid Hand Soap, this DIY craft is superb, thanks for sharing this one with us , will definitely gonna try this one .
Can I add liquid fragrance instead of essential oils?
Hey Hallie, I don’t have a ton of experience with liquid fragrance, but I would think that’s okay as long as the ingredients are skin safe.
best Corona time useful activity , tanks for sharing this one . Useful one
Love this “DIY HOMEMADE LIQUID HAND SOAP” . This Idea can be very helpful in lockdown days, specially for me. Thanks for sharing this one with us.
Hey Yamini, I’m so glad it has been helpful!
Cool tips and pointers on home made liquid hand soaps that can be DIY.. Thanks. And yes, Castile soaps are the best when it comes to being natural…
Thank you, Maple.
Can I cut this in half? I have 5 oz old foaming dispenser that I would love to use for this! Would it be as effective?
Definitely, Kaitlyn!
Could I add preservative to this recipe if I wanted to.
Hey Julie, You could.
Love this recipe, but, unfortunately, my son says it feels “oily”. Could I replace the oils with glycerin? Would that be too drying? Thanks for any advice.
Hey Valerie, You can use glycerin instead or just skip the oil or glycerin all together.
Thanks for this recipe! I’m having a hard time, however, making the soaps for my family. My son works at home on his computer and says he doesn’t like the “oily” feeling after washing his hands….should I replace the oils with glycerin? Would that be super drying? Any suggestions? Thanks!!
Love this recipe!
So glad you like it, Anette!
I just experimented today with using this soap as a liquid shampoo. It worked great! I’ve been experimenting with natural shampoo bars in order to cut back on chemicals and plastics, but this soap worked better than any I’ve found to date. They have all left my hair oily, whereas this soap did a great cleaning job without leaving an oily residue. Just thought I’d share my discovery for anybody else who wants to give it a try.
That’s awesome, Michele! Thank you for sharing!
Hi! not sure if you’re still responding to comments and/or questions. The first time I tried this recipe, the soap turned out great. The second time, the top of the bottles had a slimmy brown, almost cloggy substance. I added a tablespoon of glycerin, not sure if that’s what did it. I also played around with different essential oils, (Orange, Spearmint, and others), not sure if their combination made it turn brown. I ended up dumping the soap away. Do you know what that can be? I thought it would either be mold or bacteria, the soap was in the bottle for less than a week. Thank you!
Hey Maribel, I’m not sure what the slimmy brown stuff would be. Good call to toss it.
Hi! Thank you for this super easy recipe! I made and its feels great when washing, but tend to feel a bit of stickiness on my hands right after. I used Dr. Bronner’s citrus pure castile soap, Vitamin E oil, Jojoba oil, lavender oil and tea tree oil with distilled water. Is there anything I should have added more/less of?
Maybe trying diluting a bit more. It could be the Castile soap.
LS Team
Thank you! Will try!
Hi Kristin! That’s great to know! And if I used cooled boiled water instead?
I love diys but I’m just wondering how long can you keep the soap before it gets bad (presence of moulds/fungus/bacteria)?
Hey Lovely, If you’re using distilled water, about a month.
Hi there,
I am new to all this. When making you own soap with 1/2 c Castile and 1/2 c of water. How many drops of essential oil can you add to it. Is 10 drops of your choice of essential oil or is 15 or 20 drops? Thanks.
Ken
Hey Ken, You can go with 15-20 drops due to the amount of castile soap used.
Love this hand soap. It works so well and it costs pennies to make. thank you
I like the natural & simplistic approach to this hand wash but my concern is the use of palm oil in the making of the castile liquid soap. Despite it possibly being from ‘sustainable sources’ I have to question it’s initial land use. How can one source castile soap without it being palm oil based? If you are making something natural & environmentally friendly, lets make sure it is from the beginning.
Hey Sue, I would ask Dr. Bronner’s about their sourcing and practices. You might be able to find a castile soap that doesn’t use this ingredient. The recipe for castile soap goes back to the 11th century, but some companies may have tweaked there recipe since. Dr. Bronner’s us just one option.
I read your comment and although it’s a year later, ran into this book and wanted to share. On their site, Dr Bronner’s has a book for sale – Honor Thy Label – which apparently outlines their supply chain and ESG practices and may delve into this. Disclaimer – I haven’t read it. 🙂
That’s awesome, thanks for sharing!
Thanks For Your Great Reply, Kristin Marr.
Oh, this is wonderful!! Thank you so much for sharing your recipe, I have been wanting to make my own hand soap…and now I can!
Thanks, Eddie!
Thanks For Your Great Reply, Kristin Marr.
I have been using castile soap for yrs. Where I live it is $10.00 and shelved w/ the laundry soap. I put castile soap a squirt in my bathtub and w/water & cleaning rag I clean my tub.. So clean and shinny w/o being slippery…. I also at the dollar store buy spray bottles and add tea tree oil, lavender , peppermint essential oil and add about a tsp of soap then add water. Shake well, I use it to clean kitchen sink, stove , appliances. I do not use it on my granite… Thanks