DIY Foaming Hand Soap for Home and Travel {with video tutorial}

Did you know that you can easily make a homemade, natural foaming hand soap for at home and on-the-go?! It’s quick and easy to do, the scent options with essential oils are endless, and it’s CHEAP.

Store bought hand soap (even those that say natural, it’s called “greenwashing”) can be full of toxins that build up in your body over time. That hot-pink mystery soap in public bathrooms?! Yeah, NO. They can contain endocrine (hormone) disruptors, formaldehyde which is a neurotoxin, and more… often hidden behind the ingredient “fragrance.” And don’t even get me started on triclosan! Why not make your own do-it-yourself hand soap and know EXACTLY what’s in it – it’s too easy not to! Plus it saves you money!

Here’s a video tutorial on how to make both full-size and travel-size versions (but I forgot the salt, so add that!) but if you need a recipe and rather not eye-ball it, scroll down! I also share some essential oil scent ideas below.

Foaming Hand Soap Recipe

Pin this for later, HERE.

To make your own Foaming Hand Soap, you will need the following…

Ingredients for full-size recipe:

• ~8 oz foaming soap dispenser (or this glass one!)
• 4-5 Tbsp unscented Castile soap
• 1/2 tsp liquid Vitamin E or carrier oil (optional)
• Pinch of sea salt (to help disperse the oils)
• 15-20 drops of essential oils of choice (# is all about preference)
• Distilled water

Ingredients for travel-size recipe:

• ~2 oz foaming soap dispenser
• 1 Tbsp unscented Castile soap
• 2 drops liquid Vitamin E or carrier oil (optional)
• Pinch of sea salt (to help disperse the oils)
• 5 drops of Thieves essential oil blend, or other
• Distilled water

Directions:

Add the Castile soap to the container, followed by the vitamin E, then salt, and then the essential oils. Fill the rest of the container with distilled water, leaving room for the foaming pump. Put on the pump and close tightly, then shake, shake, shake! That’s it!

Notes:

You may need to occasionally shake the container if you see it needs it. If you’re using a glass container, you can add the pinch of salt first and then essential oils, swirl and allow to sit for a moment to absorb (before adding the rest of the ingredients) – this will do a better job to disperse the oils in the water. Undiluted essential oils – especially citrus – break down plastic so I prefer to put them in with everything else when using plastic so they are well diluted.

Essential Oil Combo Ideas for Scent

{Quick reality check!} Sadly, not all essential oils are created equal – quality and purity matter. If your goal is to rid your home of chemicals and create a safe haven for your family but you buy your EOs from a health food store or *shudder* Walmart… you’re just exposing yourself to synthetic chemicals anyway! Most essential oils that you find in stores are made in a lab or diluted with synthetic fillers. Did you know that there only needs to be 15% plant matter in the bottle to label it 100% pure?! Some essential oils have caused skin irritation, burns, and discoloration. Make sure you are using high-quality essential oils. I trust this brand.

Now, the fun part, choosing the EOs! Keep in mind that some herbs like basil and peppermint are super potent! Start with just a few drops and add more if you want a stronger scent. I’ve been (chemical) fragrance-free for about ten years, so my nose is sensitive to scent. You may want more or fewer drops of essential oil!

Here are some combos for spring/summer and fall/winter:

• 12 drops Lavender and 3 drops Peppermint
• 8 drops Lavender, 4 drops Rosemary, and 3 drops Peppermint
• 8 drops Eucalyptus Globulus and 8 drops Spearmint
• 8 drops Lavender, 4 drops Geranium, and 6 drops Ylang Ylang
• 5 drops Bergamot, 10 drops orange, and 5 drops Ylang Ylang
• 4 drops Joy, 8 drops Orange, 4 drops Rosemary
• 5 drops Citrus Fresh, 5 drops Lavender, 5 drops Eucalyptus Globulus
• 15 drops Thieves blend (awesome all on its own!)
• 10 drops Thieves and 10 drops Orange
• 8 drops Northern Lights Black Spruce, 8 drops Orange, 4 drops Cinnamon Bark
• 15 drops Christmas Spirit blend

Did you try making this foaming hand soap? Easy, right? What essential oils did you choose?

Pin this to reference back to, HERE.

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