DIY Natural Hand Soap- quick and easy

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When you’re feeling the drive to live a greener, more natural life, it’s hard to know where to start. It definitely was for me. But by making one simple change at a time, you can slowly but surely weed out unnecessary chemicals and waste from your home. The best place to start is with something that will save you time and money. Making DIY natural hand soap is not only inexpensive, it’s super convenient! It takes as few as two ingredients and less than 5 minutes.

Why Bother?

“Conventional” soaps, and tons of other personal care products for that matter, are packed full of nasty stuff. Parabens, phthalates, synthetic dyes and fragrances, sodium lauryl sulfate, Tricolson, formaldehyde! Um, no thanks. I worked very hard to bring these tiny humans into the world and I will not lather them up with known carcinogens, endocrine disruptors, and skin and respiratory irritants. The beauty industry is very minimally regulated, so unfortunately as crazy as it sounds, we can’t assume that because something is being sold, it must have been proven safe.

However, there are plenty of safer choices, and as consumers become more aware of the dangers of these kinds of additives and preservatives, safer products are easier to find outside of health food stores and pharmacies. But, there’s always a but, they can be pricey! And many of the products being marketed as “natural” still contain questionable ingredients and synthetic fragrances. If you want to know what is in your products, I encourage you to check out the EWG’s Skin Deep Database, an excellent resource with the low down on thousands of products and their ingredients.

The Basics

Here’s the good news- you can make your own! And for a fraction of the cost. All you really need is liquid Castile soap, I like Dr. Bronner’s, and distilled water OR water boiled for 5 minutes and cooled. (This will kill microorganisms, bacteria, and general nasty stuff that could be lurking in your tap water.) You will also need a container to put your product in. An up-cycled bottle with a pump will work just fine or get yourself a pretty glass container, especially if you think you might want to add essential oils to your concoction. Essential oils can break down plastics and that will kinda defeat the purpose of making your own clean product.

But wait, can’t I just use Castile soap? Isn’t it soap!? Yes, it is, but it requires proper dilution. Castile soap is a vegetable-based soap which means it is naturally eco-friendly, non-toxic, and safe for the whole family. It’s also awesome for cleaning and has about a million and one other uses (which we will talk more about soon!) But for now, let’s just say, it is a staple in any frugal, crunchy home.

The Upgrade

Now, if you’re feeling fancy, a little squirt of a plant based carrier oil, I usually use Jojoba, will turn this basic soap into a luxurious moisturizing formula. Sweet almond, fractionated coconut oil (this is the liquid form), and even olive oil will work well, too. To customize even further, use an unscented Castile soap and add your own essential oils, 10-15 drops is a good ratio for an average size bottle. I like something simple like lavender or eucalyptus. Lemon or lime is perfect in the kitchen. You can really do whatever you like here. But Dr. Bronner’s makes a variety of liquid soaps that already contain essential oils to make this project even faster and easier.

A note about essential oils. The sky’s the limit when it comes to creating your own special fragrance combinations. But not all oils are safe for all people. Please, please do a bit of research before choosing oils especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or have small children. Here is a good resource with some safe choices for little littles.

Here's Why It's Frugal

One $15 32 oz bottle of Castile soap can make 16 bottles of hand soap! If you spring for a jug of distilled water add another buck and you’ve got a base of $1 per bottle. (Less if you found your soap on sale, cha-ching!) If you add a moisturizing oil or essential oils to your mix you will bump up your cost a tiny bit. But wow! That is quite a savings over a $3-6 container of natural soap from the store.

So what are you waiting for?! Let’s get to it…

Yield: 16 oz bottle/ 2 cups