A moisturizing DIY liquid hand soap for hands dry from frequent hand washing. This recipe uses Castile soap, sweet almond oil, and essential oils.
Are you washing your hands more than normal lately? You’re not alone. On top of my daily dish washing and showering, I’ve also been using hand sanitizer when running necessary errands. Trying to stay healthy during the coronavirus quarantine means my hands have seen their fair share of soap lately.
And with all that hand washing comes the tight, itchy burning of dry skin. While my favorite hand lotion does a fantastic job, the frequent number of hand washings meant I was just washing that lotion (and my money) down the drain.
I knew that I needed to come up with a solution–and fast. Enter, Castile soap. I remembered I had a big bottle of Castile soap from creating my DIY all-purpose cleaner. Out of curiosity, I checked the label and sure enough, you can use Castile soap to make your own homemade hand soap.
What is Castile soap?
Castile soap originated in Castile, Spain. It was traditionally made from olive oil, but today many Castile soaps are made from other vegetable fats. One important constant: it does not contain animal fats.
Castile Soap is gentle and free of toxins, it can be used on children, pets, and even on vegetables as long as the dilutions are done correctly. Once you start using Castile soap, you will fall in love with it as it can be used for so many things.
I just recently started making our own hand soap, as we ran out and I didn’t want to go back to the store for only one item. I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of suds this produced. It’s not going to be super thick as store-bought hand soaps are, but it smells like heaven and leaves your hands super moisturized. The added sweet almond oil gives your hands an extra dose of hydration.
You can choose to buy Castile soap with 2% essential oils, but I prefer the unscented so I can add my own essential oil blends. We love lemongrass, eucalytpus, and lavender (not at the same time, though). We like lemongrass or eucalytpus in the kitchen, and lavender for the bathroom as a little aromatherapy before bed.
FAQs About DIY Hand Soap
Should DIY Hand Soap Be Watery?
Castile soap is very concentrated (making it extremely versatile) so you do need to add water to make this solution. It’s recommended to use distilled water, but I use my tap water since we have a water softener.
You may find that the ingredients start separating in the glass bottle. If that happens, just swirl the bottle for a few seconds before using the pump. Knowing that I’m using a product with clean ingredients that won’t dry out my hands is worth the small trouble now and then.
Will a DIY Hand Soap Produce Lather?
Yes! Your DIY hand soap made from Castile soap will produce a lather very much like store-bought versions. The soap itself won’t be as thick, but I’ve found it produces as much (if not more) lather for me. I like to add in a couple extra squirts of soap, so if lather is important to you, you might want to do the same.
In the video I created, you’ll see how much lather it produces. I also added in a bit of extra Castile soap to the bottle because I personally like the bubbles. You might not see as much of a lather, depending on how much you tweak the recipe.
Is DIY Hand Soap Antibacterial?
If you landed here, you’re probably wondering this because of the current COVD-19 pandemic. Please remember to follow the CDC recommendations for hand washing no matter which type of soap you are using.
Castile soap is considered a surfactant, not antibacterial. Truth is, soap doesn’t kill germs–it’s how we wash our hands that kills germs. Surfactants work by dissolving the lipids that we call fat. Viruses and germs, like most cells, have a lipid bilayer protecting their inner genetic material. In simple terms, their outer cell layer is composed of fat. And what helps dissolve fat? Surfactants, like soap.
When you add a surfactant, like Castile soap, to the action of hand washing and scrubbing, you are helping dissolve the fat that protects the germ cell. This is why proper hand washing is so important! The added chemicals to antibacterial soaps can strip your skin of natural oils, so I prefer using natural soap.
If you’re still concerned about the effectiveness of soap and water when it comes to coronavirus, you may wish to add tea tree oil or cinnamon essential oil for their natural antiseptic qualities. Keep in mind though that this may be toxic to pets.
DIY Moisturizing Liquid Hand Soap
Your DIY hand soap may be a little on the yellow side, and it’s completely normal as Castile soap is made from vegetable fats. The added sweet almond oil and citrus essential oil blend only enhanced this hue.
I hope you enjoy your hand soap as much as we do!
DIY Moisturizing Hand Soap
This is the best DIY liquid hand soap to moisturize dry hands from frequent hand washing.
Materials
- 1/8 cup Dr. Bronner's Castile soap, unscented
- 2 cups water
- 2 tbsp sweet almond oil
- 15 drops essential oil blend (optional)
Tools
- 16oz glass soap dispenser
- funnel
Instructions
- Fill glass soap dispenser with water.
- Pour in unscented Castile soap.
- Add the sweet almond oil.
- Add 10-15 drops of essential oils (optional). We like citrus scents.
Notes
I like to add a little more than the recommended 1/8 cup of Castile soap.
