How to Make Toxin-Free Foaming Hand Soap

This is my all-time favorite DIY cleaning recipe! You can make it in about a minute and completely customize your scent or leave it unscented.

Citrus or floral scents are fun for spring and summer, while spice and pine tree oils are cozy for winter. But it's completely up to you! Or have something different at each sink like we do!

I'll also note that foaming hand soaps make great gifts for teachers, bus drivers, medical practitioners, hair stylists, house cleaners, mail carriers... basically anyone with hands! And it's a gift they will actually use!

You can find all kind of free downloadable soap gift tags online that you can print out on cardstock. Like this one!

Making scented foaming hand soap is literally one of the easiest things ever! It only takes 4 simple ingredients and two minutes of your time.

INGREDIENTS

castile soap
aloe vera gel: Be careful about the aloe you buy! Most brands are loaded with harsh thickeners, toxic chemicals, and little to no aloe. I look for organic aloe that is ideally cold-pressed, hand harvested, charcoal filtered, and grown in the U.S. Here is a safe swap on aloe vera gel if you want to source a good brand.
essential oils: Definitely don't mess around with poor quality or fake essential oils. You definitely don't want to be putting unknown junk on you body or into your air! Low quality or synthetic oils will also not give you the therapeutic benefits you're seeking. If you have questions about essential oils, want brand recommendations, or simply want the insight of a certified aromatherapist, feel free to reach out!
water

Now onward to the recipe!

3 oz liquid castile soap
1 oz aloe vera gel
3 oz distilled or filtered water
20 - 30 drops essential oils
foam soap dispenser -- This particular dispenser is 16 oz., so double the recipe below if you want to fill it all the way.

Suggestions for essential oil combinations

The essential oils in this recipe are completely customizable. The ones I'm suggesting here are simply to get you started. Feel free to use scent combinations you love or ones to match the current season.

15 drops lime + 15 drops wild/sweet orange
24 drops grapefruit + 8 drops peppermint or spearmint
12 drops frankincense + 12 drops myrrh + 6 drops cardamom (this one is nice for the holidays)
20 drops of a "protective" blend

TO MAKE

Place all ingredients in an 8 oz. foam soap pump bottle and shake well.

Don’t fill it to the top! Make sure to leave space in the bottle, as screwing on the lid will cause the liquid to rise. There also needs to be room to occasionally shake the liquid before using.

Here's the recipe in graphic form if you'd like to save it to your device for easy access.