Easy: How to Make Foaming Hand Soap with (cheap and effective) Castile

I’ve been making my own DIY Foaming Hand Soap refills with castile soap for a while. I couldn’t get over the environmental and financial cost of constantly buying foaming hand soap refills. Each bag of method soap refill from Target only filled three bottles and cost $6. The bulky bags also took up a lot of room in my toiletries closet.

I looked up a recipe for Foaming Hand Soap and ended up really loving the result. One bottle of Castile soap from Amazon lasts me a really long time. Add a couple of ingredients you probably already have on hand (water and a little olive oil) and you’re set–no expensive trips to Target or Walmart required.

How to Make Your Own DIY Foaming Hand Soap

Ingredients for Foaming Hand Soap

– Water (Use distilled or boiled water if soap won’t be used within a few weeks)

– 2 Tablespoons Castile Soap (I prefer unscented, but you can get some scented Castile soap)

– ½ tsp. Olive Oil (or almond oil) — helps lubricate the pump.

– (Optional) Essential oil – For scent

How To Make Your Own Foaming Hand Soap

Step 1. Fill the soap dispenser with water – About 1 inch from the top (to leave room for soap and pump)

Step 2. Add at least 2 Tablespoons of Castile soap to the water. NOTE: Add the Castile soap AFTER the water. If you add the soap to the dispenser first THEN add water, you’ll create a bubbly mess.

Step 3. Add ½ teaspoon Olive or Almond Oil (this keeps the pump lubricated and working well. Don’t add too much olive oil or you’ll end up with residue).

Step 4. If you are adding (optional) essential oils, add them now.

Step 5. Replace the dispenser pump top (over the sink in case of overflow) and shake.

How to Make Foaming Hand Soap with Castille Soap

Save Time–Make a Double Batch of Foaming Hand Soap

I keep a few extra foaming hand soap dispensers on hand. That way, when I run out of soap, I can make a double batch that lasts me twice as long. Remember that if your soap will not be used within a few weeks, you might achieve better results with distilled or boiled water.

Scented or Unscented Castile Soap – Variety of Scents

I prefer unscented Castile Soap, but if you prefer a scent, castile soap comes in a variety of scents, mostly made by the long-time name of Dr. Bronner Castile Soaps:

Unscented (my preference) – This way, you can leave it unscented or add your own essential oils

The Science Behind Soap–Why Castile Soap May Be Better

Is Castile Soap as Effective as Antibacterial Soap?

The short answer is yes. The longer answer is that you might be better off with old fashioned soap, like Castile soap, as the FDA takes issue with the most common ingredient in antibacterial soap–Triclosan.

From the FDA’s Article: “Antibacterial Soap? You Can Skip It, Use Plain Soap and Water”

“According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), there isn’t enough science to show that over-the-counter (OTC) antibacterial soaps are better at preventing illness than washing with plain soap and water. To date, the benefits of using antibacterial hand soap haven’t been proven. In addition, the wide use of these products over a long time has raised the question of potential negative effects on your health.”

How Regular Soap (surfactants) works versus Antibacterial Soap

From Business Insider:

“While regular soap works by mechanically removing germs from your hands, antibacterial soap contains chemicals that can kill bacteria or inhibit their growth. And apparently that old wash-off-the-germs method works just as well as the kill-them-on-contact approach.”

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Easy: How to make Foaming Hand Soap (with cheap and effective Castile Soap)