I’m always looking to find easy ways to save money on necessary items. One thing that we all need is hand soap. Bathroom sinks, kitchen sink, you get the idea and our house needs FIVE little bottles. It’s so very easy to throw one into your cart at the store, but making your own is even easier! For less than a quarter and less than one minute, you can have your own all-natural, homemade foaming hand soap. As an added bonus, this soap doesn’t dry my hands out like most other soaps do!

To begin, my soap base is Dr. Bronner’s because I find it very important to remove the dreaded “triclosan” that even the FDA has reservations about (and that’s saying something!). As of September 2013, the FDA states “Animal studies have shown that triclosan alters hormone regulation.” And “Other studies in bacteria have raised the possibility that triclosan contributes to making bacteria resistant to antibiotics.” That’s the last thing I want in my house!  This ingredient is what’s found in most antibacterial soaps.

Other Ingredients in Dial Foaming Handsoap: Water, Sodium Xylenesulfonate, Dipropylene Glycol, Glycerin, Sodium PCA, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Polyquarternium-10, Fragrance, Disodium Phosphate, Cetyl Alcohol, Propylene Glycol, Citric Acid, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Ext. Violet 2 (How many of those can you actually say?)

Ingredients in Dr. Bronner’s Unscented Baby-Mild Soap: Water, Organic Coconut Oil, Potassium Hydroxide (none of which remains after saponifying oils into soap and glycerin), Organic Olive Oil, Organic Fair Deal Hemp Oil, Organic Jojoba Oil, Citric Acid, Tocopherol.

The two from the Dr. Bronner’s that are red-flags are: “Potassium Hydroxide” and “Tocopherol.” Potassium Hydroxide is potash or lye, none of which remains after saponifying oils into soap. And what exactly is “saponifying?” Saponifying is the process that hydrolyze (a fat) with alkali to form a soap and glycerol (source). And Tocopherol is essentially a naturally occurring Vitamin E. Now that I understand all of the ingredients, I am comfortable using that soap with my family.

Here’s what you need:

  • 1 Cup Water (I used filtered from my fridge)
  • 1 Tablespoon Dr. Bronner’s Soap (I like the unscented baby mild, you can then scent yourself with essential oils, if you want to)
  • Foaming Soap Dispenser (I bought mine at Wal-Mart. The Equate brand was the cheapest at $1.58, followed by the Dial brand at $1.88)
  • Optional-5 drops essential oil (such as lavender or tea tree oil)
  • Optional-Sticky Label to label your soap

Here’s what you do:

  1. Empty your foaming soap dispenser. (While I know it’s not ideal to just pour it down the drain, I know that I can use the same dispensers over and over, thus minimizing the amount being thrown away).
  2. Note the “fill line” found on your bottle (see picture).
  3. Fill mostly to the top with water (my container used less than one cup)
  4. Add 1 Tablespoon of Dr. Bronner’s to the bottle (You want a 1 cup water to 1 Tablespoon Dr. Bronner’s). I used slightly less than 1 Tablespoon since I used slightly less than 1 cup of water.
  5. Add 5 drops of your favorite Essential Oil (optional).
  6. Gently swish the mixture together.
  7. Add the top and give it a few pumps to get the soap going.
  8. Enjoy washing your hands!

For those who love the cost breakdown (like I do!):

1-32 oz bottle of Dr. Bronner’s Peppermint Soap on Amazon is $15.35

32 fl oz = 64 Tablespoons

$15.35/64=$0.2398 so $0.24 per bottle of all natural, foaming hand soap.

Enjoy!