DIY Coconut Oil Natural Antimicrobial Foaming Hand Soap

Over-cleansing and over-sanitizing can take a serious toll on your skin—particularly your hands! I wash my hands a lot during the day, and I feel like it zaps the moisture from my skin. It’s incredibly easy (and inexpensive) to make your own antimicrobial foaming hand soap that will do a great job at keeping you germ-free without destroying your protective skin barrier.

Jump to:

• The Magic of Soap
• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Substitutions
• Equipment
• FAQ

The Magic of Soap

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), soap is more effective at removing certain types of germs than alcohol-based hand sanitizers [source]. You see, soap has two layers—one that’s attracted to water and one that’s attracted to fat. Meanwhile, viruses have an outer layer of protein and fat surrounding them. When viruses come in contact with soap, their fat coating gets ripped off, destroying them in the process.

Soap has also been shown to eliminate bacteria from the hands more effectively than rinsing with water alone [source]. And it doesn’t matter what kind of soap you use.

As long as it has suds, both homemade soap and store-bought work well against microbes without the need to add any additional antimicrobial agents like alcohol. Even the US Food and Drug Administration recommends leaving out the chemicals and just using soap and water [source].

Ingredients

• Castile soap — I love making my own bath and body products, so I use Castile soap for practically everything!
• Fractionated coconut oil — It keeps my hands soft and locks in moisture. But unlike regular coconut oil, it doesn’t solidify in cooler weather, so it never causes issues with my soap.
• A blend of germ-fighting essential oils adds an extra layer of antimicrobial protection without drying out hands
• Water simply dilutes your foaming hand soap, so it makes plenty of suds, and you get more bang for your buck.

Instructions

Step 1: Add Soap and Oil: Pour the liquid castile soap and your choice of oil into the foaming soap dispenser.

Step 2: Add Essential Oils: Add your chosen essential oils. This is where you can get creative!

Mix scents you enjoy or focus on the benefits you want (e.g., citrus oils for a refreshing and energizing scent). See below for more antibacterial essential oil options.

Step 3: Fill with Water

Slowly fill the dispenser the rest of the way with water. Leave enough room at the top to screw on the pump back on then swirl to combine.

Step 3: Use Frequently

Dispense a couple of pumps of soap onto your hands and wash as normal. Rinse thoroughly.

Hint: Slowly adding the water will help avoid creating a bunch of bubbles. Also, gently swirl to mix the ingredients together instead of shaking the bottle for the same reason.

Step 4: Refill

When it’s time to refill, you can just add the same proportions of ingredients directly to the bottle—no need to clean it out each time unless you want to switch scents.

Substitutions

This homemade soap doesn’t contain any of the harsh surfactants that strip your skin of moisture, so it actually nourishes the skin and helps prevent the splitting and cracking that can increase your chances of getting an infection.

Aside from the Castile soap, the ingredients are pretty interchangeable.

• Fractionated coconut oil — Adding an oil helps moisturize my hands every time I wash them, so you can substitute jojoba, rosehip, sweet almond, or any other carrier oil that stays liquid at room temperature.
• Essential oils — You can use whichever oils you like and have at home—they don’t necessarily need to be known as antibacterial (the soap does most of the heavy lifting in this recipe). But since I don’t always wash my hands as thoroughly as I should, I love the peace of mind essential oils bring.

Some antibacterial essential oil options to try:

• Peppermint - antiviral, antibacterial, and antifungal effects [source] 
• Eucalyptus - a natural germicide [source], may also help treat skin infections
• Clove - antimicrobial [source]
• Tea tree - naturally antimicrobial and antiseptic [source]
• Cinnamon leaf - antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic [source]

Note: If you have sensitive skin, use less essential oil, as some of them can be irritating. The coconut oil acts as a carrier to dilute the essential oils, but use caution as some oils can sensitize the skin over time.

Equipment

I usually save a few plastic foaming soap dispensers and repurpose them. But you can find a bunch of different options online, such as these glass foaming soap dispensers and these plastic ones.

If you don't have a foaming container, try making your own liquid hand soap.

FAQ

This post was medically reviewed by Dr. Jennifer Haley, a board-certified dermatologist with extensive experience in medical, cosmetic, and surgical dermatology. Learn more about Hello Glow’s medical reviewers here. As always, this is not personal medical advice, and we recommend that you talk with your doctor.

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