Let’s talk about hand soap for a second. Are you a foam or gel fan? I’m firmly on team foam. The pumps are usually easier for little hands, and foam just seems to rachet up the fun factor. I used to spend crazy amounts of money buying plastic pump bottles for every bathroom.
I shudder to think about the money I’ve saved since learning how crazy easy it is to make your own foaming hand soap. After learning to make my own body wash, I started to think, I should be adding those same moisturizing ingredients to hand soap. Eureka!
My body wash included honey and coconut oil. For hand soap, I went with almond oil so that things wouldn’t separate as much. Honey is a natural humectant, meaning it attracts moisture from the air, and the oil nicely counteracts the drying effects of the soap.
If you have a nut allergy, try using a different oil or even vegetable glycerin. And if you love coconut oil, try this homemade hand soap that’s also naturally antibacterial. You can also add essential oils for a bit of natural antibacterial action (here are 10 good essential oils for cleaning).
And I’ve decided it’s time to invest in a few glass soap containers. Can’t say enough good things about Rail 19. (Not an affiliate link!) The bottles aren’t cheap, but they are sturdy and I love the clean, simple design.
Honey Castile Foaming Hand Soap
Equipment
- 8 ounce pump bottle
Materials
- 1 tablespoon Castile soap
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon almond oil
- Hot water
Instructions
- Add soap, honey and oil to your hand soap bottle.
- Fill the rest of the bottle with hot water.
- Replace top and swirl ingredients to mix and combine. Don't vigorously shake - you'll just end up with a lot of bubbles.
Notes
Photos by Ana Stanciu
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Does the honey leave your skin feeling sticky? Honey and almond oil in a hand soap sounds delicious though.
You can also try Bed Bath & Beyond they have a glass dispenser on line with a silver metal looking pumper its plastic but the jar is glass so that you can add essential oils to it and it dispenses foam just bought one and I love it. it is big though.
You can also try Bed Bath & Beyond they have a glass dispenser with a silver metal looking pumper its plastic but the jar is glass so that you can add essential oils to it and it dispenses foam just bought one and I love it. it is big though.
Can you add essential oils to this recipe?
Just wondering about the size of the bottle it looks small. how much water do you add? I really like the look of this recipe and want to try it, I have really dry hands is there another oil that would be more moisturizing?
I’m itching to make this – I’ve already made the switch from several other soap/cleaning products to recipes you’ve mentioned on your site. Just wondering, where do you find attractive foaming soap pumps? I, too think foam is more fun, but can’t for the life of me find nice looking foaming pumps like the one you pictured above! I’d rather buy a prettier, longer-lasting pump than reuse a store-bought foam dispenser. Any suggestions?
Try Rail19.com – mine is a small bottle but I think they also have a larger size.
Hi, is the soap dispenser specifically a foaming one? I am trying to find the dispenser you show on the Rail 19 site and can’t seem to find one that foams. Thanks for any help.
You’re right, I can’t find it online now either – and I just bought mine like a month ago! Maybe they sold out? But before this bottle I used to reuse the plastic ones forever so that’s an option.
Thanks so much for the reply. I will keep checking the Rail 19 site.
I emailed Rail 19 and they replied that they are enhancing the pump and they expect the new foaming pumps by the end of May.
Sounds like a nice and easy recipe. How long does it keep for, and where do I find this bottle dispenser?
The soap will keep indefinitely and the bottle comes from my new favorite site, Rail19.com :)
Awesome! I bet it smells so good. I’m going to be pinning this for the Mother’s Day baskets I’m going to make for the girls at work.
I’m excited to try these but how long do they keep for? I tried a recipe once similar and it went rancid after a week or so.
The recipe should keep for several months – i’ve been using mine for a few weeks now and it’s fine!