Homemade Liquid Hand Soap

Yet another item to replace in my home!!! I was running out of hand soap. You know, the expensive ones you buy at that store in the mall and you walk out with a headache and a dent in your bank account?? So I opted for making my own.

I can do without exposing my family to all those harmful chemicals, colorants and perfumes anyways. They aren't necessary in cleaning our hands..And I'm beginning to think all those perfumes are just brain washing us into thinking we are more clean if we smell like we were dipped in applesauce or peach puree...



There are two ways you can make your own liquid hand soap. The first one (which I don't have pictures for...I'll explain.) also applies to making your own body wash.

Ingredients:

1 bar of soap (any of your choosing, I recommend Dr. Bronners)
1 gallon of water
2 T of glycerine

Grate the whole bar of soap and place it in a big pot. Add gallon of water and glycerine and heat on stove, stirring, until all soap has dissolved. Let cool and set for a few hours to gain a thick consistency. Pour into empty pump containers (depending on if your using it as a hand soap or body wash.).  Since this makes such a large amount you can store the rest in large canning jars, give out as gifts, or cut the measurements to fit your needs.


I have used this method to make a body wash out of regular Dove soap (long before I decided to convert to green living). Worked great! My next project is making my OWN homemade unscented soap, using this same process to make it a liquid, and adding my own essential oils for smelly goodness (Which is why there are no pictures. Soon enough though my friends!).

If you want to use a natural soap (but don't want to make your own) you can use Dr. Bronners or any handmade soap from your local farmers market. If you use homemade soap there is no need to add glycerine as the soap already makes it's own natural glycerine.

This next recipe uses the ingredients you see to the left.

1 c of distilled water
1/4 c of liquid castile soap
1 tsp of glycerine

Pour all ingredients into a pump dispenser and shake until well mixed. You can also add any essential oils you choose. 

Since you are not heating up this recipe it is wise to consider using distilled or filtered water. Tap water can harbor bacteria which will contaminate all your hardwork!! If you don't have filtered water or distilled, you can always boil your tap water to make it sterile. 

I found that this recipe makes a very runny hand soap. Luckily I have some of those handy foam pumps that I was able to re-purpose. Turns out, it is the pump mechanism that makes the soap foamy, not the soap itself!! Works for us!!!  And it makes your hands oh-so-soft :)

Are you going green??? I'd love to hear your stories!!
 If you have any recipes you like to share, please feel free. I might host a "reader's choice of the month" if I have enough participates. Who knows, in the future, there might even be chances to win prizes!!