How to Make Natural Hand Soap for Your Home
Hey there, chickadee! Happy Tuesday, I hope you are having a wonderful week!
I don’t know about you, but with all of these plastics and fragrance products our society uses, I really want to clean up my home and make sure the products I’m using are the best option for my husband and me.
Why do I say fragrance in particular?
Some companies will try to hide ingredients in their fragrance formula since this can be patented. In other words, if there is anything you are allergic to or don’t want in your home, stay far away from any item that lists “fragrance” in their ingredients because you’ll never know for sure what’s in it. And you would be surprised at how many products list “fragrance” in their ingredients. Always read the label.
One product I’ve been thinking about changing lately is our hand soap. I’ve always used Bath & Body Works hand soap since that’s what my mom and grandma have always used and they have a million scents to choose from. However, my mom and I both get incredibly dry hands through the winter time to the point where they crack and bleed and my husband suspects it’s because of the hand soap.
I’m not sure what the culprit is, but there’s only one way to find out…by changing the hand soap! Getting a hand soap that is fragrance free is a great bonus.
I’ve seen recipes on Pinterest that use Castile soap and thought I’d give that a try since it’s a vegetable-based soap that has no chemicals, synthetic ingredients, or animal products. I didn’t realize how versatile the soap is until picking it up at the store and reading the label.
Make it stand out
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
For instance, it can be used for dish soap and I would never have guessed that. I guess I’m so conditioned by ads on TV to think I need dish soap only instead of plain old soap.
This might be a future endeavor to see what else I can use Castile soap for, but for now let’s make some hand soap.
I purchased the castile soap for $17.20 (including tax) and only used a little over a fifth of the total bottle. That means I’m filling one soap bottle for about $2. That’s a huge money saver when compared to Bath & Body Works.
You can also probably get the castile soap cheaper on Amazon. I purchased mine at Target since I wanted to smell all the scents first.
What You’ll Need:
Towel (for spills)
Water
Directions:
First, choose your Castile soap scent. We didn’t want to buy several products to start, so my husband and I chose one scent to start.
We went with citrus and it smells wonderful for the springtime. It smelled almost overwhelming in the store when we were sniffing all the bottles, but once it was diluted with water in the bottle, it was perfect.
Now that I know this works and I love the hand soap, I’ll probably pick a different scent for the bathroom. I’m thinking eucalyptus or almond.
I love lavender, but I recently read that lavender is one item that can potentially be harmful to men’s fertility, so this is one scent I probably won’t be trying.
Since I wanted a soap bottle for my bathroom sink and kitchen sink, I purchased these foaming hand dispensers in clear/brushed. I wanted something that would match the faucet in the bathroom a little more, so the brushed seemed to be the way to go.
The directions that came with the glass soap dispenser said to use 1 part soap, 5 parts water. The recipe I had found on Pinterest said to use 1 part soap, 4 parts water. And the Castile bottle says to use 1 part soap, 3 parts water. I went with the recipe on the Castile bottle assuming they know their product the best. I’m also a heavy pourer, so it might have been a little more than a fourth of the soap dispenser.
Once you’ve added your soap, fill the rest with water. DO NOT fill all the way to the top of your container! The foaming pump needs quite a bit of room. I overflowed both of my bottles, so be sure to screw the pump on over a sink and have some towels within arms reach.
You now have a beautiful, elegant hand soap to sit on your sink and you know it’s safe for your family.
Remember, this is just one step to a healthier home. Another great product I love is vinegar! This is all I clean my kitchen counter with since it’s not only sanitizing, it’s also food safe so if you have little ones who like to taste test anything and everything, you know they’re not consuming harsh chemicals.
What are your favorite healthy cleaning alternatives? Let me know in the comments below!
