Homemade Hand Soap!

This week I am going to share how to make two different, easy, and affordable hand soaps. I would like say a BIG thank you to Shannon from Green Mommy Diapers for submitting the first request for a particular blog subject! I had a lot of fun making these soaps and it was super easy. So if you are wanting to make one of these recipes, know that anyone can do it. Not only can you use these soaps in your home, they also make great gifts!


Lemon Hand Soap:

1 cup of Dr. Bonners Unscented Mild Liquid Pure Castile Soap
1 1/2 Cups of Water
25 drops of Lemon Oil
Soap Dispenser

Awhile back I went in search for hand and dish soaps that I could use in the kitchen or bathroom. As I have stated before, I look at the recipes ingredient list to see what I already have in my home and can use for other homemade products! In the long haul this makes my homemade products even cheaper than they already are, because I can buy the ingredients in larger quantities and use them for more things. So I chose a recipe and was excited to make it and try it out. However, when I went to try it out, it was way too soapy. I had to wash my hands twice as long to get all the soap off. Because of this, its consistency was off and too thick. So after experimenting and changing amounts of ingredients, I finally found the perfect consistency for a hand soap. Yeah! The right amount of soap to wash your hands and not too thick! Also, another plus for this particular soap is that it is very easy and quick to make. It literally takes less than 5 minutes for everything. All you do it mix the ingredients and pour into your soap dispenser!

Homemade Liquid Hand Soap Made From Your Favorite Bar of Soap:

8 oz Bar of Soap
2 tbsp Glycerin
1 Gallon Water
Cheese Grater
Soap Dispenser

I learned of this popular recipe from a friend. Thank you Katie for sharing this recipe with all of us!

Here is how....

First, gather all your supplies...

Then, grate an 8 ounce bar of soap with the cheese grater. 

You can choose your favorite soap, however glycerin soaps might not work with this recipe. I used an oatmeal 8 ounce bar of soap. Also, I have a cheese grater that I use for making this soap and other household projects. It is not the same one I use on my food. I bought this one cheap at our local Dollar Deals and it works great.

Next, pour the soap shavings and glycerin in a family size soup pot...

Then pour in some, but not all, of the water and heat on medium high until all the soap in melted.

 When the soap is melted, pour in the remaining water and mix well.

Set the soup pot aside, turn off the heat, and let it sit for ten to twelve hours, stirring occasionally. It will usually start to thicken around three to four hours.

Personally, I made it a couple hours before I went to bed. I stirred it a couple times before I went to sleep and then let it set until the next morning. I stirred in one more time in the morning really well. If after ten to twelve hours the soap mixture is thicker than you want, then add more water and stir or blend. If the soap mixture is to thin (My friends who have done this as well have not had this problem at all. They find it is too thick in a few cases more than too thin) reheat the mixture, add more soap shavings, and let it set ten to twelve hours again. Using different soaps is what makes the consistency different. I found that the mixture I made was great!

Finally, I poured some of the hand soap into the soap dispenser and the rest into a container for future use!

Another great thing about this specific soap recipe is that it doesn't only have to be used as hand soap. You can switch out the different bar of soap for another that you use in your bath and make body wash. I have also read that some people use Fels Naptha Soap in this recipe and use it as a dish soap. So there are lots of ways this recipe can be used. Be creative!