DIY Foaming Hand Soap with Essential Oils

Using more natural products around the home can be expensive, but this DIY foaming hand soap with essential oils is the cheapest and best way to transform some of the products in your home.

Natural cleaning products?

If you are someone who is interested in eliminating toxins in your home, cleaning products is one place to start. However, if you have ventured down this trail before you know this isn’t something for faint of heart, nor for the person on a budget.

When I was at the beginning of my journey exploring more natural cleaning products, I cringed at the price of them. When you are on a budget you either have the money or you don’t. It’s as simple as that.

I felt torn between choosing health for me and my family, or choosing to be true to our budget. Which one was it going to be? Well, almost always, but wallet wins. After all, if you don’t have the money, you don’t have the money. Wise Finances 101.

This desire to save money and transform our home to more natural products drove me to do some long term analyzing.

Is DIY really better?

One way to save money, just like food, is to make it yourself. I came of age in the DIY generation. When the recession hit in 2008, everyone got crafty. “Necessity breeds creativity” right? Or maybe enginuity in the DIY case.

The DIY life caught on and is still a thriving concept today. However, not everything that is DIY is necessarily cheaper. I knew this and so was skeptical of making my own homemade products.

For example, one of the cleaner soaps out there is called Dr. Bronner’s Castile Soap. Sustainable, organic, all purpose soap, cruelty free, etc. One of the best things to have in your household if you want to go “all natural” in the cleaning product (and even bath product) arena. However, the initial price seems a bit much for someone who is wanting to save money.

At Target Dr. Bronner’s Peppermint Castile Soap goes for about $15.99 for a 32 oz. container. When you are on a shoestring budget, $15.99 sees like a big commitment. I felt this enormasly when my husband and I first got married. So I decided to do some long term analysis.

I wrote down a few products that I was wanting to switch to and the price. When I had the money I went out and bought them. Then, I wrote down the date I bought it, and then I wrote down the date I used it all up. With the Dr. Bronner’s Soap, I wanted to see if $15.99 for a container of the amazing soap really would be cheaper in the long run.

As you will see in my DIY Soap recipe below with the amount of soap used, the cost per DIY product made ends up being dimes per product. So is the price tag worth it, and will it save you money in the long run? YES!

DIY foaming hand soap formula

One thing to know about making DIY foaming soap is that you need a foaming soap container (the pump mainly). If you are someone who is not watching every penny you can purchase them off of Amazon. If you are on that adorable shoestring budget, you can do what I did. Next time you are at the store, purchase a regular old, foaming hand soap (like from Dial, Softsoap etc). Once it is all used up, clean out the container, remove the label, and taaa-daa! You have a foaming hand soap container!

Things needed for a this DIY foaming hand soap:

• Foaming hand soap container
• Dr. Bronner’s Castile Soap
• Favorite essential oils
• Water

** Budget Tip: This can be made without essential oils. Essential oils are not cheap, at least not the purests ones. I typically use the Target or Whole Foods brand essential oils, but have collected a few top grade ones over the years. Again, if you don’t have the money for the purest brands of essential oils… don’t buy them.

Dr. Bronner’s Castile Soap has a few flavors. Peppermint, lavender, lemon and then an unscented one. For the household products I usually use the unscented one so I can add my own scents to them with the essential oils. But if you aren’t going to invest in the essential oils, those scents are great!

How to:

1. Fill your empty soap container about 1/4 of the way with soap.
2. Drop in your essential oils blend of choice. I have a few essential oil blends for each season below if you want some inspiration.

1. Top off the rest of the bottle with water.
2. Put the pump in, prime it up, and enjoy!

Essential Oil blends for each season

Since at the time of writing this we are in a beautiful fall season, I will start with a fall blend. This is the blend I used when making it for the pictures in this post.

• Thieves
• Orange
• Vetiver

** Used with Dr. Bronner’s Peppermint Castile Soap

Winter Essential Oil Blend

• Eucalyptus
• Peppermint
• Orange

Spring Essential Oil Blend

• Lavender
• Bergmot
• Lemon

Summer Essential Oil Blend

• Lemon
• Tea Tree
• Eucalyptus
• Lavender

If you would like to save this recipe, here is a printable How-To Card

Have you made any of your own cleaning products before? If so, what is your favorite?