DIY All-Natural Rich & Creamy Moisturizing Hand Soap
Body DIY DIY Skincare & Beauty Natural DIY
Want to know a super-crunchy secret? I bring my own hand soap to work.
I’m telling you this because I figure if there’s anyone out there who won’t judge me, it’ll be someone looking for a DIY all-natural hand soap recipe 🙂
Sup, sister?
Now, it’s not just about triclosan and body burden. I mean, yes, it’s 95% about those things. But the other 5% is all about vanity — harsh antibacterial soaps really dry my hands out! I like to look down at my hands and not momentarily panic that I’ve somehow Freaky-Fridayed with a 95-year-old, thank you very much.
I’m sure you agree that hand soap must be moisturizing.
If you’ve hung around these parts for awhile now, maybe you’ve happened by my DIY antibacterial & moisturizing all-natural foaming hand soap recipe. It’s a good one.
But not everyone is into the foaming action. Or maybe you have a lovely liquid hand soap dispenser that goes super well with your bathroom. So I figured it was time for another option. Because good interior design is not to be messed with.
This DIY all-natural moisturizing hand soap is sooooo rich and creamy.
Now for awhile, I was simply mixing castile soap with water and putting it in my regular soap dispenser. But it’s way too watery. This recipe has a nice thick consistency and seems more like a “normal” hand soap. Plus unlike my foaming DIY hand soap, the ingredients in this recipe will not separate.
Ingredients:
- ½ cup water (filtered or previously boiled and now cooled to room temperature)
- ¼ cup castile soap
- 2 tbs carrier oil of choice (I like almond oil as a body moisturizer, so that’s what I used and suggest)
- 1 LEVEL teaspoon guar gum (if you add too much, your soap will be too thick)
- 15 drops essential oil of choice
NOTE: I like to make and suggest making smallish batches like this in case there is any bacteria growth. Yes, the essential oils will help preserve the soap, but better to be safe than sorry!
Directions:
Measure your carrier oil and put it in a small bowl. Stir in the guar gum until it is an even consistency. This is an important step: guar gum mixes really well with oil, but not so much with water or castile soap. So if you simply mix everything together at once, you’ll end up with a chunky mess. I warned ya!
Mix the water, castile soap, and essential oils together. Add in the carrier oil with the guar gum and continue stirring. After a minute or so, you should notice the mixture thicken considerably into a gel. Congrats! You now have a DIY all-natural rich & creamy moisturizing hand soap — pat yourself on the back while saying “I’m so clever.”
Hi Nadia,
This recipe looks amazing and I can’t wait to make it for my daughter and family for the holidays! (Yes, Halloween is over and it’s time to get started!)
My question as a mom and teacher: do you have any concerns with having your children use nut oils daily? I am so afraid if me or my daughter have this residue on our hands, or if a friend comes over to play, and we end up causing anaphylactic shock. I am so afraid of this!
What would be your nut-free carrier oil of choice? I read your other blog post – would it be avocado oil? Also, is it possible to get away with using scented Dr. Bronners and skipping the EO’s?
Thanks so much! Your super-detailed posts are amazing!
Hello! I’ve been searching for a recipe that isn’t so watery! Quick question.. what would you say the shelf life on this is if you had to guess?
Perhaps a funnel will help? Also, I typically add the water + soap to the soap dispenser, then pour in the oil + guar gum, cover the top of the bottle just with my hand and give it a good shake. This could solve your problem!
I love the texture and suddsing of this hand soap, but I find it very difficult to transfer in to a hand soap container. Any tricks to doing this?
I’ve been using your recipe for about a year now and really like it. And we’ve always been an expensive soap kind of house. But yours never dries out my hands and smells wonderful. I use Dr Bronner’s Lavender Castile as a base and xanthan gum instead of guar bc that’s what we have around.
Hey, Christine! That’s one level teaspoon – more or less can make for a bad consistency!
Nadia,
Where did you get that lovely & beautiful hand soap dispenser? Do you have a link to it? I would love to purchase a few of those for the house.
Hope to hear from you soon!
I just used your recipe for the first time and the consistency is great! I tripled it because I have five kids and we wash hands A LOT around here. 😉 A triple recipe filled two of my glass soap dispensers. I used Young Living grapefruit EO, 45 drops, but I can hardly smell it at all. Either the Dr. Bronner’s or the almond oil overpowers it (I used the exact same castile and almond oil pictured in your how-to). Is there another scent that would cover the soap/almond smell better? Thank you!
I love this post! And I bring my own doterra hand sanitizer to work with me Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Nadia,
Thank you so much for sharing this! I bought all the ingredients for the hand soap, and I can’t wait to make this today! Quick question – what do you mean by “one level” of guar gum? I’m a newbie, so I’m confused :-p
Just made this and it’s lovely and thick.
Don’t try gelatin, it’s doesn’t work
try adding a drop of grapefruit seed extract as a preservative to avoid bacteria growth. Works great! I’ve been making my own disposable wipes for years and without the GSE there would eventually be mold in the wipes; with the GSE there is none.
I would use it, yes, for the sake of keeping bacteria at bay.
If I use castile soap with that already has lavender, coconut, olive, hemp, and jojoba oils in it should I still use the essential oil in the recipe?
Hi!
I just tried this recipe today, and my husband and I love it! We are trying to live chemical-free one small step at a time. And this is one of our first steps! Thanks for the detailed instructions. I’m excited to try more of your recipes!
-Audrey
I can’t tell you how much I love this recipe!
I have made some variation of it for just about all of my needs: hand soap, body wash, shaving lotion, shampoo, and even dish soap! I just use different essential oils depending on the use, and I sometimes slightly vary ingredients as well.
I have always used xanthan gum instead of guar gum because it is what I had on hand, so that might be helpful for those asking about a substitute.
I have also added vegetable glycerin to the recipe for increased lather.
I can’t thank you enough for sharing this recipe, and whenever I give others the recipe (lots of people ask on social media groups) I always make sure to let them know I found it here!
Hi, Shelly! So happy to have you as a new reader 🙂 Well I’ve only ever made the recipe with the guar gum and so have no idea what could be subbed for it, or in what amounts. Here is an alternative though: DIY antibacterial & moisturizing all-natural foaming handsoap
I am binge-reading your blog right now! I’m so excited to try some of your recipes, especially for the facial cleanser and oils… As a 30-year-old with acne, I’m desperate! I’ve tried everything under the sun for so many years now, my poor skin is exhausted. As I get ready to buy ingredients for everything, I’m trying to minimize my initial investment as much as I can. Can you recommend a different thickener? Would it cause any problems with the integrity of the product if I used xanthan gum instead? Thank you!
LOL glad you found your answer!
And thank YOU! It always makes me so happy to hear from happy readers 🙂
Me again, it’s midnight here, and thus I’m a little lazier and sleep-drunk apparently, ignore the dumb question I just posted, but still thank you!