Homemade Foaming Hand Soap Recipe With Grapefruit and Tea Tree

Are you looking for a safe, non-toxic hand soap recipe? This easy homemade foaming hand soap recipe is non-toxic, gentle and effective. Plus, it’s inexpensive and will only take you two minutes to make at home!

I don’t know about you, but store-bought hand soaps can be so fragrant it makes my head hurt sometimes. On top of that, the majority are just a concoction of toxic ingredients that can wreak havoc on your body and health!

I think many people forget that their hands are also exposed to all kinds of chemicals every day.

The skin on your hands is porous, meaning that chemicals and particles can travel in and out through the barrier and into your bloodstream. What you put on your skin is super important to your body’s health and wellness.

With cold and flu season around the corner, washing your hands is the most important thing you can do to avoid getting sick. Why not do it with a safe, natural hand soap this year?

What if I told you that you could make your very own homemade foaming hand soap? One that works great and is safe and non-toxic, would you be interested?

This super easy DIY foaming hand soap recipe only uses five natural ingredients and takes two minutes to make. And the best part is it’s non-toxic and effective at washing your hands, helping your family stay healthy all year long!

If you’re unsure if homemade natural hand soap is for you, let’s first talk about some ingredients in store-bought hand soaps that you should avoid.

Ingredients To Avoid In Hand Soap

The sad reality is that many of the soaps that line the shelves in stores today are actually just concoctions of toxic chemicals.

What’s worse is that there’s really no formal regulation for ingredients in personal care products, and that’s how harmful ingredients come into play.

Even if you don’t try this easy homemade foaming hand soap recipe, here are some ingredients you should watch out for when buying chemical-free, natural hand soap.

Parabens

Parabens are preservatives that are added to the majority of personal care products, including hand soaps.

They’re harmful to health because they mimic the behaviour of estrogen in the body and have been associated with developmental toxicity, endocrine disruption, and cancer.

If you see any ingredient ending with -paraben, consider skipping it!

Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES)

I’m sure you’ve heard of SLES before, especially with companies removing it from their shampoos and conditioners. But it’s also present in many hand soaps.

Sodium laureth sulfate makes products foam; it acts as an emulsifier and surfactant to give that lathering property when washing your hands. The health risks associated with SLES are skin, eye and lung irritation and organ system toxicity.

On top of that, during the processing process, a compound called 1-4 dioxane can contaminate the already harmful ingredient. 1-4 dioxane has been linked with cancers and is officially listed as a known carcinogen.

Fragrances

Synthetic fragrances are everywhere these days, and especially in soaps. You know, the pumpkin spice waffle soap, vanilla or even lavender? They smell delicious, but they really aren’t delicious for your health whatsoever.

Maybe not all fragrances are 100% bad, but because there is no regulation for the fragrance industry, companies are not legally required to list what they use in their ‘fragrance’. So, you’re unable to see what ingredients were used.

But why does a nice pumpkin spice smell matter if you’re just washing your hands?

Awesome question. I thought the same thing years ago. It matters because your skin is porous, meaning that things can pass in and out through the barrier.

These fragrances (and all the ingredients they are made with) can be absorbed through your skin and into your bloodstream. They can cause serious health risks such as allergies, endocrine disruption, asthma, neurotoxicity, organ toxicity and cancer.

Synthetic fragrance doesn’t add to the effectiveness of hand soap, so ditch the fragrances and choose a safer and healthier, non-scented or natural essential oil option instead.

Methylisothiazolinone & Methylchloroisothiazolinone

The two preservatives are used in hand soaps to discourage bacterial growth. Methylisothiazolinone and methylchloroisothiazolinone have been associated with allergies and immunotoxicity, irritation of the eyes, skin and lungs, and neurotoxicity.

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So, after reading that scary list of ingredients, are you ready to give this awesome DIY hand soap a go?

4 Reasons You’ll Love This Homemade Foaming Soap Recipe

1. It’s all natural

This recipe requires only five ingredients: water, jojoba oil, essential oils and castile soap.

All of these ingredients are safe, natural and non-toxic for your health. So, you don’t have to worry about the risk of endocrine or immune disruption with this recipe.

Castile soap originates from the Castile region in Spain over half a century ago! It is a ‘natural soap’ made from plant-based oils such as olive, coconut, jojoba or hemp.

There are no other additives or chemicals such as you’d find in store-bought hand soaps.

Non-toxic, all-natural and safe. Just how we like it!

2. It’s affordable

Hand soap can get seriously expensive! It’s one of those things we use so many times a day that it always seems like you’re running out, right?

Especially if you have a family, hand soap just seems to disappear within 2 days. Before I started making my hand soap, I seriously felt like I was constantly buying hand soap at the store! Anyone else??

Store-bought soaps can be expensive, ranging anywhere from $7-40!

I also find that many ‘natural’ soap brands are quite pricey for what they are. That’s why natural remedies are so awesome! It costs about $3 to make one batch (depending on your essential oils).

3. It really cleans

Many people hesitate to try making their own DIY foaming hand soap because they think it won’t work as ‘well.’

But, I’ll let you in on a little secret… the key to effective hand-washing is not the soap or its ingredients. The single most important ingredient in good hand washing is actually the friction you use!

So, you might think that you’re getting special ingredients in store-bought soaps because of marketing, but this DIY hand soap recipe works just as well and without any harmful ingredients and the risk of health effects!

Castile soap is a powerful cleanser that helps wash away any dirt or debris.

Tea tree oil and grapefruit essential oils are both potent antimicrobial agents that help kill viruses and bacteria that may be present on the hands, which makes them a perfect addition to this DIY hand soap recipe!

4. It’ll take you less than 2 minutes to make

I’m a huge fan of natural DIY projects that are practical and easy to make.

This recipe is just that – it’s quick and mess-free. All you need is five ingredients you likely have in your natural home already and an empty foam dispensing container. You just put all ingredients in your container, close and mix.

Homemade Foaming Hand Soap Recipe

This homemade soap recipe is really easy to make. You’ll just need five ingredients and an empty foaming soap dispenser.

Makes: About 8oz or a regular-sized dispenser

Ingredients

*Note: If you have a bigger soap dispenser, 1 cup of water may not be enough. Feel free to top up as much water as you need. Your hand soap will still be foaming and will work just as well!

I bought my brown foaming soap dispensers on Amazon, and I love them! They have a brown finish, which makes them look clean and modern, and the foaming pump works great!

They also offer three different colour options so you can easily match them to your bathroom design. Plus, they come in a 2-pack, which is super convenient if you have more than one bathroom and can save time by making two hand soaps at one time.

For castile soap, I use Dr. Bronner’s unscented liquid soap. They do offer various scented versions but I prefer to use the unscented and add in my essential oil combinations.

This is also the jojoba oil I use, it’s cold-pressed, organic, and hexane-free which is incredibly important! It means that during processing, it was not contaminated with toxic chemicals.

How To Make This Homemade Foaming Hand Soap

It is so incredibly simple to make this natural foaming hand soap recipe! It’s a ‘one-dispenser’ recipe that’ll take you less than two minutes to make.

Step 1

Add all the ingredients to your empty foaming soap dispenser, close it, and shake it to combine.

Step 2

To use this homemade foaming soap, wet your hands with warm water and use 1-2 pumps. Rub your hands together and cover your hands thoroughly for about 30 seconds or as long as it takes you to sing Happy Birthday 🙂

That’s it! What did I tell ya? Super simple, right?

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is homemade foaming hand soap effective?

Yes! This homemade hand soap recipe is just as effective as store-bought soap but healthier and safer as it doesn’t expose you to all of the health risks associated with many of the ingredients used in commercial hand soaps.

This DIY hand soap is great at thoroughly washing your hands without stripping your skin of its natural oils. The added essential oils possess antibacterial properties that help kill bacteria and viruses that might be on your hands.

How long does this DIY homemade foaming hand soap last?

This homemade foam soap recipe will last for months and months. You’re bound to go through it fast! If you find that it’s been sitting for a while or just isn’t as ‘foamy’ as before, give it a good shake to mix all of the ingredients again, and you’re good to go.

Essential Oil Variations To Try:

If you’re not a huge fan of the grapefruit and tea tree blend, here are a couple of different essential oil blends to try! Mix and match or try a new one each time.

  • Rosemary + Peppermint
  • Clary sage + Frankincense
  • Orange + Peppermint
  • Grapefruit + Basil
  • Lavender + Bergamot
  • Lemon + Clove
  • Eucalyptus + Grapefruit

I hope you love this easy, homemade foaming hand soap recipe as much as I do! It’s natural, non-toxic, safe for your health and will help keep you and your family healthy all year long.

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*Tess (Organically Well) is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.