Washing your hands thoroughly for at least 20 seconds (warm water) is ALWAYS the best way to go! Much healthier and easier on the skin than harsh, drying hand sanitizer. That being said, sometimes you are on the go and simply can’t wash your hands at that moment. For those cases you can try my non-toxic Aloe Vera, Silver, H2O2, Hand Sanitizer recipe, which contains natural ingredients over abrasive isopropyl alcohol.

At home, however, I love to have a 100% natural foaming hand soap available for my kids and guests. The downside, as you may have noticed, is the cost of natural hand soap is fairly high – and kids go through this stuff really fast!! So here’s my hack…

I purchased a 100% natural foaming hand soap in a really sturdy dispenser, with a lid that unscrewed. Now I had my good quality foamy soap dispenser for my ongoing use, without having to special order it.

Next, I purchased a large bottle of Dr. Bronner’s Liquid Castile Soap in either Lavender or Rose (my favorites – although their Peppermint is also really good). Dr. Bronner’s is very reasonably priced and available at almost every natural grocery or health store. Next, here’s the super easy recipe:

Dr. Bronner’s Foaming Hand Soap

  • 2/3 cup cold water
  • 1/3 cup Dr. Bronner’s Castile Soap (already scented with essential oil of Lavender, Rose, Peppermint, etc)

1. Add the cold water to the dispenser first, then add the castile soap (this way it won’t foam up so much as you’re pouring it in).

2. Screw the pump lid onto the dispenser and shake/rotate gently to mix. Voila! Done. Could it be any more simple?

Note: If your dispenser doesn’t fit 1 cup of liquid and you don’t want to store leftovers, then the formula is: 2 parts castile soap to 6 parts water.

This recipe works every time and the soap mixture is a fluffy, velvety texture that feels like your hands are getting a really good clean – plus it smells great! This soap recipe will last a long time, so you don’t need to worry about it degrading if it’s not used quickly. I couldn’t find any data on it, but I would guess it would be good for at least 6 months.

If you search recipes for foaming hand soap online, you’ll notice that many call for way less castile soap – some recommend 2 tbsp castile to 1 cup of water. However, I like to use more castile for a better scrub and I feel it’s also why this formula will preserve well. If you want to try this lighter soap, then add some Vitamin E oil and use the Lavender or Peppermint Dr. Bronners, along with some Eucalyptus essential oil as these things will help to prevent your soap from going off over time. Of course, if you’re going to use it within a month, then no worries – just the castile and water should be fine.