DIY Foaming Hand Soap With Essential Oils

Learn how to make DIY foaming hand soap with essential oils. It’s incredibly easy to do and will save money versus buying foaming hand soap at the store!

There’s just something fun about using foaming soap. My kids will wash their hands much more frequently just to see the foam shoot out of the soap dispenser. In fact, they’ll wash their hands so often that they go through bottles of foaming soap.

And if you buy it, you know just how expensive it is (especially if you have kids flying through your supply!).

Well, I have good news for you! You can stop wasting your money on buying more foaming hand soap when you run out. I have a recipe for DIY foaming hand soap so you can easily make your own and even reuse the plastic bottle you already have! 

This recipe is a cinch to make, and it’s nice to know exactly what ingredients your family is using. If you’ve tried making my homemade all-purpose cleaner or all-natural kids’ shampoo, you’ll be pleased to know that this recipe is just as easy to whip up.

I did some experimenting with adding essential oils to this version of DIY foaming hand soap, and we now have a new family favorite!

This project is simple to put together and makes a great gift for any occasion. I often add a couple of these into care packages for friends, family, and teachers as we head into the cooler months.

Erika Bragdon is a Certified Essential Oil Coach from the Essential Oil Institute.

Quick Homemade Foaming Hand Soap

One must-have tool in my tool belt when the sniffles come around is this DIY foaming hand soap recipe. It is one of my favorite things to put together, as it only takes minutes to do! 

Plus, the supply list is short (and affordable). You likely have a lot of the ingredients at home too! You just need some essential oils, a foaming soap bottle, and castile soap.

Which essential oils should I use in DIY foaming hand soap?

In this DIY project, I’m showing you how to make foaming hand soap that is formulated to get as many health-boosting properties in as we can.

The custom blend of oils for this recipe may seem like ones you’d reach for in the fall, but I honestly love the scent of these essential oils year-round.

Not only do these oils smell fantastic, but they may have additional properties too. This blend of oils is similar to popular blends like Thieves that you may already be familiar with. Here’s a bit about each oil in this recipe:

• Cinnamon Bark – this oil provides a soothing, spicy aroma while gently warming skin.
• Eucalyptus – has a crisp, woodsy scent that can help center and clear the mind.
• Rosemary – this is one of my favorite scents! Not only does it smell like the fragrant herb, but it’s excellent for energizing and improving focus and mental clarity.
• Lemon – bright, refreshing, and energizing—this scent just smells clean. It’s a wizard at removing sticky residue, which is an added bonus if you are using this for young kids. 😉
• Clove Bud – this is another warming oil that helps to uplift and creates a nice warming sensation.

That being said, you can also swap out the above and just use this immune-supporting oil blend instead.

Of course, you can easily swap out any oil you have on hand. Less is more when it comes to oils, particularly when you are putting them on your skin.

Which essential oil brand is best?

For the best results, I recommend using a high-quality essential oil brand that offers 100% pure oils as well as third-party quality control testing. Learn how to choose essential oils that work for you and your family (beyond the brand.)

My favorite essential oil company is Rocky Mountain Oils, followed by Eden’s Garden and Ancient Apothecary by Dr. Axe.

Please read my Essential Oil Common Sense Safety page before using this essential oil recipe. 

How To Make DIY Foaming Hand Soap

Making this soap is so simple. I usually do a batch of 5 or 6 at a time. That way, I can stash a few extras in each bathroom under the sink. With multiple kids, hand soap is the one thing we do not want to run out of!

Materials You’ll Need To Make DIY Foaming Hand Soap

• Dr. Bronner’s Liquid Castile Soap, unscented – This 32 oz bottle will make enough batches of foaming hand soap to probably last you a year or more!
• Cinnamon Bark, Eucalyptus, Rosemary, Lemon, and Clove Bud Essential Oils – use 5 drops of each, or you could even use 25 drops of this Immune Strength Blend.
• Vegetable Glycerin – This is optional but provides a thicker, smoother texture.
• Foaming Hand Soap Dispenser – You can purchase one on Amazon or just reuse an old foaming soap bottle you may have at home.

Step-By-Step Instructions

Start by getting your new empty foaming hand soap bottle, or rinse out and dry one to reuse from a previous store-bought foaming hand soap. 

Next, fill the foaming soap dispenser with 1/4 cup of castile soap. Depending on how wide the mouth of the bottle is, you may need to use a measuring cup with a spout or a funnel to avoid spilling any.

Then, you will want to add 5 drops each of cinnamon, rosemary, clove, eucalyptus, and lemon essential oils.  

Or, as I mentioned above, you could use 25 drops of Immune Strength Blend if you have this instead of the individual oils.

You can also add 1 tsp of glycerin to give your soap a thicker, smoother texture. If you have some on hand, go ahead and add it to your bottle. The soap recipe works fine without it, but you’ll get much better results if you add it in.

My 4-year-old daughter wanted to be the “tester” of our germ-fighting soap. Success!

So moms, let’s do all we can this season to keep our families healthy so we can avoid needed extra tissue boxes around our house!

Also, since this is so easy to make, I recommend filling a few foaming soap pumps up at once, so you can have them at multiple sinks in your house.

DIY Foaming Hand Soap FAQs

Here are a few questions I see readers frequently ask about making foaming hand soap. If you don’t see your question answered below, please leave it in the comments!

What can I substitute for the Castille soap in this recipe?

If you don’t have castile soap on hand, I have had good success with using Seventh Generation Dish Liquid. Water it down with a 1:1 ratio and use it as directed in this recipe.

Can you turn liquid hand soap into foaming hand soap?

While I haven’t tried it myself, I have seen many people turn their liquid hand soap into foaming hand soap. They use a similar process of watering down the soap that I mentioned above for when I use my dish soap to make DIY foaming hand soap.

In my research, I have seen some people water liquid soap down to a 1:1 ratio while others water theirs down even more until it’s 1 part soap to 4 parts water. If you want to turn your liquid soap into foaming hand soap, play around with the ratios a little to find what works best for you.

Is homemade foaming hand soap effective?

From what I have read in studies, non-foaming liquid soap is slightly more effective at killing germs. However, DIY foaming hand soap is more affordable, more fun for the kids, and saves water. The addition of these essential oils makes this homemade foaming hand soap a powerful option!

Why aren’t there any carrier oils in this recipe?

If you search around for recipes to make your own foaming hand soap, you’ll likely find a few that include carrier oils (fractionated coconut oil, olive oil, jojoba oil, grapeseed oil, etc.) I don’t include any of those in this recipe because I don’t think they’re necessary, and carrier oils can cause your pump to “stick.”

DIY Foaming Hand Soap Makes An Easy Teacher Gift Idea

If you are looking for a practical DIY gift to give a teacher this time of year, make up this germ-fighting soap for a classroom! Then, you can add some other DIY pampering items for your teacher as well, like a peppermint foot lotion or lavender foot soak!

More Essential Oil DIYs

Are you looking for more ways to keep you and your household clean? Check out these other hand soap recipes and other DIY cleaning product recipes using essential oils: 

• Pumpkin Spice Liquid Foaming Hand Soap
• Homemade Liquid Foaming Hand Soap
• Melt & Pour Lavender Goat Milk Soap Bars
• All-Natural Homemade Cleaner with Castile Soap
• Natural Homemade Shampoo for Kids