Foaming Hand Soap

Anyone else use something and think "ugh, I can make this"... Yup that's become more and more as I have gotten into doing more and more things. Foaming hand soap is so simple to make and adding a little avocado oil (anyone with latex allergies should patch test or not use avocado oil due to a potential reaction) helps to add some moisturizing properties to this soap, which I wanted since we wash our hands a lot. 

With a few simple ingredients this soap has been a favorite. I love changing up the scents as the seasons change also. I make a big batch (I quadrupled this last one I did today) so that I can refill all my soaps all at once. Today I did peppermint and grapefruit because my hubby wanted some with those scents but within the next couple weeks I will switch over to OnGuard as the oils used so we can help to ensure we have some good old fashioned germ fighting and a nice scent to go along with Christmas coming up. First I need to go get some unscented Dr. Bronner's though because I ran out. So peppermint and grapefruit it is for now. 

While I use Avocado oil in this mix I would say that you could use another heavier oil in place of that. Lanolin may be a good substitute although I haven't tried that as of yet. This really is simple to make and you can either buy empty foaming hand soap bottles (which tends to be expensive) or just buy a bottle and use up the contents (or I have even found some cheaper than I found online that was clearances out at the end of a season) and save the bottles to refill with homemade stuff. Most of the bottles I have are store bought EO brand or some other kind that I had around (ugh I will admit I got a couple clearance brands, under a dollar, that I didn't want the contents so I just dumped it because it was cheaper than buying empty bottles). 

Now that I got that off my chest here is the refill mix...

½ cup distilled water

¼ cup liquid castile soap ( I use Dr. Bronner's)
2 tsp avocado oil
1/8 tsp peppermint essential oil
1/8 tsp melaleuca/tea tree essential oil (optional, I tend to only use if I am not using antibacterial oils)
1 tsp vegetable glycerin
10 – 15 drops of essential oils

Some combos I have used are;

• Lavender Dr. Bronner's and peppermint EO
• Unscented Dr. Bronner's and OnGuard
• Unscented Dr. Bronner's and Tea tree/Melaleuca for my son's face
• Lavender Dr. Bronner's and eucalyptus EO
• Unscented Dr. Bronner's and about 10 drops Cinnamon and 5 Clove

Put the above ingredients in a bowl and mix. I then pour into a measuring cup that has a pouring lip and pour into my dispensers. You can easily make a bigger batch of this recipe. You should be able to find all of these ingredients at your local health foods store or they are easily found online. 

Disclaimer: Please understand that this information is for educational purposes only. I am a mom, I am not a doctor, I enjoy passing on the knowledge I have learned in doing these types of projects and through my research. The statements made here have not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration and they are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure or prevent any disease. Don’t take my word for it…you should always engage conventional wisdom and consult with your medical professional to determine potential drug interactions and safety of use. Always when using essential oils for a medical condition or if on prescribed or over the counter drugs, seek advice from a medical professional (DR./PA/NP/Naturopath/pharmacist) on whether the oils will cause potential adverse reactions. 

These practices are what work for me and my family, if you chose to take and use them I encourage you take my research and do some of your own prior to using the tips I give. While I do a lot of research when putting these posts out it generally fits into what I would do with and for my family. If you have specific issues, allergies or conditions these practices may not work or may be detrimental to what you are intending to do for yourself. Again, I encourage wisdom and discussions with your healthcare provider to determine safe use of all posts that I provide that can be used for health reasons.