Making Liquid Hand Soap

Part of my job description as a stay-at-home mom is to save pennies, cut costs and search for those deals and sales.  Along with that, I also feel that if I can save money by making something, I'm all for it!  Plus, it's fun!  So this time, my brilliant idea was to try some of these recipes for liquid hand soap.

In the last couple of years, I've had issues with my skin and eventually turned to using only Dove bar soap.  Dove soap is also one of the safest soaps out there and I love how it makes my skin feel. So this is what I did to make liquid hand soap.  This first recipe does not work for Dove soap.  See the second recipe below is for Dove.

What you need:

1 - 4 oz bar of soap (any kind will do)
1 gallon of water (distilled is best for longer storage)
2 TB glycerin (optional)
1-2 TB essential oil, olive oil or coconut oil (optional)
Box grater
Large pot (any will do, this will not ruin a good pot)
Wax paper

What to do:

Heat water to almost a boil.  In the meantime, shave the bar of soap over the wax paper.

Turn off heat and add all ingredients.  Stir (or use a hand mixer) until soap shavings are melted.

Remove from heat and let sit for at least 12 hours until completely cool.

Once completely cool, your soap should look like this:

This recipe made the Dial soap really thick and gel-like.  I added about two more cups of water and placed over warm heat until it liquified again.  It didn't take as long to cool off.  I discovered that if you use coconut oil, it will become a bit more like gel because once coconut oil becomes room temperature, it hardens.  So use sparingly.

This soap became just a tad bit runny so if you end up having to add more water, add a little bit at a time until you get the consistency you want.  It smells great and now I have a gallon of hand soap stored in an old pitcher.

On with Dove.  This recipe is different because Dove already contains 1/4 moisturizer.  Using Dove is not as cost effective because you use more soap and less water, but if you're wanting a healthy liquid hand soap, you won't care.

What you need:

1 Dove bar soap per 2 cups of water, 2 bars for 4 cups of water... you get the idea.
1-2 TB glycerin (optional but not needed)
Large pot
Wax paper
Box grater

What to do:

While water is heating to almost a boil, grate the bar(s) of soap.

Add soap shavings to water and remove from heat.  Stir until all soap has dissolved and allow to sit for at least 12 hours.

I did get a little impatient the next morning and put the pot in the fridge.  Yeah, I know.  Somedays, I just don't have the time!  The Dove bars I used got really foamy.  After the soap cooled and the foam didn't go away, I added 2 TB of glycerin and mixed well.  That made it even more foamy.  After the mixture sat for an extra day in the refridgerator, it turned out to be very thick and foamy.

When I put this mixture into a regular pump bottle, it came out like water so it might do better in one of those foam dispensers.  However, I love how Dove feels on my hands over the Dial hand soap.  They both smell wonderful but I probably wouldn't offer my handmade Dove liquid hand soap to company.  At least until I practice more with Dove.

I read that they stopped making Dove liquid hand soap for home-use size and you can only get it in bulk now.  For just shy of a gallon, it's $21.  To buy 4 bars of Dove bar soap cost about $6.89 so you can make a little over a gallon for just under $7 if you make it yourself.



For a 7.5 oz bottle of Dial liquid hand soap it cost about $3.19.  It costs about $4 for 8 bars in a pack.  That means you can get over 8 gallons of Dial liquid hand soap for about $4 if you make it yourself.

Sounds like savings to me!

If you liked what you've read, vote for me at Top Mommy Blogs and We're on the Fence.  Come back and visit again!

Inspired by One Good Thing by Jillee and The Farmer's Nest and Pinterest

NEW UPDATED INFO!

I forgot I had Lysol automatic hand soap dispensers so I popped off the lid of the containers and filled them with the Dove liquid hand soap.  The soap comes out so smooth and easily, I'm gitty as a little girl when I have to wash my hands now.   Apparently, keeping the soap in the fridge keeps the soap super foamy.  Once it gets back to room temperature, it turns into a better liquid form.  Happy washing!