Natural liquid hand wash

I've been looking for ways to reduce the chemicals we bring into our home and a main one is in the cleaning products we use. While a simple bar of soap in the shower and bathroom may be sufficient, I found it is definitely more convenient to have a pump bottle of liquid hand wash in the kitchen at least. So I decided to have a go at making a natural, homemade liquid soap. I found a multitude of recipes online and in books but the first couple I tried were either not cost-effective or were not of a consistency I enjoyed.

This recipe works out in the long run similar in cost to buying liquid hand wash at the supermarket. But I love that I know exactly what I'm putting on my skin. There's no sodium laurel sulphates which are known for causing skin allergies and reactions. I have sensitive skin and get eczema so this is a big plus for me. (If you have a go at making this recipe & don't use a Castile soap be sure to check out the soap ingredients!)

I've spent a few months trialling this recipe and have just made a second batch. The first batch I made 2 litres worth of it which was probably overkill, but I used a whole solid soap bar and had to keep adding water until I got the soap to a consistency I liked. So I've halved the recipe to a more manageable quantity and am happy with the results. It is different to the liquid hand washes you buy from the supermarket but it does the job and I won't be changing back to store bought.

You can switch out the eucalyptus & lime essential oils for others of your choosing. Peppermint. Sweet orange. Lavendar. So many options! Eucalyptus is known for it's cleaning properties and goes well with lime. I used grapefruit & orange for my second batch. The sweet almond oil in the recipe is nourishing and moisturising making this soap recipe gentle on your hands.

YOU WILL NEED:

• 1/2 bar of Castile soap finely grated. I used Bronner’s 100% Castile soap, bought online here but I'm sure you could use a natural soap such as Coconut soap from your local supermarket too but it may produce a different consistency.
• 1 litre filtered water (or boiled & then cooled tap water)
• 10 drops eucalyptus essential oil
• 10 drops lime essential oil
• 4tbsp sweet almond oil
  
  

(I fill two 500ml hand wash pump bottles with this mixture).

HOW TO MAKE:

1. Add grated Castile soap to water in saucepan. Stir continuously over a low, gentle heat until soap is melted and combined with water.
   
   
2. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
   
   
3. Add essential oils and stir through. You don’t want to add these oils while it’s still hot as this can affect the properties of the oils. Then leave mixture for about 6 hours or overnight to completely set.
   
   ​When I was first experimenting with this recipe I allowed it to cool overnight at this stage to check consistency of soap once set. You could do this and if you feel the soap is too thick, reheat & add more water. Or if too runny for your liking you can reheat and add more grated soap bar. Using the Castile soap I find the mixture will set like jelly consistency. Depending on how much the mixture 'sets' it may need a good stir up before pouring. I use a funnel to pour the mixture into the bottles.
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4. Pour into your soap dispensers and you're ready to start using it! If possible try to source dark amber bottles as this keeps natural products better. And glass is a better option than plastic if possible too as plastic can leach with essential oils.