I’m a fan of foaming hand soap. I feel like it cuts to the chase of hand washing, you know? You get just the right amount of soap, already suds up for you, without any of the slimy excess of regular liquid hand soap.

Here’s what I don’t like about most foaming hand soaps: antibacterial chemicals, coloring agents, and fragrances. I want my hands clean, and I enjoy a nice scent as much as the next lady, but I don’t want all of those chemical extras.

No worries, though. I recently learned that I can keep foaming hand soap in our house while not compromising with chemicals. It smells good and is very inexpensive. It really can’t be much easier, too!

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Problems with Regular Foaming Hand Soap

I briefly mentioned it above, but regular foaming hand soap, like the kind that you buy at the mall’s ubiquitous bath and body store, is really far from natural. I see three (though there are arguably more) major problems with regular foaming hand soap:

1. Antibacterial agents, generally a chemical called triclosan, are thought to be contributing to antibiotic resistant microbes by killing the weaker germs and leaving the strongest to survive. The FDA has even recently asked for proof on it’s safety, and Minnesota has now banned it. It’s safety and effectiveness is questionable to say the least.
2. Chemical dyes in soap puzzles me. The whole reason I use soap is to clean my skin. Why would I want to use something that has a dye in it when the dye does nothing to help clean?
3. Fragrance, when listed on a label, could be one of any 3,000+ mystery chemicals. Artificial fragrances can smell lovely, but they often leave me with a headache, telling me that something’s not right with them.

Consider the price, too. Have you ever thought about how much water is in those bottles of foaming hand soap?

The Simple Solution

Thankfully, I can have my foaming hand soap and use it guilt-free, too. All it takes is a foaming soap dispenser, some natural liquid castile soap, and water.

Here’s what you do:

1. Fill a countertop foaming soap dispenser with about one inch of liquid castile soap.
2. Gently add water, leaving an inch or so of space from the top of the bottle for the foaming pump top.
3. Add the pump top, then gently turn the dispenser over a few times to mix the soap and the water.
4. Voila! You have an all natural foaming hand soap.

It’s frugal, easy, and natural. No worries about chemicals, but with the nice variety that liquid castile soap comes in, you can still have fun choosing scents. Peppermint is a favorite here!

You can find liquid castile soap at natural food stores, but I order mine online either from Amazon or from Vitacost. (If you’re new to Vitacost, you can save $10 on your first order of $30 or more with this link. It’s a great deal on their already discounted prices!) 

Also, Dr. Bronner’s is a popular liquid castile brand among the crunchy crowd, but I’ve been buying a rival called Dr. Woods. It doesn’t have the crazy label like Dr. Bronner’s and the price is lower, too. Either soap will work well here, though.

Have you ever checked out the labels on foaming hand soaps or thought of making up your own?