Can I make liquid handsoap?

[amyandelle]

We go through liquid handsoap like crazy! We spend way too much money on it every month and most of it makes my hands so dry that I get splits on my knuckles! Help!!

Thanks!!
Amy

[nccrunchymama]

I'd like to know this too! I used to have the same problems. Since I don't have the answer, I'll tell you what I did. I switched to a foam dispenser with Baby Mild/Unscented Dr Bronner's soap. Now, we still have to refill the dispenser just as often, but it takes a LOT less soap and it doesn't dry out our hands.

[erin a]

We use bar soap. I make my own and it's so much gentler on the hands that I would never switch back to liquid soap again.
Apparently, from what I have been able to find out anyways, liquid soap has a lot of additives in it (even the natural ones). If you try to make liquid soap it never works. It always gels up into a goopy mess unless you add chemicals to stop this from happening.

[Drummer's Wife]

we use dr. bronner's baby mild in the bathrooms and peppermint scented in the kitchen for hand soap. I find it gentle enough and I wash my hands very frequently.

[*green*faery*]

http://tipnut.com/homemade-liquid-soap/



Great site with lots of recipes for bath and home products

[jennlyn]

I found a recipe on www.familyhomestead.com I used one bar of Dr. Bronners plus water and glycerin to make 2 qts of handsoap. I used to use Dr. Bronners liquid soap straight out of the bottle, but it is much cheaper for me to make this recipe.

[amyandelle]

Thanks Mama's!! It has been almost 1 week since we started using the Dr. Bronners as our handsoap and I am down to only using lotion on my hands 1-2 times a day (I was using it after every wash and still had splitting hands). My dh does not like the smell (I went with the Eucalyptus) but he is getting used it it Especially when I told him just how much money we are saving!!

Thanks again!!

Amy

[Drummer's Wife]

glad it's working well for you! I love Dr. Bronners and the unscented really doesn't smell like much of anything, so maybe your DH would like that version next time.

[Oliver's Mama]

I'm a bit confused, are you guys talking about the regular dr. bronner's castile soap, or the dr. bronner's specifically labeled "hand soap"? I wouldn't mind the pure castile, since I'd use it for other cleaning uses, but either way, it seems awfully expensive.
I'm still searching for a natural alternative liquid soap, that can beat the price of the typical softsoap, where you can get a whole gallon for like $4.
I'm just not sold on bar soap either.. it just bothers me the thought that you're grabbing the soap when your hands are potentially dirty/germy, and it's going to be sitting on that soap til the next person touches it. Am I overreacting?

[syd'smom]

I use the liquid baby dr b's and put it in an old foaming soap pump. I only put in about 1cm in the bottom (less than half an inch); maybe 3-4 squirts. Then I fill it up with water, add EOs to make a scent that suits my fancy that day, and it lasts for quite a while. I bought the dr b's back in May and still have half a bottle and we've been using this mix in the kitchen as hand and dishsoap since then.

[jyurina]

If any of you live near a Trader Joes they have a store brand of Castille soap that has peppermint EO and some aloe and only costs $3 for a bottle