Homemade Liquid Soap Recipe Tutorial (3 ways)

Last Updated on April 13, 2023 by ellen

If you’ve been looking for a homemade liquid soap recipe, try one of these. I prefer using liquid soap rather than bar soap because it makes less mess. And, it’s easier to keep a bottle of liquid soap clean than a bar of soap in a soap dish.

Homemade Liquid Soap Recipe

Soap is soap when you really think about it. And, you can easily wash your hands with bar soap or liquid soap. But, many people prefer liquid hand soap. It’s often easier for children to use. And, it’s easier to clean the soap pump without trying to scrub dirt and grime off a bar of soap.

If you’ve noticed liquid hand soap out of stock in your store, you may want to try making your own. Now, more than ever, it’s important for you and the kids to keep your hands clean.

Making your own hand soap is really very easy. This recipe doesn’t have a long term shelf life. So, mix up one batch at a time. If you need to make a larger batch for quick refills, leave out the water and add it in when you are ready to fill your soap pump.

How do you make liquid soap from scratch without lye?

So, here are three different methods you can use. Just choose the homemade liquid soap recipe that works for the materials you have on hand right now or can easily get.

Castile liquid soap recipe

1/2 cup castile soap
1/2 cup boiled and cooled water
1 teaspoon vitamin e oil
15 drops tea tree essential oil
10-15 drops of your chosen essential oil for fragrance (I like lavender or lemon)

Method one directions

1. Mix your essential oils into your vitamin e oil. This will mix it in and allow the essential oils to blend into the final hand soap.
2. Mix the vitamin e and essential oils into the castile soap. This is vital to help everything blend smoothly. If you are storing this recipe for more than a few short weeks stop at this point and add the water when you are ready to use your liquid hand soap.
3. When ready to add the water you want to sterilize the water before you begin. Bring the water to a rolling boil then allow cool, this will prevent melting your hand soap container and pump. Add in your concentrated liquid hand soap mixing well until your soap has blended.
4. Pour it into a hand soap container.
5. Give this hand soap a shake if you notice and separation and make a point to use this up quickly. If your hand soap has time to go bad you may not be washing your hands enough.
6. If you leave and your soap is left for an extended period of time, toss it out and make a fresh batch.

How to make liquid soap from bar soap

If you’re like me and have a stack of bar soap on hand just in case, you’re in luck. Now, you can use it to make liquid soap. You won’t believe how easy it is. And, it really works. 

Method two materials

One bar of soap (or little pieces of soap to equal one bar of soap)
A cheese grater or potato peeler to grate the soap
One large pot and spoon to stir
8 cups of water
Glycerin (optional)

Homemade liquid soap recipe directions

1. Shred the bar soap using the grater or potato peeler.
2. Put the soap shreds and the water in a big pot.
3. Heat it until it melts. Stir regularly.
4. Turn off the heat.
5. Cover the pot and let it sit undisturbed for about 8 to 10 hours.
6. Use a whisk to blend it.
7. Pour it into a hand soap container.

Homemade liquid soap recipe using dish liquid

If you have a bunch of dish liquid on hand, you make liquid hand soap from that as well. This is an easy homemade liquid hand soap recipe that anyone can make. Remember that you need to have the kids wash their hands for the full twenty seconds for it to kill germs.

Method three materials

• Dish liquid – any kind will do
• Funnel
• Water 
• Hand lotion

Method three directions

1. Using the funnel, fill your empty hand soap bottle 1/3 of the way full of your dish liquid.
2. Add 2 teaspoons of your favorite hand lotion.
3. Add water until the bottle is almost full.
4. Put the top on and gently rotate the bottle back and forth to mix the ingredients. If you shake vigorously, it will foam.
5. If your liquid hand soap is too thin, add more dish liquid.

Because this homemade liquid hand soap recipe doesn’t use lye, it’s safe for the kids to help you with it. If you want something else to do, why not make theses Borax crystal flowers. Or, if you want an adult craft, why not decorate your soap dispenser.

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