DIY Handmade Liquid Soap Recipe

If you love using a liquid soap but don't like the chemicals an additives that often come with store-bought varieties, make your own. Handmade liquid soap is easy to make and you can customize it to fit your preferences for fragrance. Create and fill and refill your glass soap dispenser.

The Basic Recipe

You can create literally dozens of soaps on your own with special fragrances. However, you want to begin with a basic recipe that is simple and easy.

If you want an easy recipe that doesn't take long, begin with a bar of soap. Grate it up into tiny pieces. It should be about four ounces. Boil four cups of water, and then turn off the heat. Add the soap and stir until melted. Allow it to cool for at least 15 minutes. It should be a little thicker, but still manageable.

Allow the soap to cool overnight and add more water or soap to reach the correct consistency. After that, it is time to add essential oils and any coloring that you want to use. Once you are satisfied with the final product, you can pour it into your glass soap dispensers and begin using.

Starting from Scratch

If you want to make your liquid soap from scratch, you will need more ingredients.

Heat the following oils in a crock pot:

3 8-ounce cups of coconut oil

10 ounces of olive oil

10 ounces of castor oil

3 ounces of jojoba oil

Take 33 ounces of distilled water and place in a glass mixing bowl. Add 11 ounces of potassium hydroxide flakes to the water as you stir. Make sure you are wearing protective gear because at this point the potassium hydroxide is toxic. Carefully pour the mixture into the oils and stir until it thickens into a paste.

Cook the mixture about six hours on low. Stir it about every 30 minutes. Once the paste can be diluted with water and run clear, you are done. As long as it is milky, it must continue cooking.

Weigh the paste to make sure you have about one pound. If so, add 33 ounces of distilled water to the paste. It will continue cooking now until the paste is dissolved in the water. Then, it is time to add fragrance and color. Use essential oils and natural food coloring. After this is finished, you are ready to store your liquid soap away. Place the extra in seal-able jars so that it keeps until you are ready to use it.

Please use common sense and caution when using the stove and please be sure to test ingredients in a small area to make sure you are not allergic to any of the ingredients in this recipe or any other recipe you may decide to create.