Once I had made my own DIY foaming hand wash my only question was why I hadn’t done this a long time before. It is seriously easy, saves loads of money and the results are fantastic. It also means that you can eradicate any of the questions you might have about what ingredients are in the products available on the supermarket shelf here in Australia.
The most concerning of the chemicals found in many antibacterial hand wash products is triclosan. Triclosan was banned by the US Food and Drug Administration in September 2016 due to the concerns that long-term exposure to these chemicals could promote antibiotic resistance, disrupt hormones and potentially be carcinogenic. Australia however, has been slow to move to ban triclosan and it has currently been left up to manufacturers to respond to these concerns and decide when to phase out the ingredient. Most retailers have said they anticipate this will be by November this year. Until triclosan is banned outright it is hard to know what products actually contain the concerning chemical.
The good news is that it is easy to avoid all this uncertainty by making your own DIY foaming hand wash. To get started you will need a soap dispenser that has the mechanism to create the foam. The ByMe store stocks a beautiful amber glass foaming soap dispenser. Glass is perfect for DIY mixtures as it is long lasting and doesn’t have the problem of deteriorating over time and leaching the chemicals from plastic. This is especially important when using essential oils as they react with plastic.
Glass foaming soap dispenser
The below recipe is very straight forward. Here are a few comments about the ingredients:
DR. BRONNER’S LIQUID CASTILE SOAP
I just love Dr. Bronner’s! I use the Baby Mild scent for my foaming hand wash as I like to add essential oils. Dr. Bronner’s is available in the ByMe store however any liquid castile soap will work just fine.
FRACTIONATED COCONUT OIL
Fractionated coconut oil is coconut oil with the solidifiers removed. In this case it adds both cleaning and moisturising properties to your foaming hand wash. It is also a great carrier oil. If you don’t have fractionated coconut oil you can substitute another oil e.g. olive oil.
ALOE VERA GEL
For a long time I made my foaming hand wash without the inclusion of aloe vera gel. It was absolutely great and I was really happy with the outcome. However, once I got around to buying the aloe vera gel and including it in a batch it really does take it to the next level. It adds a lovely amount of moisture and your hands feel great afterwards for it. But if you don’t have it on hand just leave it out.
ESSENTIAL OILS
Because essential oils are antimicrobial and kill bacteria naturally without the dangerous side effects they are a great addition to your foaming soap. Some great choices for your DIY foaming hand soap would be a protective blend such as OnGuard (doTERRA) or Thieves (Young Living), or you could also use some other beautiful oils such as geranium or lavender. Do some research – if you get dermatitis on your hands geranium could be of benefit.
Foaming Hand Wash Recipe
2 tablespoons Dr. Bronner’s liquid castile soap
1/2 teaspoon fractionated coconut oil
1/2 teaspoon aloe vera gel (optional)
10 drops essential oils of choice
Instructions:
1. Pour all ingredients into pump.
2. Slowly add water to fill the bottle.
3. Shake gently.
Glass foaming soap dispenser
The ByMe Glass Foaming soap dispenser is shipped from Melbourne, Australia.
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