Liquid soaps can have scents that are pretty overwhelming and not all that natural—plus, they’re expensive! Making DIY hand soap is an easy way to get just the right amount of fragrance desired, if at all, for just pennies.

Some homemade recipes call for dissolving soap in hot water while stirring on the stove forever—but not ours. And there’s no need to dirty up a blender to shred the soap, either!

It took us less than 10 minutes to grate some soap by hand, add coconut oil then whisk in boiling water. Just let it set overnight or a bit longer to thicken, depending upon which brand soap you use (some work better than others).

Inserting a dispenser pump into a jar lid is a breeze but pouring the soap into the jar can be tricky. We used an extra-large measuring cup as our mixing bowl because it had a spout. Otherwise, you’ll need a funnel.

Use our printable label and add a ribbon or twine to make this gift complete. The recipe can easily be doubled to make several jars at a time.

This post includes links to purchase items you’ll need from our affiliates.

DIY hand soap instructions

DIY Hand Soap Instructions
Ingredients
  • grater
  • 4 oz bar of unscented soap
  • medium mixing bowl
  • 1 Tbsp coconut oil
  • 4 cups boiling water
  • whisk
  • hammer and nail
  • Mason jar
  • [url href=”http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00802QSKG/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00802QSKG&linkCode=as2&tag=chery01-20&linkId=RC3TEXP3RMD5UFEP” target=”_blank” title=”Soap dispenser pump”]soap dispenser pump[/url]
  • hot glue gun
  • funnel
  • DIY hand soap printable
  • [url href=”http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000093L1J/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000093L1J&linkCode=as2&tag=chery01-20&linkId=3EFARUGP2DBJSIVX” target=”_blank” title=”Full sheet label”]1 full sheet self-adhesive label paper[/url]
Instructions
  1. Using a grater, shave half a bar of soap into a medium-sized mixing bowl. Add coconut oil.
  2. Pour boiling water over the soap and oil then gently mix for a few minutes until the soap has dissolved. Allow the mixture to set overnight to cool completely.
  3. Meanwhile, use a hammer to tap a nail through the insert of the Mason jar lid. Make a hole large enough to accommodate the dispenser pump. Glue the insert and the jar lid together, push the pump through the hole then attach it with glue. Set aside.
  4. The next day, check on your soap mixture and gently whisk to thicken. With the help of a funnel, pour it into the Mason jar and attach the dispenser lid.
  5. Download the [url href=”https://everydaydishes.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/printable-diy-hand-soap-label-everydaydishes_com.pdf” target=”_blank” title=”Printable DIY hand soap label”]diy hand soap printable[/url] and open in [url href=”http://get.adobe.com/reader/otherversions/” target=”_blank” title=”Adobe Reader”]Adobe Reader[/url].
  6. Print on self-adhesive label paper and adhere.
Notes
Experiment with several drops of [url href=”http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LCBR6YY/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00LCBR6YY&linkCode=as2&tag=chery01-20&linkId=7Z4OJLDJESOOIIDN” target=”_blank” title=”Essential oils kit”]essential oil[/url] to create a scent that’s just right for you.

DIY hand soap