DIY Liquid Hand Soap without Castile Soap

Author: Balaji Shankar, Jun 1, 2024

Homemade Liquid hand Soap Recipe

• Coconut Oil 500g
• Lye (Caustic Soda) 78 g
• RO Water 156 g

Step by step process

Step 1. Make lye solution

a. Wear all necessary protective gear including welder's glasses, gloves, apron, shoes, mask or bandana to cover your nose (to prevent inhaling lye fumes).
b. Measure out lye crystals in a pure stainless steel vessel. Do not use aluminium or plastic.
c. Measure our RO water - do not use tap water or even distilled water. Use a stainless steel vessel with handle for this.
d. In open air, slowly put the lye crystals into the water while stirring with a ladle (use stainless steel again)
e. Make sure you do not inhale the fumes that emanate from the caustic soda solution.

Step 2. Measure out coconut oil into a stainless steel vessel.

Step 3. Allow the lye solution to cool to room temperature

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Step 4. Blending

Gently pour the lye solution into the oil while stirring continuously. I have found the best saponification happens at 30-32 degrees Celsius. If you live in a cold region, you can mix this while the lye is slightly warm.

Keep stirring for at least 30 minutes if you are doing it by hand. (you can also use a stick blender)

Step 5. Pour into mold

When the lye and oil have blended well to the consistency of dosa or idli batter, you can pour it into your mold of choice.

Since we are going to make liquid soap, you can use anything as a mold. Any cardboard box, lined with garbage bag will serve well

Step 6. Saponification

Allow it to saponify for 24 hours.

Step 7. Unmold

After 24 hours, peel off the garbage bag and cut the soap into small pieces

Step 8. Liquify

Take water in a vessel or plastic container about 2 times the weight of the soap Leave the soap in the water for 2 to 3 days. Most of it will melt and form a liquid.

Step 9. Package!

Refill your handwash dispenser with this liquid and use! You can add fragrance to this as you like

This is a natural hand soap without any chemicals and should serve you very well.