It uses no dangerous ingredients or specialist equipment, and will be ready for use quickly.
I'd tried a number of liquid soap recipes that didn't work from the net, and finally with frustration devised my own. This is my own, original recipe, and it DOES work!
Give it a go!
Easy liquid soap recipe
This recipe makes just under two litres (half a gallon) of general purpose liquid soap. It is best made in the evening, as it will need to cool overnight before blending (the final stage).
- Ingredients:
- 1 cup soap flakes or grated bar soap.
- 1.5 litres (1 1/2 quarts) water.
- 1 tablespoon of glycerin.
You will need: - A large saucepan.
- A cup measure, and a tablespoon measure.
- A sealable glass jar, or an assortment of cleaned hand pumps or old squeeze-pack shampoo containers.
- A stick blender, food processor or hand-held egg beater.
Method: - Mix the ingredients together in a large saucepan over a low heat.
- Keep stirring occasionally until the soap flakes have dissolved and the mixture is smooth in texture.
- Let cool overnight until room temperature. The mixture will be slightly thick and milky-looking, with a jellylike texture. (I usually pop it into a sealable jar for cooling).
- Blend with a stick blender, food processor or egg beater until smooth.
- Store in a sealable glass jar, or decant directly into whatever containers you want.
Tips and hints
If you choose to make a thinner (runnier) recipe, just add more water.
Making a thinner recipe will also make it more economical. A thinner version might be a good idea for a hand pump for a child's bathroom, for example.
This recipe changes hard soap into liquid (gel) soap with the addition of glycerin and water.
Uses
The liquid soap is suitable for hand pumps or body washes.
Liquid soap is great for general-purpose cleaning around the house. Just add hot water and away you go!
My husband also uses this liquid soap instead of expensive shaving foam, which irritates his skin and is also packaged unsustainably.
This mix is absolutely safe for children and pets, and safe for septic tanks and composting toilets.
A few pointers
Because you're not working with such toxic ingredients as caustic soda, which is used in soap manufacture, this recipe is absolutely safe to make with young children in the home.
Just be wary not to let children near the hot stove, of course!
You can choose to add scent to this mix if you want. We prefer not to.
What scent you add is up to you, but be aware that some essential oils, such as peppermint and lavender, are skin sensitizers or allergens and can cause problems for a large number of people.
About the ingredients
Soap flakes: For my liquid soap, I used Lux flakes, which are plain soap flakes commonly available in New Zealand and many other countries. Any plain soap will do.
Lux flakes do have a mild perfume added, but this does not affect the gelling of the liquid soap at all.
I paid about NZD$6 (about USD$4.30) for a 700g box of soap flakes. The cost of soap flakes used in this recipe - just over NZD$2.00 (about USD$1.40).
Glycerine: Glycerin is available in most chemists, discount stores and drugstores. It is also known as glycerol or glycerine.
You can also buy it online at places such as Amazon.
My glycerol (glycerine) cost $8.00 for 200 mls. The cost for the glycerine in this recipe was just over NZ 50c (about US 35c).
Water: You do not need to use rainwater distilled water or spring water for this recipe. Tap water is fine.
Total cost: The total cost of making this recipe came to about NZD $2.50 (about USD$1.78) for nearly two litres of homemade liquid soap.
Happy liquid soap-making!
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25 comments:
I'm going to try this, once I get my hands on some glycerin. I am allergic to Lux flakes so will use ordinary soap.
Kate
Hi Kate - Allergic to lux flakes? Do you have problems with other forms of soap, or dishwashing liquid?
I'm just curious, because this is one form of soap I'm okay with - I can't use any of those lovely-smelling soaps in Lush and at fairs - they always case my eczema to go crazy.
Another way you can make this is with soap scraps, but then its best used for cleaning only (I think). I use flakes because they're easy and cheap :-)
Hi Daharja,
I'll try your recipe in the near future, I've had a couple of tries at making liquid soap but it didn't work, (not liquid enough) could you make it with a grated bar of soap (measured)?
I can't stand the smell of all those lovely smelling soaps, I mean I like the smell but my nose doesn't and I start sneezing, I'm somewhat fragrance intolerant I think.
Pip
Thanks for the recipe. I've been wanting a liquid soap recipe and I have a few spare bars of homemade soap to experiment with. All I have to do is make sure I don't grate my fingers in the process.
Thanks Leanne. Kim is going to give this recipe a go. She is going to add a few drops of soap colour and fragrance to see how that goes.
Gav
Hi Pip - Yes, the recipe works well with grated bar soap. Just be sure that you fully dissolve it :-)
I'm allergic to most soaps with fragrance too. It annoys me - I see all these lovely products my friends make, and I can't use any of them - they cause me to get rashes.
Hi Nevyn - Use a food processor for the soap grating. I use mine on the power setting, with a fine grater attachment, and it works fine.
Got a bit bent at one stage with some really old, cheap soap, but still works :-)
Hi Gavin - I reckon if you coloured and made it smell pretty, you could do really well with this, especially if you're thinking of selling it or using it as gifts.
I don't - I just make enough for our use - but the recipe works well for bulk loads for the serious soapmaker-on-the-town :-)
There are also a lot of companies selling very nice pump packs and glass bottles - I forget the company name I was using in Melbourne when I was making and selling essential oils and incenses years ago, but they're quite easy to find and this would be a good product you can bet few people are selling in fairs etc.
OK this one I'm doing!!!
I'm allergic too but lux flakes are ok.
viv in Dunedin
Um, you know the part where you said it was a really, really easy recipe. I think I may have, ahem, buggered it up. You know, the really, really easy part...
I measured, carefully, I grated, no blood included and I melted and stirred. At which point does the mixture go cloudy and goopy like. Because mine ain't. I even added extra soap. Don't get me wrong, it feels nice and soapy and I'll probably get to skip the last step but it's not doing what you said it would. I wonder if it's because I used homemade castille soap. I guess all tha matters is that it does he job.
Hi Viv - Have fun. I think Gavin said he was going to try colouring and scenting his, so watch his blog because I'm sure he'll post it if that works well.
For me, being one of those ultra-sensitive skin types, I'll stick with plain boring ole liquid :-)
Hi Nevyn - If you did the measurements right, and I'm assuming you did, the mixture should be running and liquid, then set over time to a jelly.
Has it got to this stage? It does take time to set - mine takes anything between 2 and 6 hours, depending on how hot it was, and the ambient temperature of the room.
You're commenting pretty quick after I posted the recipe, so it may not have reached the setting stage yet, and may not have thoroughly cooled down.
Once it gels (like, all in one lump), then run it through with the blender.
Let me know how you go.
Yep, somehow I have managed to make your really easy recipe into a not so easy recipe. I let the mixute sit overnight after adding more soap and it's still clear and a bit on the runny side. I'm fairly certain I measured everything out properly though it wouldn't be the first time I've stuffed that part up. I'll add another cup of soap and see how that goes.
Sorry to be a bother.
Just wondering how long this lasts. Does it go bad after a while?
I make my own cold process soap and thought I could use up the scraps from what I cut off each bar.
Great idea, I use lux flakes in a similar recipe to make my laundry gloop, so will give this a go too. Liquid soap is the one thing I just can't seem to ditch, and the only perfumed/ chemical soap we still use, so it would be great to get rid of it!
Just woondering- when you use the blender to make it liquidy rather than gel, does it stay liquidy or gel-up again? (Just 'cos my laundry gloop has gel-issues and often separates, but maybe thats cos it has soda as well)
Oooh, I finally made this and it worked a treat, the soap is divine! I actually halfed the amount as I didn't have much lux left, but I still got almost a litre!
I added just one drop of red food colour and it is a gorgeous pale pink. Bye bye palmolive! Thanks Daharja!
It is looking pretty good so far. I am up to the part where I let it cool overnight. Looking forward to blending it in the morning.
I was thinking that next time i might even infuse the water with some lavender.
Thanks for the recipe.
Sorry to say, this recipe just doesn`t seem to work for me.. I´ve tried 3 different soaps by now, leaving me nothing but all liquid. There´s no jelly-like consistency even after 24 hours, and using the blender only makes it foamy for a while and then unsmooth afterwards. Am I doing something wrong? Also tried doubling the soap. I´m making my own cold process soap, so buying the flakes would not be an option. Ideas?
Hi Mimi - Are you adding any colours, scents or additives of any sort to your own soap?
I do know that when I add eucalyptus oil to my soap (to make a laundry liquid) it can interfere with the consistency, and I'm thinking that may be the problem.
Hi there!
I had made liquid soap using an almost identical recipe this morning (for the first time) and it got to the jelly stage and i freaked out and thought I had done it all wrong. I almost threw it out...then thought I should google and see what was out there and I found your blog! Thank you for taking great photos of the process to show the final bit about the blending it 'till it becomes smooth. This helped so much. Just wanted to let you know you really blessed me today.
Lusi x
I can not WAIT to try this!
We already make our own laundry soap and Window/All Purpose Spray cleaner...this will be a nice addition to our homemade cleaners!
Thanks!
I was so excited to make my own dish detergent but something went wrong !
Having followed all of the directions
I ended up with murky water and no soap suds at all. Grey water not very inviting to clean dished with and it left a dreadful stubborn ring around the sink!
What happened ? ? ?
Sunny
Hi Sunny - I don't know what would have gone wrong. All I can think is that the soap wasn't finely grated enough, and thus didn't dissolve - did you end up with lumps in it, instead of a smooth mix?
Hi guys just mixed up my first batch after running out of dishwashing liquid and was super proud telling my fiancee what I'd done, can't wait to see how it turns out :)
I have tried this with Bonners castille soap, Dove and Neutrogena and it never gelled. I also did it once with Yardley's soap--that gelled. I think it has to do with the ingredients in the soap, but I would like to find something unscented that works.
Hi Alison - I'm not surprised about the Dove and Neutrogena not working, as they contain so many other ingredients besides actual soap.
The Dr Bronners surprises me though - I'd be interested to find out the ingredients, because from what I understand, they advertise it as being absolutely pure soap (it isn't sold here in NZ as far as I know, so I've never actually tried the product).
I use plain old Lux flakes. Works every time. But I've also used handmade soap bars, bought in local markets, and grated finely, and they always work too.
Hi Leanne
Dr Bronners is sold by Bin Inns, Wendyl Nissen on her website and Lotus Oils I think too.
Hi Leanne - Dr Bronners is sold in NZ through Bin Inn stores, Wendyl Nissen's website and Lotus Oils as well I think. I have purchased it from Bin Inn and grated it for laundry liquid.
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