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DIY Liquid Hand Soap Made From Bar Soap (Mulled Cider Scent)

Learn how to make homemade liquid hand soap from bar soap with this easy, money-saving recipe. This all-natural liquid soap is made with glycerin and inexpensive bar soap. A blend of natural essential oils gives this DIY hand soap recipe a sweet and spicy mulled cider scent that’s perfect for fall. Read on to find out how to make your own liquid soap at home.

Homemade mulled cider liquid hand soap made from bar soap

Fall is my favorite time of year. I love the crisp, cool air. I love pumpkin spice lattes, and cozy sweaters and tall boots are my thing.

This fall I wanted to share a fall scented soap recipe, and I thought this mulled cider liquid soap with its spicy notes, and connotations of warmth and comfort, would fit the bill.

Hand soap is something we tend to go through a lot. Before I began making liquid soap with bar soap, I only used natural soap brands in our home because they’re much gentler on our sensitive skin. And obviously, given the nature of our blog, I strive to avoid toxins and problematic ingredients in as many household products as possible.

But since natural brands of liquid hand soap can be expensive, I wanted to create a liquid soap recipe that could not only save us money, but would also smell amazing.

Save money by making liquid hand soap from bar soap

This liquid hand soap recipe made with bar soap is a huge money saver. Because a single bar of soap, once melted down, will absorb a lot of water. In fact, even though I knew this recipe would be economical, I was shocked by how much money it really could save us in a year.

A small container of natural liquid soap can cost upwards of $7-$9. Compare that to inexpensive natural bar soap, which ranges in price but can be purchased on sale or in bulk. Now consider that this recipe filled FOUR 32oz mason jars. That’s about 128oz (16 cups) of liquid hand soap made from one single bar of soap. That’s a lot of soap!

I estimate this recipe is going to save us well over $150 annually. That’s a pretty good savings for something that didn’t take that long to make.

Buying your supplies will be an investment initially, but since I use the essential oils and vegetable glycerin in this recipe in other DIY’s, the upfront costs are well worth it for me in the long term.

Even if saving money isn’t your goal, this recipe will still help you avoid the synthetic fragrances found in many of the store-bought liquid soaps on the market.

DIY hand soap from bar soap with a mulled cider scent

Natural DIY homemade hand soap with essential oils

Why homemade liquid hand soap needs a preservative

In a perfect natural world, maybe we wouldn’t need preservatives, but the truth is that any water-containing product is prone to contamination with mold, fungus, and bacteria. Not only is an unpreserved product unsanitary, but it’s also unsafe. Mold and bacteria will grow in any product that contains water, and it can happen quickly –– often within days.

For this reason, even though we are a natural blog, we add a preservative to all our recipes containing water. The preservative used in this recipe is called Optiphen. Optiphen is paraben-free and formaldehyde-free, and contains a blend of phenoxyethanol and caprylyl glycol which inhibits the growth of pathogenic bacteria.

Choose the right bar soap for your homemade liquid hand soap

I used Alaffia’s Good Soap (which is a Whole Foods exclusive) in this recipe. I paid $8 for three 8oz bars, and a single bar made 4 large 32oz mason jars of liquid hand soap. I recommend using the unscented, the orange or the coconut variety of Good Soap for this recipe. I used the coconut scented bar and it didn’t affect the scent of the final product at all.

Grating bar soap for homemade liquid hand soap

That said, you can use any brand of bar soap in this recipe. Ideally, it’s best to use a natural brand that is free of synthetic fragrances and other toxic ingredients. Other than Good Soap, Dr. Bronner’s and Kirk’s Castile are just a couple of the non-toxic soap brands that we use as well. Alaffia also makes many other varieties of natural bar soap.

It’s important to note that we made this recipe with an 8oz bar of soap. If the bar soap you use is smaller, you will need to use less water or simply use more than one bar of soap.

DIY liquid hand soap with cinnamon, sweet orange and clove essential oils

A blend of cinnamon, clove and sweet orange essential oils makes this DIY mulled cider hand soap perfect for fall.

How to make mulled cider DIY liquid hand soap with essential oils
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5 from 1 vote

DIY Mulled Cider Liquid Hand Soap

Learn to make DIY mulled cider liquid hand soap from a bar of soap! This natural recipe uses a blend of essential oils for a warm and comforting mulled cider scent that's perfect for fall. One bar of soap makes a whopping 16 cups of natural DIY hand soap, saving you tons of money.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time10 hours
Total Time10 hours 20 minutes
Course: DIY Body Care
Cuisine: DIY Products
Servings: 4 large jars
Author: Kim @ A Life Adjacent

What You'll Need

Ingredients

Supplies

Instructions

  • Clean and sanitize the containers you intend to use to store your hand soap, as well as all the tools you will use to make it.
  • Grate your bar(s) of soap on a large cutting board. 
    Make natural liquid hand soap at home from a bar of soap
  • Heat 15 cups of water in a large stock pot on high heat until hot.
  • Add grated soap to the hot water and stir. Make sure all of the soap shavings are melted before adding the vegetable glycerin.
    How to make homemade natural liquid hand soap
  • Remove from heat and allow to cool for approximately 30 minutes before adding the essential oils. 
  • Add the preservative and stir thoroughly. The hand soap will be very thin and runny at this point. Don’t panic though as it will thicken overnight. Cover and let sit. 
  • In the morning, use sterilized hand beaters or your mixmaster to mix your hand soap throughly, especially if it’s become too gelatinous overnight. 
  • Using a funnel, add to the finished liquid soap to your soap dispensers and pour the remaining soap into mason jars. Secure the lids tightly. Store your hand soap in a cool, dry place. We store ours in the garage in the winter or under the sink in the summer.

Notes

Always test your skin for sensitivity to essential oils. As well, please consult your doctor if you have any health conditions, or if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, before you use any products containing essential oils. This website is not a substitute for medical advice.

DIY liquid hand soap with glycerin and essential oils

We hope you found this tutorial helpful and that our liquid hand soap recipe saves you a ton of money over the long term! Have you ever tried making your own homemade liquid hand soap? Feel free to leave any questions you may have about this article below.

More natural DIY recipes for your home

Looking for more non-toxic ideas for your home? Check these out:

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Homemade money saving liquid hand soap from bar soap

DIY mulled cider liquid hand soap with essential oils

Recipe Rating




DJ

Thursday 4th of March 2021

I have made this twice. The first time it was too thin and never thickened up so I thought I needed to use less water. I made it again and now it is way too thick! I used 13 cups instead of 15. Can I add some hot water to thin it down? I love the smell and ease of making it.

Kim

Thursday 4th of March 2021

Hi there, We definitely experienced a few batches that were too thick or too thin when we first started experimenting with our recipe. But 15 cups seemed to be the magic number. Sorry, it didn't work for you this time! Anyway, yes add more water now and see if that works. As long as you used the proper amount of the preservative, it should be okay. Next time, maybe try 14 cups of water. It might be the type of bar soap you're using that's affecting the consistency. But glad you liked the scent! Good luck!

NancyO

Sunday 1st of December 2019

I made this recipe today, and it smells wonderful! It was also very easy to do. My only question is whether something is wrong since the product didn't get gelatinous at all. It's very thin and watery. Did I miss something?

Lynn A McGlenn

Saturday 19th of June 2021

@Kim, mine was just the opposite. Mine is very gelatinous. I used hand mixer to loosen it up, but it goes back to gelatinous form over time. It will not pump out if dispenser

Kim

Sunday 1st of December 2019

Hi Nancy, did you let it set overnight? It's always watery the first day, but covering and leaving it overnight will produce that gelatinous texture. Or it could be the type of soap you used. If you let it set and used the soap I used, then maybe try a little less water for the next batch. And yes, we enjoy the mulled cider scent too! Good luck and thanks for reading and commenting!

Shell Nunyabiz

Thursday 5th of September 2019

A lot of people just don't realize that cloves or their oil is a natural disinfectant or antimicrobial! LOVELOVELOVE using them around the house for just that reason! AND the smell of course!

Kim

Thursday 5th of September 2019

Yes, we are big fans of clove and cinnamon essential oils for those very reasons! Thanks for reading and commenting!

The Truth Ain't Peachy (@TruthAintPeachy)

Friday 12th of October 2018

Love the idea of this warm and cozy scent! Do you think a bar of Marseille soap would work in this recipe?

Kim

Sunday 14th of October 2018

Yes, we definitely think that will work. Let us know how it goes!

Jennifer

Monday 24th of September 2018

This sounds like a great recipe, Kim! I hate to think of how much money I have spent over the years on natural liquid soap, it really is crazy expensive! The cinnamon and clove are a great idea for fall, not just for the fantastic scent but to create an unfriendly environment for all those fall and winter germs. ?? Thanks for sharing, I pinned it to make ASAP!

Kim

Wednesday 26th of September 2018

Oh, we definitely agree, Jennifer! Natural hand soap was really adding up for us which is why I love making my own. Plus, it’s so simple. And yes, cinnamon has actually been shown to be the most antibacterial essential oil which is why I wanted to include it. Please let us know how it goes for you and don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions about the recipe or process. Thanks for reading!?