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Home Β» Cleaning

November 12, 2013

DIY Hand Soap Gift

diy handsoap in a mason jar

Have you noticed that I've been sharing a lot of gift ideas lately? This one was actually my husband's idea-he asked me a while back if there was a way to make our own DIY hand soap so I started doing research to figure out how to do it.  There were a lot of tutorials out there and a lot of different methods but here is how I make mine.

diy hand soap supplies

Supplies:

Bar Soap-choose one without additional moisturizers for best results
Glycerin

Boil one gallon of water in a large pot.

grated soap

While waiting for the water to boil grate the bar of soap into a large bowl.  (Am I the only one that is petrified I'm going to accidentally grate my fingers when using a cheese grater? I swear, I have a complex about it.  I ended up using a knife to slice the bar of soap into thin slices once I got half way through the bar.)

pot holding homemade handsoap

Add the soap shavings and 2 tablespoons of glycerin to the boiling water and stir until all the soap melts.

Remove from heat once all soap is melted and allow to cool overnight.

The mixture will thicken to, sorry about this, the consistency of snot.  I really cannot describe it any other way! If I was a Hollywood producer who needed snotty special effects, this DIY hand soap would be perfect. Bleck.

diy handsoap mixing

Moving on...

if the mixture is lumpy just give it a good stirring.  If you use soap with too much moisturizer (don't use Dove, it won't turn out) then add more water and stir vigorously to thin. Spoon into containers.  I used a cute little mason jar dispenser I made using this tutorial because, really, everything looks better in a mason jar don't you think? (If you don't want to make your own there are also tons of options on Amazon too!)

A close up of DIY hand soap in a mason jar as a gift

There you have it! I think these would make adorable teacher's gifts or hostess gifts, or just fun to make for yourself to save money and add a little cuteness to your life!

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Terri J says

    November 12, 2013 at 7:40 am

    Hand (or home) made gifts have always had a special place in my heart, as I have always thought about the labor of love that the person who made something for me, put into it. Thank you for sharing some of yours w/ us, and you bet, I will be following this one for a few people in my life, such as my younger sister, who is a teacher!

    Reply
  2. [email protected] The Better Half says

    November 12, 2013 at 3:30 pm

    that looks awesome and what a great gift idea!!! πŸ™‚

    Reply
  3. Amanda @ Dreamsicle Sisters says

    November 12, 2013 at 4:07 pm

    This is a fantastic gift idea! I love homemade gifts. Pinning!

    Reply
  4. Jessica says

    November 15, 2013 at 5:17 pm

    Did you find anything about making shower gel? I read about using coffee grounds in your shower gel for exfoliating (and bonus the caffeine helps with cellulite because it tightens the skin) and wanted to make my own shower gel gifts,

    Reply
    • Melissa Riker says

      November 17, 2013 at 4:06 pm

      I haven't but I'll work on it!

      Reply
  5. Linda @ it all started with paint says

    November 16, 2013 at 12:20 pm

    Melissa,

    What a fabulous gift idea!!! Thank you so much for sharing at our mason jar holiday party!!!

    πŸ™‚ Linda
    @It All Started With Paint & Mason Jar Crafts Love

    Reply
  6. green coffee extract svetol 45% chlorogenic acid says

    July 13, 2014 at 3:49 am

    Thiis is very interesting, You're a very skilled blogger.
    I have joined yourr feed and look forward to seeking more of your great
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    Reply
  7. Mary says

    September 19, 2014 at 7:44 am

    I used the lavender Yardley soap bar to make the liquid hand soap & let it sit overnight as instructed. It surely is the consistency of snot! Should it be lumpy? Stirring does help, but should I add water & warm it up some? Also, it's not very sudsy when washing hands & is very stringy. Can anything be done about this?
    Thanks,
    Mary

    Reply
  8. Kayla says

    October 14, 2014 at 2:53 pm

    Just fyi your link for the mason jar tutorial doesn't work... though if you search the blog, the post is still available. Here it is in case anyone is interested: https://lovegrowswild.com/2013/05/how-to-make-mason-jar-soap-dispensers/

    Reply
  9. Amy says

    November 03, 2014 at 8:10 pm

    Hi! I was just wondering what colour of paint you used on the soap pump and lid of the jar? Is it a metallic brown? Also, was it just spray paint?

    Thanks!

    Reply
    • SHANNON says

      February 10, 2016 at 9:50 am

      Great idea, but where do you buy the soap pump and lid??

      Reply
      • Melissa says

        February 15, 2016 at 11:30 am

        I made it off the tutorial I linked to in the post but you can find them on amazon too: (affiliate link) https://amzn.to/1XtcsVm Hope that helps! ~Melissa

        Reply
  10. John B says

    October 25, 2015 at 3:57 am

    Wow, great works. Sometimes I don't know how to choose the right gifts for my friends. This could be great for me to make handmade gifts.

    Reply
  11. Anita says

    November 19, 2015 at 6:39 pm

    Where can I buy the lids with pump?

    Reply
    • Melissa says

      November 20, 2015 at 9:21 pm

      HI Anita,

      I made my lid with the pump by using this tutorial but there are options you can buy here: https://amzn.to/1NHYubB

      Reply
  12. [email protected] Friendly Homemaking says

    November 26, 2015 at 9:21 pm

    This is such a cute gift idea and could be used for so many people. Would make a great teacher, co worker or relative gift.

    Reply
  13. Steven James says

    January 24, 2016 at 4:07 pm

    Thanks Mellisa. i am looking for gift for my friends, and this is a good idea. i will make it tomorrow. Thank you again for sharing

    Reply
  14. Cindy Kinsella says

    November 17, 2016 at 4:07 pm

    I plan to make the DIY hand soap. Could I add food coloring and or peppermint scent for the holidays? Or would it ruin the consistancy?

    Reply
  15. David Hasse says

    December 06, 2016 at 12:06 pm

    Great Idea ! but I've read about DIY pillow ! maybe in this site ! that was awesome too !

    Reply
  16. The DIY Hubby says

    January 09, 2017 at 7:30 am

    Good article. Love your DIY articles. The dispenser looks fab!

    Reply
  17. Clay says

    March 23, 2017 at 11:45 pm

    Nice use of a mason jar!

    Reply
  18. Michael Stover says

    April 29, 2017 at 7:49 am

    Hi Melissa ,

    Take a bow for this awesome post. I have allergy problem on my skin. So I tried lot of hand soap but no luck.
    i think information of this post will help me.

    I really appreciate of your work.

    Regards,
    Michael Stover

    Reply
  19. Kathy Manning says

    July 31, 2017 at 5:28 pm

    Where can you get the lids to put on the quart jars for the soap dispenser?

    Reply
  20. David Miller says

    August 28, 2017 at 10:43 am

    hey, Melissa thanks for the article about making your own DIY hand soap. I will definitely try myself. if I need any kind of help I will get back here. and I will also tell my Lil sister to try it thanks again πŸ™‚

    Reply
  21. Garry Harris says

    September 21, 2017 at 5:54 am

    Nice Melissa, don't just as a gift I also can use this as for my personal use. Loved it.

    Reply
  22. Jones A says

    July 29, 2018 at 6:30 am

    This is a beautiful gift. this is a beautiful idea for a gift. Love your DIY articles.Thank you for sharing your article.

    Reply
  23. vacgeek | john says

    September 05, 2018 at 6:48 am

    wow! amazing gift idea! Thank you for sharing us.

    Reply
  24. Kassie says

    November 14, 2020 at 11:35 pm

    The part about the cheese grater is gold. I'm rolling. I feel for you, it's a perfectly understandable fear. I too have a phobia of peelers and graters. I've barely knicked myself on both and I'm not having it either. ?? Avoid at all cost! Lol

    Reply

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