How To Make DIY Hand Soap At Home – Sherbet Lemon Recipe

Soapmaking is one of my greatest passions, so I thought I’d share my new DIY hand soap recipe I’ve just whipped up! This is a liquid hand soap that not only cleanses and moisturizes your hands but also smells amazing! 

The delicious scent in this soap comes from the lemon, peppermint and May Chang (Litsea cubeba) essential oils which also have many skin benefits too.

The surfactants within this hand soap recipe act as a cleaning agent, whilst the glycerin will leave your hands feeling soft and nourished. 

If you love the scent of lemon, but find that store-bought lemon liquid soap is a little too harsh, this is the DIY hand soap recipe for you!

I’ve tried store-bought liquid lemon soaps, and they’ve always given me dry skin. This does the absolute opposite of that. 

Watch How To Make Hand Soap

The Ingredients In My DIY Hand Soap

Let’s take a look at the ingredients in this wonderful Sherbet Lemon Hand Soap.

Glycerin

Washing your hands can be very drying so the glycerin will attract moisture to your skin and therefore stops your skin from drying out by creating a barrier. Glycerin is used a lot to treat conditions such as eczema and psoriasis. 

Xanthan Gum

Xanthan gum is used to add texture and as a thickening agent within the soap. It also has some hydrating benefits for the skin so works well in this hand soap recipe. 

Waters

I have used a combination of distilled water and peppermint hydrosol for this recipe. The hydrosol smells a lot like fresh peppermint leaves which blends nicely with the essential oils we have chosen. 

Peppermint hydrosol will leave you feeling invigorated with its uplifting properties.It is also great for revitalising the skin so works wonderfully in this hand soap. 

Surfactants

The surfactants in this recipe are what will give the soap the ability to clean your hands and also to foam up. 

There are many different surfactants to choose from but I have decided to use natural and mild ones, Coco glucoside and Decyl glucoside. 

See our surfactants page if you would like to swap these for something else.

Coco glucoside

Coco glucoside is a natural surfactant that comes from coconuts and sugar. It will give the soap good foaming ability and combines well with Decyl glucoside and other natural surfactants.

Decyl glucoside

Decyl glucoside is similar to coco glucoside and it is also a natural surfactant. It is gentle on the skin making it a good option for hand soap.

Preservative

The preservative in this recipe is what will keep your lovely hand soap from going rancid. Bacteria love this kind of product, as it’s the perfect breeding ground for a whole host of nasty microbes. 

I have chosen to use plantaserv P but there are many others to choose from, see our preservative page to find out more.

Essential Oils

Lemon

lemon essential oil helps to kill bacteria making it the perfect oil choice for a hand soap. It also contains antioxidants and vitamin C which can help to remove dead skin cells. As well as this, the scent is refreshing and will help to boost your mood.

Peppermint

Peppermint essential oil is naturally cleansing so it is perfect for a DIY hand soap recipe.  IT also has antiseptic and antibacterial properties which is another reason why we chose this oil. 

The peppermint also makes this soap an ideal choice for those of you that suffer with dry skin as It is cooling and soothing. 

May Chang

May Chang essential oil is both nourishing and refreshing for your skin. Similar to peppermint oil, it is also a natural cleanser, making it ideal for a soap recipe. 

Food Coloring

I chose to use yellow food coloring in this recipe to signify the lemon essential oil that I used. 

However, the color can be swapped for any food coloring of your choice, or none at all if you prefer. It is important to remember that you will not need much food coloring at all, a little goes a long way. 

I always add one or two drops at a time and stir to check the color before adding any more. 

How To Make DIY Hand Soap – Sherbet Lemon Recipe

This is a homemade hand soap recipe that not only cleanses and moisturizes your hands but also smells amazing.

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Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Active Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Difficulty Level: Easy

Yield: 250 mls

Author: Angela Wills

DISCLOSURE: SavvyHomemade.com is reader-supported. Some of the links below are affiliate links, If you buy via the links we may earn an affiliate commission at no cost to you. Affiliate disclosure.

Ingredients

1/21x2x3x

MetricUS Customary

• 20 g Glycerine
• 2.5 g Xanthan Gum
• 100 g Distilled Water
• 85 g Peppermint Hydrosol
• 20 g Coco Glucoside
• 17.5 g Decyl Glucoside
• 2.5 g Preservative
• 1.25 g Lemon Essential Oil
• .75 g Peppermint Essential Oil
• .5 g May Chang Essential Oil
• 5 Drops Food Coloring (Yellow )
• 1 Pump Bottle

Equipment

• Glass Mixing Beakers
• Stirrer
• Funnel

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Instructions

• Pour the glycerine into a beaker, add the xanthan gum and mix well. 
  20 g Glycerine, 2.5 g Xanthan Gum
  
• Place the coco glucoside and decyl glucoside into a separate beaker, then add your essential oils. Stir slowly to avoid foaming. If using an oil soluble preservative, add it now as well. Water soluble preservatives we'll add later.
  20 g Coco Glucoside, 17.5 g Decyl Glucoside, 1.25 g Lemon Essential Oil, .75 g Peppermint Essential Oil, .5 g May Chang Essential Oil
  
• Combine the two mixtures and stir carefully so as not to foam up the surfactants. I find it easiest to pour the surfactants into the glycerine/xanthan gum.
  
• Slowly add the distilled water and peppermint hydrosol to the mixture a bit at a time whilst gently stirring. Continue to stir carefully until thickened.
  100 g Distilled Water, 85 g Peppermint Hydrosol
  
• Once it has thickened, add the preservative, if water soluble, and stir slowly.
  2.5 g Preservative
  
• Add a few drops of food coloring and stir gently until you get your desired color. This step is optional.
  5 Drops Food Coloring
  
• Pour your DIY hand soap into a bottle using a funnel if needed.
  1 Pump Bottle
  

Category: DIY Bath & Body

Cuisine: N/A

Difficulty: Easy

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Final Thoughts

If you are looking for a simple DIY hand soap that’s easy to make, this is the recipe for you. I had a lot of fun making this, It really brings me back to my childhood of hard candy sherbet lemons! 

But it does more than just smell good. Your skin will feel amazing after using this, even with the surfactants. 

There’s no need to be afraid of using surfactants these days. I know a lot of people steer clear of them. And that’s fine. But natural surfactants do exist! 

If you liked this liquid hand soap recipe, check out some of my other DIY liquid soaps. I show you how to customize your liquid soap base in 5 different ways, and also how to make liquid soap the good ol’ fashioned way, with lye instead of surfactants. 

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