Cut out the nasty chemicals while you wash your dishes using this recipe for homemade dish soap with essential oils. It smells lovely, works like a charm and you’ll get hooked!
Homemade Dish Soap with Essential Oils!
I’m one of those people that loves to wash dishes by hands. There’s something just so therapeutic about it. Plus add to the fact that I don’t have any space in my tiny flat for a dishwashing machine.
But using conventional dish soap to wash dishes by hand really took a toll on my skin. I promise you my skin wasn’t this rough or dry before I started washing the dishes – I blame the dreaded dish soap.
Dish soap is incredibly harsh on skin. Not surprising since they contain artificial surfactants like SLS (a toxic, cancer-casuing substance), synthetic fragrances (which disrupt hormones), parabens, preservatives and what not!
It’s when my hands started getting really irritated and dry (and no amount of hand cream was helping) that I decided it was time to make my own all-natural dish soap.
This recipe, for me, works like a charm! Please do try it out and tell me how it goes for you!
Make Homemade Dish Soap Using Natural Ingredients
In this recipe, we’ll be using completely natural ingredients that work just as well as conventional products, if not better!
Here’s how each of the ingredients we’ll be using help:
» Dr. Bronner’s Sal Suds – Dr. Bronner is reknown for his castile soap but Sal Suds are what we need for this recipe. Derived from natural ingredients, sal suds are a safe, biodegradable and eco-friendly surfactant to use, compared to SLS which is found in conventional dish soaps.
» Vinegar – Enhances the efficiency of Sal Suds, cuts through grease and grime, natural cleaning agent
» Hydrosol – Aromatic flower waters, all natural, good for skin. If you do not have hydrosols, use distilled water instead. Using plain tap water will make the liquid dish soap go bad quickly.
» Himalayan Pink Salt – Salt helps the liquid soap to maintain a smooth consistency, prevents it from turning into a gloppy mess, emulsifies the essential oils, prevents the essential oils from floating to the top of the liquid after some time. Iodized table salt or sea salt won’t work. Substitute with kosher salt if pink Himalayan salt is not available.
» Essential Oils – Highly aromatic substances, all natural, rich in anti-bacterial, disinfectant properties. You can use rosemary, lemon, orange, citronella or other essential oils of your choice.
How to Make Homemade Dish Soap with Essential Oils
Here’s how to go about making homemade dish soap – it doesn’t get easier than this!
What you need:
- ½ cup of Dr. Bronner’s Sal Suds (where to get it)
- ½ cup of white vinegar (where to get it)
- 2 teaspoons of pink Himalayan salt (where to get it)
- ½ cup of flower hydrosol (I love using neroli/orange blossom hydrosol)
- 10 drops of lemon essential oil (where to get it)
- 2 glass bowls
- Funnel
- 16 oz dispenser bottle (where to get it) or any other recycled container
Method:
- In a small glass bowl, combine the essential oils with pink salt and stir gently for a minute. Allow it to rest for 5 minutes. The salt acts as an emulsifier for the essential oils. This makes sure that the oils don’t separate after some time when added to the other liquid ingredients.
- Now combine the essential oil-infused pink salt with the hydrosol and stir until fully dissolved.
- In a larger glass bowl, combine the Sal Suds and vinegar.
- Finally add the sal suds-vinegar mixture slowly into the salt mixture while stirring. You will find the liquid thickening up.
- Transfer using a funnel into your dispenser or old recycled dish wash container.
- Squirt onto dishes and wash as you usually do.
Tips
- This dish washing liquid recipe works equally well in both hard water and soft water.
- Use a foaming dispenser for easier usage and more bubbles. If using a foaming dispenser, just add an extra ¼ cup of distilled water.
- Store in a amber dispenser if possible, as essential oils react with plastic and clear containers can degrade the essential oil!
Have you tried making homemade dish soap with essential oils? Did it work for you? Share your story below!
