I’m obessesed with foaming soap. You use way less soap and there isn’t this boogie of slimy soap to get back off your hands. But with two growing boys at home, buying those prefilled dispensers was adding up.

Lucky for us I found a solution. You can simply grab a mason jar and a foaming soap lid and your favorite soap and voila.

And this works with almost any soap liquid gentle enough for hands, so feel free to use dishsoap, bubble bath, or even your favorite shampoo. Which for me is Suave Sun Ripened Strawberries. I just love that strawberry burst when washing my hands.

Once you have the right tools, foaming handsoap costs maybe 25 cents to refill each time, depending on the cost of soap on hand. The trick is finding the right size jars to fit these dispenser lids.

Our Household Recipe Series is here to help you save money by replacing expensive store bought solutions with homemade versions that work just as well.

Foaming Hand Soap

Save money be refilling your own jar of foaming handsoap with this easy recipe. the initial investment practically pays for itself.

Print Recipe

Prep Time 5

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

1 part Skin Safe Soap
3 part Water

Equipment

1 Wide Mouthed Mason Jar
1 1 Foaming Dispenser Lid
1 Marker or piece of tape paint pens work well

Method

Measure the amount of volume your jar holds and divide by 3.
Add 1 part soap to glass mason jar and mark that line for future reference.
Add 3 parts of water to glass mason jar and mark that line for future reference.
Remember to leave room for the dispenser parts inside the jar.
Screw on dispenser lid.
Swirl of shake until soap is fully mixed into water. Allow to rest for a few hours and repeat as necessary when you use the dispenser until water and soap is uniform.

Notes

Any skin safe liquid soap will work. Try your favorite shampoo or bubble bath, and this works with liquid dishsoaps meant for handwashing dishes.
Never use laundry soaps, powered soaps, bar soaps, dishwasher soaps, or detergents. Not only will the dispenser likely not work, you can irritate and burn your skin with these products.
If the pump becomes clogged, simply fill the dispenser with water and pump until it comes out.
By varying the ratio of soap to water you can thin and thicken the foam that comes out.

Why Make Your Own Foaming Hand Soap?

One of the biggest reasons I started making foaming handsoap was simply the cost. With two growing boys at home, those prefilled dispensers were adding up.

Once you have a reusable foaming dispenser, you can refill it again and again instead of buying another disposable bottle every time the soap runs out.

You also aren’t limited to one particular soap. Almost any liquid soap that is gentle enough for your hands can give you options for different scents and products you may already have around the house.

Using Mason Jars for Foaming Soap

A mason jar with a foaming soap dispenser lid makes an easy reusable container. The important part is making sure the dispenser lid fits the size and mouth of the jar you’re using.

Once you have the jar and dispenser pump, you have a container that can be refilled instead of replaced.