When I won a bottle of Bath & Body Works Twisted Peppermint foaming hand soap at a Christmas party in December, I was delighted! I’d never tried this product before, but I love peppermint! The soap turned out to be a favorite of mine, and when we reached the bottom of the bottle in April, I wanted more.
My first inclination was to search for it online, but I wasn’t able to find it at a reasonable price since it is a seasonal item at Bath & Body Works stores. In my search, I did find a recipe for making your own foaming hand soap.
It took me a few weeks to gather my supplies, only because I didn’t want to pay online prices for essential peppermint oil. I wasn’t set on a high quality peppermint oil. All I was interested in was the scent, not any of the healing properties. It’s hand soap, for heaven’s sake!
I found a clear, almost scent-free soap at Wal-Mart for around $3. At a local bulk store, I found a small bottle of peppermint oil for $1. I had water on hand, and I planned to re-use the original foaming soap dispenser.
Now, it was time to get to work. I measured out 1/4 cup of the liquid soap and carefully poured it into the soap dispenser. I then added 3/4 cup of water. Lastly, I poured in a small amount of peppermint oil. I put the top back on the dispenser and shook the ingredients to mix them.
When I tried the pump, the foam was a little less soapy than the Bath & Body Works variety, so I added another quick squeeze of my Wal-Mart clear soap and shook it again. Perfection!
My last step was to add a tiny drop of red food coloring so that my soap looked just like the original name brand soap, and I replaced the container in my bathroom with nobody the wiser. I’m very happy that I will not have to wait until next November to have peppermint foaming hand soap in my bathroom.
In fact, I now have peppermint foaming hand soap in both bathrooms and in my kitchen. The supplies that I bought would easily supply me with peppermint foaming hand soap for several years.
If you’ve got an empty dispenser for foaming hand soap, have a try at making your own. If you’ve got a liquid soap that is already scented, then all you need to do is add water to the soap in a 1:4 ratio. Easy peasy and frugal, too!
Good job!
I’ve been doing this since the kids were young. I don’t add any fragrance as that makes my asthma go nuts.
That’s great, Markie! I don’t usually like the heavily perfumed soaps, but this peppermint smells delicious!