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!
We just made 3 soaps that had all run out at the same time! Thanks for the recipe!! Mike, Nicole, and Mason from Canada!
I’m happy to hear that you were able to make your own foaming hand soap!