DIY Soothing Calendula Foaming Hand Soap

This post may contain affiliate links and we will earn a small commission if you make a purchase through these links.

This soothing calendula-infused foaming hand soap is made with just a few ingredients. It is a combination of calendula tea, calendula-infused oil, and liquid castile soap. Individual skin responses can vary, so check the ingredients before use.

How to Make Foaming Hand Soap

Foaming hand soap is easier to make than you might think. The secret to making foaming hand soap at home is in the dispenser: you must use a liquid soap dispenser with a foaming pump that injects air into the soap as it is pumped from the bottle.

This is key to excellent foaming hand soap. Even if you follow the recipe exactly, you will NOT have soap that foams as it is dispensed without a foaming soap dispenser. It works well and looks nice next to a sink; what more could you ask for?

Liquid castile soap is a good base for DIY foaming hand soap. It is foamy on its own, and technically you could fill your foaming soap dispenser with pure castile soap and be good to go.

However, I find mixing it with a water base and a touch of glycerin makes it even foamier, and you get more bang for your buck with the castile soap.

Why Calendula Hand Soap

Calendula is a great herb that I use in lots of homemade DIY recipes. My family (myself included!) has a variety of skin types and sensitivities. I enjoy using calendula in homemade projects because of its color and gentle herbal character. However, natural ingredients can still cause irritation or allergic reactions, so check each ingredient before use.

As a new mom, a homemade calendula oil infusion is one of the first herbal concoctions I made many years ago as a new mom. It has very little natural scent. This recipe includes calendula-infused oil, but you may substitute with a plain liquid oil if you prefer.

Calendula is particularly nice as a hand soap because hands can get so dry from constant use and washing. Calendula gives this DIY project a botanical touch. Keep in mind that the finished product’s effects on skin can vary depending on the ingredients and the individual.

More ways to Use Calendula

If you’re new to calendula, it is such an easy herb to work with! Plus, it lends a beautiful golden color to anything you make with it. It is edible (try it in a salad for a beautiful pop of yellow) and can be made into tea for drinking. It has a mild floral taste and is a beautiful evening drink to wind down at the end of the day.

Note: Do check with your healthcare advisor if you have a calendula allergy before buying in bulk.

How to Make Calendula Foaming Hand Soap 

Important safety note: This is a homemade DIY project, not a tested commercial soap formulation. Because the recipe uses brewed calendula tea, it introduces water into the mixture, and its microbial safety and shelf life have not been established.

Do not assume that castile soap, calendula or essential oils preserve the finished mixture. For routine handwashing, use a commercially formulated foaming hand soap or a properly developed and tested formulation.

Avoid adding essential oils for use by children or people with known ingredient sensitivities unless the finished formulation has been assessed for suitability.

1. Brew a strong calendula tea infusion. Use 1/3 cup of dried calendula flowers with 1 cup of hot water. Let sit for at least 10 minutes.

2. Strain the flowers out of the tea.

3. Pour the calendula tea into your foaming hand soap container

4. Add castile soap, calendula-infused oil (or liquid oil of your choice), and glycerin to the soap dispenser

5. Put top on your soap container and give it a good shake.

How to make it Scented

I’ve chosen to leave this recipe unscented to eliminate any possibilities of reactions from sensitive skin. The finished product has a slightly herby, floral smell from the calendula infusion. However, if you prefer a stronger scent for your foaming hand soap, you can add essential oil.

5-7 drops of your favorite essential oil is all you’ll need for the entire container. I’ve left this version unscented.

Essential oils can irritate skin or trigger allergic reactions, and being plant-derived does not automatically make an ingredient suitable for children or sensitive skin. I would avoid adding essential oils unless you have verified that the specific oil and finished formulation are suitable for the intended users.

Make sure to add the essential oil to your infused calendula oil before mixing it in with the tea. Essential oils do not readily dissolve in water, and mixing them with a carrier oil does not guarantee even distribution throughout a water-based soap mixture.

For this reason, I recommend leaving the recipe unscented unless you are using a formulation specifically developed for that essential oil.

You may also opt to use a scented version of Castile soap, like a lavender version. It is lightly scented with essential oil to give a mild scent to your finished soap!

And just like that, the recipe is finished! Make yours now.