Last updated on July 2nd, 2021
We all clean our hands many times a day, especially now with the pandemic situation. And the harsh soap (which is also expensive) leaves our hands feeling dry and itchy unless you follow it up with a moisturizer.
It’s time to stop using the harsh hand wash liquids that you buy off the shelf at the supermarket, and put those tiny hotel bars of soap that you’ve been saving for months, to some good use! They should be gentle on the hands by plain logic. Aren’t they labeled ‘facial bars’? If they can be used on the face, they will definitely be safe and gentle for use on hands!
Let’s have a look at a simple recipe to make liquid hand soap right at home, that is easy on your pocket and gentle on your hands at the same time.
Before that, let’s get this one nagging question out of our way.
Are Home-made Soaps As Effective As Antibacterial Soaps?
Anti-bacterial soaps are hugely popular today. But despite what scores of advertisements of antibacterial soaps will have you believe, plain soap and water are enough to kill germs. In fact, washing your hands with good old soap and warm water for 15 seconds is all you need to clean and disinfect your hands most effectively. Also, anti-bacterial soaps, which are shown to be more effective against germs, and are obviously priced higher than ordinary soaps, are in no way more effective at killing germs than a good old-fashioned bar of soap. Quite surprisingly, extensive use of anti-bacterial soaps also creates strains of hardy bacteria that are very difficult to kill. Let’s move on to the recipe now!
Here’s What You’ll Need
- 250 grams of Grated Soap
- 2 tablespoons of Glycerin
- 3 liters of filtered water
The Recipe
You need to use the soap bars you have and crush or grate them into small bits. You can either choose to grate them or stick them in a mixer or food processor. Another trick is to microwave the bars of soap for two minutes and just crush them with your hands.
Take the water in a large pot and heat it on the stove. Heat it until it is just hot enough to dissolve the soap, and not boiling hot. Once the water is hot enough, put the grated soap into it and stir well until the soap dissolves in the water, before adding the glycerin to it.
Pour the mixture into a container with a lid, and leave it aside overnight. You will need to whisk the resulting liquid the next morning as it would have thickened quite a bit through the night.
Finally, pour the hand soap that you’ve made into a dispenser of your choice and place it in the bathroom.
