I’ve been trying to eliminate unnecessary chemicals in our home for a few years now. I’ve switched from bleach based cleaners to vinegar and baking soda. I try to eliminate my family’s exposure to ingredients that may cause harm to them.  I jumped on the essential oils bandwagon and have fallen in love with making my household ingredients. I’ve also began expanding the use of glass over plastic, wherever I can. I’m turning into a granola-loving hippie here! In all seriousness, I do love that I know what ingredients are in the products we use. In the following tutorial, I’ll show you how to make an essential oils foaming soap, using a pretty mason jar to store it in.

I fell in love with the Mason jar foaming soap dispenser idea. These little jars are just so pretty and I really wanted to make a few, using a few of the Young Living essential oils I discovered in my starter kit I got a few weeks ago.

I’ll start with the instructions for the Mason jar dispenser first.

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How to Make a Mason Jar Foaming Soap Dispenser:

Of course, the easiest way to make a foaming soap dispenser is to simply recycle a used foaming soap dispenser bottle you might already have from a store-bought soap. If your okay with that, then move on down to the recipe portion of this post.

What You’ll need:

• Hammer
• Nail(s)
• Mason jar
• Foaming soap dispenser pump

Directions:

1. Choose any size Mason-type of jar.
   I bought these pretty blue Mason jars. What I loved about them, is that they seemed so retro, clean, and classic. You can use any size or style of jar that has a metal lid.
2. Make sure to choose a FOAMING soap dispenser pump.
   When I started this project, I thought the easiest way to create the look I was going for, would be to locate a lid with a pump that fit my Mason jars, and simply screwed on the top of my jars. Well, that didn’t go as well as planned! While I found these amazing black dispenser pumps that fit nicely on the jars, the soap did not foam when it came out. It came out as liquid, not foam. I used the dispensers from some store-bought foaming soap bottles. They worked perfectly for this project.
3. Prepare the Mason jar lid for the pump.
   Take off the Mason jar lid. Using the opening of the foaming soap dispenser as a guide, trace a circle on the top of the Mason jar lid.
4. Make room for the foaming soap pump.
   I had Mr. Bear drill a hole in the center of my lid, but he didn’t have a drill bit big enough to fit the pump through the lid. Instead, I used a hammer and nail, hammering holes in the perimeter of the circle I drew in the lid. Then, I was able to peel back the metal and voila! The dispenser fit really nice. Alternatively, you could use a bigger drill or if you’re handy, use metal/tin snips to cut the area out.
5. Secure the foaming soap pump in place. 
   Gluing the pump into place accomplishes a few things. First, it prevents moisture from the inside of the jar from rusting the top of the lid. Secondly, it seals the area where the hole was cut. This prevents leaking when you shake up the jar. Sealing the hole can be done a variety of ways. I used waterproof shower caulking all around the hole on the under side of the lid. However, you could use hot glue, Gorilla glue, or any other sealant that finishes off the lid.
6. Re-assemble the jar, with the new foaming soap pump and add your soap. Now that the container is completed, you are now ready for the soap.

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How to Make Your Own Foaming Soap:

In the previous section, I explained how I made this beautiful Mason jar foaming soap dispenser. Now, it’s time to fill it up with your foaming soap pump with some lovely homemade soap. Now, let’s make your own non-toxic foaming soap, using essential oils and some other natural ingredients:

What You’ll Need:

 

• 1 Mason jar with foaming soap pump or use any recycled foaming soap container
• 2 teaspoons Almond Oil, Coconut Oil, or Olive Oil
• 1/4 cup of Castile soap. This quantity may vary, depending on the container. The bottle should be filled about 1/4 to 1/3 full. (I used Dr. Bronner’s unscented variety.)
• 2 teaspoons Aloe Vera juice. You can purchase this at any health food store, such as Whole Foods, Sprouts, etc.
• 10-15 drops of essential oils: I am using Young Living essential oils and I like using their Citrus Fresh blend for the kitchen because it smells so good. Thieves is a great oil for disinfecting and kills germs. Melaleuca Alternifolia, also known as Tea Tree Oil is great for cleansing and purifying—it makes a great addition to other oils. Peppermint and lavender oils smell great, in addition to the benefits that offer. Choose your favorite. 
• Distilled, purified, filtered, or boiled water. I boiled the water to get rid of the impurities, as I didn’t have any distilled or purified water on hand.
• Optional: 1 teaspoon of Vegetable Glycerin.  Vegetable glycerin helps to bind the oils to the other ingredients. I did not use it in this batch and it worked out just fine.

Instructions:

1. Pour in castile soap and essential oil. Give it a little stir.
2. Add in the Almond Oil and Aloe Vera juice. Give that a little stir.
3. Fill the jar up with the water, leaving enough room for the weight of the pump.
4. Put the lid on and give it a little shake.
5. Use whenever you wash your hands.