I’ve been slowly learning which diy, green-living, saving the environment things around the house are worth it and which just aren’t doable as a busy mom. I got pretty swept up in the desire to reduce all waste possible in the last year, only to find that it left me exhausted. It’s easy to be consumed by it, and it can take a lot of time. These days, I’ve been better at reminding myself that my number one priority is to be the best mom to my kids. And, if hang drying our laundry or watering our plants with buckets of gray water is taking away from that (both of which I was doing, gah), it’s gotta go.

Of course, the value to live green is still important to me, but I’m now more thoughtful about what I will choose to do and what I won’t. This DIY foaming soap is one of the things that made the list, largely because it’s so easy and so fast. We’re constantly washing little hands that are covered in dirt from digging in the garden, and foaming soap I’ve found is the best thing for kids. It’s fun and also easy for them to really work the foam into their hands themselves.

The things that you’ll probably need to purchase are castile soap, which you can find on amazon, Target, and even Costco recently, and a foaming soap pump. The latter I got at Target but I’ve also seen them at Bed Bath and Beyond and amazon. The other two ingredients are water, and olive oil, which you probably already have. Really, easy.

DIY Foaming Soap

Boiled water, cooled.
2 tablespoons castille soap.
a drop of olive oil

Boil enough water to mostly fill your soap dispenser, then let it cool. Boiling is to purify the water.

Fill the soap dispenser about an inch to the top. Add the castile soap and a drop of olive oil. Put on the top and give it a little shake. It’s done!

* Note: castile soap comes in lots of different scents. Ours is lavender, get a scent that you enjoy!