DIY Lavender hand soap with Carrot & Cypress essential oils

For all of humanity’s technological developments, washing your hands with soap and water remains one of the most effective ways of getting rid of germs and microbes—including bacteria, viruses, and fungi.

We explained how soap works in a recent blog post:

A surfactant substance [such as soap] is made of molecules with two ends:

• • • One end that’s attracted to water.
    • One end that’s NOT attracted to water. This end is drawn to other substances, like dirt.

When a surfactant molecule is applied to a surface—such as your skin—one end of the molecule is attracted to dirt [and germs]. But the water-loving end of the molecule is just hanging out there, not doing anything… until water comes along!

Then the water-loving end of the molecule grabs onto the water and gets rinsed away. 

Learn more about soap and surfactants!

This Carrot, Cypress & Lavender Hand Soap is made with gentle liquid castile soap, and three essential oils. After the recipe, I’ll explain how each essential oil contributes to its microbe-reducing effects. 

Carrot, Cypress & Lavender Hand Soap 

• 50 ml PET foam soap bottle 
• 40 ml liquid castile soap
• 12 drops Wild Carrot essential oil (Daucus carota)
• 10 drops Lavender essential oil (Lavandula angustifolia)
• 8 drops  Cypress essential oil (Cupressus sempervirens)

When you pour your castile soap into the PET bottle, you’ll notice it doesn’t reach the top. That’s because we want to leave some space in the bottle for the bulky top—which creates the luxurious foaming action! 

Making this hand soap is easy. Just pour the castile soap into the bottle, and then add your drops of essential oils.

Make sure the foamer pump top is securely in place before shaking your blend gently to distribute the oils through the hand soap. 

Cypress essential oil

Cupressus sempervirens

Cypress essential oil is rich in a-pinene, which contributes to its ability to reduce the presence of a variety of bacteria, viruses, and even fungi. 

This resinous, smoky, pine-woody oil offers a sense of emotional balance and security, even when the world feels topsy turvy. Cypress helps you take deep, calm breaths, and is a valuable addition to blends during cold and flu season.

Lavender essential oil

Lavandula angustifolia

Lavender is rich in linalool—one of the most widely studied essential oil constituents, which has been shown in studies to have a broad range of antimicrobial effects. 

Lavender’s soft, floral scent, along with its wide variety of benefits, has made it one of the most popular essential oils in the world. In addition to purifying and protecting skin, its ultra-calming effects help to relax the nervous system, allowing your immune system to stay strong.

Wild Carrot essential oil

Daucus carota

Wild Carrot oil is rich in a-pinene, giving it a synergy with Cypress. It also contains about 39% geranyl acetate—an ester that helps reduce bacteria and fungi. 

Wild Carrot oil is distilled from the whole plant, also known as Queen Anne’s Lace, which are the ancestors of edible carrots. It has a light, woody, slightly spicy scent. It’s also used to calm muscle cramps. (Don’t confuse this oil with Carrot Seed, which is rich in sesquiterpenes and well-loved for skincare! You’ll know that you have the right oil by looking at the geranyl acetate content.)

Have fun washing your hands with your beautiful homemade hand soap!