I’ve recently been working with a client in her very heavily spice scented kitchen. After every session I found my hands smelt of the spices, even after a thorough wash with my usual commercially produced non-toxic unscented hand wash that I keep in the bathrooms. I prefer unscented hand wash because I really don’t like smelling a scent every time I eat something or touch my face, it’s also great to limit exposure to another chemical.
A little while ago I had made up my own natural foaming hand wash for the kitchen, based on pure liquid Castile soap, after learning how easy it was to make my own. There are lots of different recipes to try, I started out with a higher water to soap ratio but found my partner (The Cook) preferred half water and half soap for a more thorough clean. He also prefers a light fresh scent in kitchen soap because of food smells (he’s a hands-right-in-it kind of cook!).
I adore citrus scents and grapefruit is one of his favourites so I added some lemon, lemongrass and grapefruit essential oils. Just a few drops to start, then tested it on The Cook and added more until we were both happy with the strength of the scent. This hand soap completely removed the spice smells on my hands, with just one wash. It doesn’t mask the smell with heavy perfumes, in fact my hands didn’t smell of anything at all after rinsing and drying. Exactly what I wanted!
Essential oils are really quite amazing, so many have anti-bacterial properties, as well as many, many other useful qualities. There’s a huge amount of information on the internet. You can choose any essential oils you like, with the properties and scent that you want and add it to your own soap creation. Lemon happens to be a great oil for deodorising, it’s antibacterial and its scent makes me happy.
You will need:
- 1 bottle liquid Castile soap
- Water (I used filtered water)
- Essential oils
- A foaming soap pump (mine is a reused commercial bottle)
Measure the amount of water you would like to try and pour it into the pump bottle first. This could be 3/4 of the pump bottle capacity or half. Pour in the Castile soap stopping a good couple of centimetres below the top to allow room for the pump stem. Add just a few drops of your chosen oils. Screw the pump bottle lid on firmly and give it a good shake.
Test the soap to see if you’re happy with the consistency and scent. Experiment with different amounts, and of course check the internet for delicious oil combinations, and the best proportions if you want to add a moisturising oil.
I’ve used mine to wash dishes on occasion too, it works really well.
Do you use essential oils in your home? I’d love to hear which oils you use and how you use them.
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