Lemongrass Hand Soap: What Goes Into Our Natural Lemongrass Liquid Soap

Some hand soaps smell like a candle shop. Our lemongrass hand soap smells like fresh-cut grass and lemon peel, and that is the only scent in the bottle. Here is what goes into our lemongrass liquid soap, why we make it the old way, and how to get the most out of every pump.

A lot of the "soap" at the sink is not soap at all. Most body cleansers sold today are synthetic detergents, made in a lab to foam ¹. They can still say "soap" on the label.

We make true soap. We start with plant oils, mostly olive and coconut, and mix them with an alkali. For liquid soap that alkali is potassium hydroxide, which gives a soft soap that stays runny. The oils and the alkali react and turn into soap and glycerin. That reaction is called saponification, a long word for "making soap."

That is why our label lists potassium hydroxide even though none is left over in the bottle. It did its job and became soap. The glycerin it makes stays in, too. Glycerin pulls water toward your skin, so hands feel soft after washing, not tight.

Lemongrass is a tall, grassy plant used in a lot of kitchens. Its oil smells bright and clean, like lemon with a green edge. We use lemongrass essential oil as the only scent in this soap. No fragrance oil, no "parfum," no blend of mystery smells.

We like lemongrass at the sink because it smells fresh without being sweet. It works in a kitchen, a bathroom, or a workshop. And because it is a single oil, you always know what you are smelling.

Here is the full list from our recipe, heaviest first: water, olive oil, coconut oil, potassium hydroxide, glycerin, sodium lactate, lemongrass oil, castor seed oil, avocado oil and sodium chloride.

In plain words: olive oil makes a gentle soap. Coconut oil brings the bubbles. Castor and avocado oils make the lather creamy. Sodium lactate and sodium chloride (that is salt) help us get the soap just right. That is the whole list. No synthetic detergents, no mineral oil, no petroleum.

If you love the smell, you can carry it through the house. Our lemongrass hand lotion has shea butter, cocoa butter, oat and aloe with lemongrass oil. It is nice right after washing up, when hands want a little moisture.

For counters and sinks, our lemongrass multisurface cleaner refill is a concentrate. You mix it with water in a spray bottle you already own, so you are not buying a new bottle every time. It cleans and leaves the room smelling like lemongrass.