Today I needed to make more handsoap for the family, so I thought I would take step-by-step pics and share the process with you.  It is so incredibly easy!

All you need is:

The tall bottle is GLYCERIN.  I bought mine at Hobby Lobby for $3.47.  This bottle has lasted me about a year.  The small bottle is ESSENTIAL OIL.  I used peppermint.  This ingredient isn't necessary, but I like my soap to smell good.  You can buy essential oils at health food stores.  Other smells you could try would be orange, lemon, eucalyptus...the possibilities are endless!  The bar of SOAP is one that we made with some friends about a year ago, but you can use any bar of soap.  If you are wanting the soap to be a pure soap, use a castille soap or something like Ivory.

Next step:

GRATE your SOAP.  The contraption above is a Bosch Slicer/Shredder I bought to do blocks of cheese.  I bought it at MarmeeDear.com.  It has more than paid for itself in the 2 years I've owned it.  However, if you don't own one of these, please feel free to grate your soap the old-fashioned way...w/ a cheese grater!  Use the finer holes, so your soap flakes will dissolve easier.

Here's the finished product:

Now, put 1 CUP of SOAP FLAKES in a pot:

Cover with 4 CUPS of WATER, and add 1 TBSP of GLYCERIN, and about 5 DROPS of ESSENTIAL OIL.  Warm the pot on the stove until the soap flakes melt.

That's it, you are done!  The last thing I do is fill all my soap containers, and put the leftover soap in a bottle that I keep under my sink.  A FUNNEL is handy for filling soap containers.

You will have to get used the consistancy of this soap...it is runnier (for lack of a better word) than commercial soaps, but for littles that is a good thing, as the soap is easier to get off your hands.  We have been using this recipe for our handsoap for about a year now, and just recently switched to this for our bath soap too.  We love it!  Hope you do too!