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Best Eco-Friendly Hand Soap: Sustainable, Low Waste, and Natural

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15 Best Eco-Friendly Hand Soaps That Smell Great

If there’s one thing we’ve been doing a lot over the past few years, it’s washing our hands! That’s certainly not a bad thing — unless you’re using hand soap containing toxic chemicals that comes in a plastic bottle you throw away when empty. But can you actually get eco-friendly hand soap? You absolutely can!

Whether you want something made with organic ingredients, or you’re interested in getting something that’s zero waste, you’ll find exactly what you’re looking for when you check out this list of the best eco-friendly hand soap options for sustainably clean hands.

Also, don’t forget, if you’re on the go and need to get your hands clean, you can check out how to make this DIY hand sanitizer!

Related: How to Make DIY Reusable Disinfecting Wipes

Best Hand Soaps for Clean Hands and a Healthy Planet

When you’re ready to clean your hands without using toxic ingredients or creating even more unnecessary plastic waste, make the switch to one of these best eco-friendly hand soaps.

1. Dropps

Dropps Foaming Hand Soap

You might be familiar with Dropps because of their outstanding eco-friendly dishwasher detergent that leaves your dishes sparkling clean without any pre-washing required. But did you know they also make a fantastic eco-friendly hand soap?

Even better, these foaming hand soaps come in a variety of scents you’ll absolutely love.

You can begin by picking up the starter kit, which includes a reusable foaming hand soap dispenser and the hand soap refill pods. Then you can continue to use the soap dispenser and simply reorder the refill pods when you need them.

Dropps even offers a convenient subscription service that helps you save money and ensures you never run out of soap!

The vegan and cruelty-free soap offers a gentle clean using plant-based ingredients that include aloe and shea oil to help soothe and soften your skin. Plus, everything ships to you in compostable cardboard packaging, so you can enjoy clean hands and low waste.

Related: The Best Zero Waste Lotion Bars for Naturally Smooth Skin

2. The Home Farm

The Home Farm hand soap

You can use this organic, biodegradable hand soap from The Home Farm in the kitchen, in the bathroom, or pretty much anywhere else you need to wash your hands. It’s vegan, cruelty free, and non-toxic.

If you’re buying The Home Farm soap for the first time, you can order the bottle with the pump top. When you need to get a refill, simply order the bottle with the metal cap.

You can then take the pump from your empty bottle, put it on top of your new bottle, and you’re ready to go!

Related: The Easy Way to Create a Zero Waste Bathroom

3. DIY Hand Soap

Did you know it’s actually really easy to make your own homemade hand soap? It is when you grab a bottle of Castile soap and then check out this post!

Plus, hand soap isn’t the only cleaning product you can make at home. If you’re interested in green cleaning your entire home, check out this DIY natural cleaning recipe bundle.

Natural cleaning recipe cards

You’ll get over 25 recipe cards for natural cleaning products that are cheap and easy to make at home using ingredients you likely already have on hand. You’ll also get a guide on the best essential oil cleaning blends and a cheat sheet on the natural cleaning ingredients you should never mix together.

Thanks to this affordable bundle, you’ll have everything you need to reduce waste and naturally clean every room in your house!

4. Blueland

Blueland hand soap

With Blueland, you buy the bottle once, and then refill it forever with easy-to-use concentrated tablets. This means no more throwing away plastic bottles and dealing with unnecessary waste.

You’ll be able to wash away dirt and grime without any harsh ingredients, such as parabens, phthalates, phosphates, ammonia, VOCs, or chlorine bleach. Plus, the hypoallergenic soap is safe for kids and people with sensitive skin.

The soap is very easy to use. To begin, decide whether you would like to get one or two foaming dispensers. Fill the bottle with water and drop in a tablet. Once the tablet has fully dissolve, you’re ready to use your foaming hand soap.

Related: The Best Zero Waste Products for Beginners

When you need more of the vegan and Leaping Bunny certified cruelty-free tablets, you can decide whether you would like to get 5 or 10 refills. They come packed in compostable paper-based packaging for easy storage and zero waste.

If you’re interested in learning more about Blueland and how their hand soap works, be sure to check out this complete review I did after using it in my house for a few months.

5. 0 Waste Cleaning

0 Waste Cleaning hand soap

0 Waste Cleaning makes washing your hands convenient AND sustainable thanks to their refillable hand soap kit. This kit comes with two thick, durable glass dispensers (so you can stick one in the bathroom and one in the kitchen!) and four foaming hand soap tablets in their delightful scents.

To make your soap, simply fill the bottle with warm water, drop in a tablet, and shake it until it has dissolved.

When your bottle is empty, you can pick up a pack of 4 replacement tablets. You can get all 4 tablets in your favorite scent, or you can pick up the variety pack to change up the scents you use.

The bottles are reusable and 100% recyclable, and all the packaging materials are 100% biodegradable.

Related: The Effortless Way to Create a Zero Waste Kitchen

6. Rosey

Rosey hand soap

Rosey is a line of effective mineral- and plant-powered cleaning products available exclusively at Thrive Market, which is one of the best online stores to find affordable organic food and other eco-friendly essentials.

Their zesty tangerine grapefruit hand wash doesn’t contain any harsh chemicals, phthalates, or parabens. Instead, it uses botanical extracts, cleansing activated charcoal, and soothing aloe vera to leave your hands clean, soft, and smelling fantastic.

You can also feel good knowing this vegan and Leaping Bunny Certified cruelty-free hand soap comes from a Certified B Corporation, which means they prioritize people and our planet in everything they do.

For a limited time, you can get 40% OFF your first order and a FREE gift when you join Thrive Market. So make sure you sign up today!

7. Pure Soap Flakes

Life Without Plastic Pure Soap Flakes

Interested in another way to make your own hand soap? Then check out these pure soap flakes from Life Without Plastic.

All you have to do is mix the soap flakes with some water to make your own hand soap. You can also add a few drops of essential oil if you would like your soap to have a light fragrance.

The flakes arrive in a recyclable or compostable brown bag to help eliminate plastic waste. Plus, they’re incredibly versatile.

Not only can you use them to make hand soap, but you can also use them to make dish soap, laundry detergent, an all-purpose cleaner, a scrubbing cleaner, and more.

Related: Where to Find Everything You Need to Make Natural Cleaning Products

8. Soap Distillery

Soap Distillery Hand Soap 1

If you prefer using bar soap instead of liquid soap, Soap Distillery has a fantastic selection of eco-friendly hand soaps for you!

These natural soaps are handmade in the U.S. and don’t contain any palm oil, formaldehyde, phthalates, or artificial detergents. Instead, they use simple ingredients that are gentle enough to clean your hands or clean your body in the shower or bath without drying your skin.

Related: Is Bar Soap Sanitary? Here’s What You Need to Know!

The soaps come in a compostable or recyclable cardboard sleeve and arrive at your home packaged in compostable or recyclable cardboard.

You can find Soap Distillery product at EarthHero. If you decide to try some, be sure to use the code EARTHFRIENDLY to take 10% off your order!

9. Tangie

Tangie hand soap paste

This soap concentrate from Tangie offers a unique way to make your own hand soap. The paste bar is no bigger than a deck of cards, but you can use it to make up to one gallon of liquid hand soap!

To use, simply cut the bar into 3 or 4 equal pieces. Drop one piece into 2 to 4 cups of water, and let it sit until it completely dissolves. Pour this mixture into your reusable soap dispenser, and you’re ready wash.

It will work with pretty much any existing soap dispenser you have, but it works best in foaming soap dispensers.

The all-natural soap concentrate bar is available in unscented or citrus scent.

10. Meliora

Meliora Foaming Hand Soap Tablets

You can find all types of eco-friendly cleaning products from Meliora, such as their eco-friendly laundry detergent and their sustainable hand soap.

In fact, you can ditch the plastic waste and turn any existing foaming hand soap dispenser into a more sustainable one thanks to these foaming hand soap tablets. Each ultra-concentrated tablet makes 9 ounces of foaming hand soap.

The tablets ship plastic-free in recyclable cardboard packaging, which means no more wasteful plastic soap refill bottles.

The soap is a MADE SAFE Certified product that has been third-party tested to ensure it only contains non-toxic ingredients that are safe for the environment and your skin. You can also feel good knowing Meliora is a woman-owned, B Corporation Certified company that is Leaping Bunny Certified cruelty free and a member of 1% for the Planet.

11. Cleancult

In addition to making some of the best zero waste dish soap for naturally clean dishes, Cleancult also makes eco-friendly hand soap. You can choose between liquid soap and foaming soap refills.

The soaps will work in your existing dispensers, or you can pick up either the shatter resistant hand soap dispenser or the shatter resistant foaming hand soap dispenser.

This skin-friendly hand soap is tough on dirt but gentle on the environment. It’s designed to easily break down without leaving behind any toxins.

With scents that include Lavender, Blue Sage, Eucalyptus Tea Tree, and Sweet Honeysuckle, you’re sure to find one the whole family loves. Additionally, both the liquid and foaming soap refills come in paper-based, 100% recyclable packaging to help you cut down on plastic waste.

Related: Amazing Eco-Friendly Alternatives to Plastic Sponges

12. Fillaree

Fillaree hand soap

Thanks to Fillaree, you can get your hands clean with a luxurious soap that’s vegan, non-toxic, and safe for everyone in the family. This soap also contains no artificial fragrances, parabens, or sulfates.

The first time you order, choose the starter kit that includes a full 16-ounce aluminum bottle, an empty 8-ounce glass bottle, a 64-ounce refill box, a metal funnel, and a compostable konjac sponge.

You can then use the refill box to fill up the bottles over and over again. Once the refill box is empty, save the spout for future use, give the box a quick rinse, and send back 3 to 5 empties with a prepaid return label.

Then pick out which refill box you want to use to start filling up your bottles again. With numerous lovely scents and an unscented variety available, you’ll have no problem finding the perfect option to suit your needs.

13. Plaine Products

Plaine Products Hand Wash

Plaine Products makes it incredibly easy to enjoy the convenience of liquid hand soap without any of the waste. This fresh smelling hand soap gently washes away bacteria and germs while your leaving skin clean and soft.

The organic, biodegradable, hypoallergenic, vegan, and cruelty-free hand soap comes packaged in a 16-ounce reusable or recyclable aluminum bottle.

When you first order this soap, choose the first time order that includes a pump. Once your hand soap is almost empty, simply order a refill bottle without the pump.

You can then fill out this form to receive a shipping label to send your original bottle back to Plaine Products to be sanitized and reused. You can also put empty and rinsed out aluminum bottles in curbside recycling bins.

14. The Nada Shop

The Nada Shop hand soap

The Nada Shop is a woman-founded company on a mission to make low waste living easier and more accessible to everyone. Their nourishing hand soap is so economical and effective, each bottle lasts around 300 washes!

The soap is biodegradable, non-toxic, and made with certified organic ingredients. Plus, for a gentler and more natural clean, it’s free of sulfates and parabens.

When you’re ready to get some, start by deciding whether you would like an unscented or scented variety. Next, choose whether you would prefer your soap in an aluminum or glass bottle.

If you’re buying The Nada Shop hand soap for the first time, choose the pump top option. When it’s time to refill, either rinse out the bottle and put it in its proper recycling bin, or wash it and reuse it for other items.

Since glass and aluminum can be recycled without losing their properties, they’re some of the easiest materials to recycle.

You can then purchase a new bottle of hand soap with a screw cap and simply put your old pump top on it.

15. Etee

Etee Hand Soap

Etee is one of the best zero waste online shops for all of your eco-friendly essentials. Everything ships right to your front door without any plastic waste, including their hand soap concentrates.

If you prefer regular liquid soap, check out the lemongrass liquid hand soap concentrate. If you like using foaming soap, you’ll love the lavender lime foaming hand soap concentrate.

Both options come packaged in Etee’s one-of-a-kind, backyard compostable Beepods. Simply squeeze the hand soap concentrate into a dispenser containing water, give it a swirl to combine, and toss the Beepod in your compost bin.

Both soap concentrates are made with 100% plant-based ingredients that won’t dry out your hands. Plus, you can feel good knowing you’re using a soap that isn’t tested on animals and doesn’t contain any sulphates, parabens, and harsh chemicals!

Related: The Dangerous and Toxic Secrets Hiding in Your Household Cleaning Supplies

What Makes Hand Soap Eco-Friendly?

When you’re shopping for hand soap, there are certain factors you should look for to ensure you’re choosing something that’s eco-friendly.

First, try to find something that comes with either low waste or zero waste packaging. Plastic creates pollution from the moment oil is extracted from the Earth to make it.

After that, most plastics aren’t recycled. Instead, they end up in landfills or even in our waterways. When plastics starts to breakdown, they creates microplastics that are devastating to the environment and the health of wildlife and people.

Related: How to Prevent Microfiber Pollution From Laundry

Second, look for soap made from natural or biodegradable ingredients. Even if our soapy water ends up in a municipal water treatment facility, some of it will eventually make its way to the soil, groundwater, rivers, or oceans.

That’s where ingredients like surfactants and other toxic chemicals can harm wildlife and even damage entire ecosystems.

On the other hand, biodegradable ingredients are safe for our skin and will quickly and naturally breakdown in water.

Related: The Best Natural Sunscreens That Are Skin- and Reef-Safe

Are Antibacterial Soaps Dangerous?

You’ll notice all of the eco-friendly hand soaps on this list aren’t antibacterial. Should you be using an antibacterial soap? Actually, the answer is no.

Antibacterial soaps are completely unnecessary. As long as you wash your hands long enough (for at least 20 seconds), soap and water on their own will remove germs and bacteria.

While antibacterial soaps will kill most bacteria, they can also leave behind bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics and create “super bugs.”

Related: How to Make a Natural and Effective DIY Disinfectant Spray

Choosing the Best Eco-Friendly Hand Soap

Washing your hands is an important way to stay healthy. But some hand soaps create excess plastic waste and release dangerous toxins into the environment.

By choosing one of these top eco-friendly hand soaps, you can make sure your hands stay clean while also reducing waste and protecting the environment.

More Eco-Friendly Living Tips

Did you enjoy learning more about the best eco-friendly hand soap? Are you interested in discovering even more helpful tips on sustainable living? Then please be sure to take a look at some of our other popular posts:

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