How To Make Laundry Detergent For Sensitive Skin

Having sensitive skin or allergies can make laundry uncomfortable, especially when you use commercial products full of chemicals and toxins.

Some of these toxins include sulfates, phosphates, and formaldehyde, all of which have been proven by the scientific community to be dangerous for your health and the planet.

It’s possible that the latest skin inflammation mystery in your house could be a reaction to your laundry detergent.

Some people are working around their sensitive skin by making their own laundry detergent.

While this may sound complicated, we’ve done the research, and it’s actually not as complicated as you might think.

You don’t need toxic chemicals to wash your clothes, and by making your own laundry detergent, you will find your skin is healthier and happier.

Keep reading to find out how to make laundry detergent for sensitive skin.

What You’ll Need

You need a few simple things to make laundry detergent for sensitive skin.

Washing Soda

You can buy your washing soda at your local supermarket, or you can make your own.

If you choose to make your own, you will need baking soda.

Spread your baking soda into a thin layer in your pan and place it into a 400-degree oven.

Bake your baking soda for an hour. It should dull and turn yellow, but if it’s not, stir and put your pan of baking soda back into the oven for another hour.

Once your baking soda has changed color, you have successfully made washing soda.

Baking Soda

You can buy baking soda at the supermarket. 

Castile Soap

I recommend getting the bar soap, not the liquid, and grating it at home.

A great option for this recipe is Castile Bar Soap by Kirk’s Sensitive Skin Formula.

It is an unscented formula made 100% out of coconut oil and contains no harmful toxins or parabens.

If you prefer scented soap, it also has a natural fresh-scented option.

Citric Acid

Citric acid is a natural cleaner; it will clean just about anything.

For this recipe, I recommend finding powdered citric acid online.

Milliard Citric Acid is a great product that I found on Amazon and gets great reviews.

White Vinegar

White vinegar isn’t a necessary part of making your own laundry detergent, but you can add it to the fabric softener compartment of your washer.

It reacts with homemade laundry detergent to make your clothes just as soft as commercial fabric softener without the harsh chemicals that often irritate sensitive skin.

Plus, your clothes won’t smell like vinegar.

If you decide to go this route instead of commercial fabric softeners, we recommend Lucy’s Family Owned – Natural Distilled White Vinegar.

It’s a best-seller on Amazon with perfect reviews.

It’s a win-win!

Video of How to Make Laundry Detergent for Sensitive Skin

Here is a video demonstrating how to make homemade laundry detergent for sensitive skin.

While this is not the recipe we found to be safest for sensitive skin, the video does demonstrate the skills you will need to follow the written instructions below. 

Step-by-Step Instructions For How To Make Laundry Detergent For Sensitive Skin

Making your own laundry detergent has many health benefits, especially if you or someone you love has sensitive skin.

Once you have completed these three easy steps, you will have homemade laundry detergent that your skin will love.

1. Grate The Soap

Before you can add your castile soap to your homemade laundry detergent, you need to grate it finely.

The more finely you grate your bar of soap, the better it will integrate with your other dry ingredients and dissolve in your washing machine.

Pro tip: You can grate your castile soap by hand, but I recommend using your food processor or blender.

These machines grate the soap more finely than I can by hand, and it saves a lot of work.

Just make sure you put a little of the baking soda in with the castile soap—this makes the soap come out finer.

The best part about it is you don’t have to worry about soap winding up in your food later; a good wash after you’re done will ensure the remaining soap is gone and your food processor or blender is clean once again.

2. Mix The Dry Ingredients Together

Stir the remaining dry ingredients (washing soda, baking soda, and powdered citric acid) together in a large bowl with your grated castile soap.

Pro tip: If you find your laundry detergent is clumping as you stir it, use a pastry blender to break up the clumps.

3. Store In An Airtight Container

Once your laundry detergent is mixed up, place it in an airtight container. It will be ready the next time you do laundry.

When you are ready to do a load of laundry, pour 1-2 tablespoons of your homemade laundry detergent into the detergent compartment of your washing machine, and pour the one cup of vinegar into the fabric softener compartment.

Commonly Asked Questions About How To Make Laundry Detergent For Sensitive Skin

Does this laundry detergent work on the cold setting?

Yes, the soap dissolves well in cold water, so you can use this laundry detergent on either the hot or the cold setting of your washing machine.

Does this laundry detergent work well on stains?

Yes, although I do still recommend you pretreat your stains before washing.

Homemade laundry detergent is healthier for sensitive skin, and it cleans stains just as effectively as commercial products.

Some even argue that homemade laundry detergent cleans their clothes even better.

Is borax safe to use?

Borax is highly debated.

Some people argue borax is completely safe to use because it is a natural product.

Others say that borax can have harmful side effects for people with sensitive skin.

I don’t like to take chances when it comes to my skincare, so this recipe does not include borax.

However, this homemade laundry detergent cleans just as well as laundry detergents that use borax, so you are not losing out on cleaning power.

Is it cheaper to make your own laundry detergent than it is to buy at the store?

Surprisingly, yes.

Making your own laundry detergent is cheaper per load by between 25 and 40 cents, allowing you to save money while enjoying healthy, sensitive skin.

Conclusion

I hope you have enjoyed learning how to make laundry detergent for sensitive skin.

Now that you know how easy it is to make your own laundry detergent for sensitive skin and avoid dangerous chemicals in commercial laundry detergent, you can enjoy clean clothes without irritating your sensitive skin.