Best Dishwashing Liquid For Sensitive Hands

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We use dishwashing liquid pretty much every day. Sometimes, we’ll even use it to wash our hands, if the bathroom is occupied and we need to wash them pronto.

But many of us don’t realize how harmful most of those detergents are. Especially the ones that are advertised as really strong, or that can supposedly wipe out an entire greasy pan with just one drop.

That’s because of the chemicals. And those same chemicals that are eating at that grease are eating at your hands, causing your skin to get irritated or break out. And not to mention just how drying that can be.

This is especially noticeable is you have sensitive skin. In that case, you definitely need to get yourself a good dish soap for sensitive skin, and here are your top options!

But First Remember This!

Wear Rubber Gloves

Even if you hate wearing gloves, try to wear them at least occasionally. They protect your hands and nails from the negative effects of dishwashing liquids, but also from water. So, try to wear them at least once every couple days – you will really see the difference.

You should wear them even more frequently if you want to preserve your nails. And I’m not talking just about chipped manicures – water, especially in combination with dishwashing liquid, will weaken your nails. They will get soft, and they are more likely to break or peel. Gloves protect them from water, so definitely wear them if you want your nails to stay strong and healthy.

Moisturize Your Hands Regularly

Water alone can really dry out your skin, especially if you wash the dishes several times a day and don’t remember to moisturize.  That’s why moisturizing your hands regularly is really important, even more so if you don’t wear gloves when you do the dishes.

You also need to moisturize your nails and cuticles properly. Water and dishwashing liquid make your cuticles really soft at first, which makes it really easy for them to tear. And if you don’t want your cuticles to look like you’ve been biting them for years, you should use nail oil regularly. Basically, anything with jojoba oil works – apply it to your nails and cuticles before and after washing the dishes, to keep them strong and healthy.

Scented Soap And Allergies

Almost every dish washing soap is scented. Which would be fine, if all of its ingredients were fully disclosed. But they are frequently not, and some of them can be really bad for your health – a lot of those ingredients are allergens. And it’s not just that – “scented” soaps and liquids are one of the leading causes of water pollution, so it’s also environmentally responsible to avoid them.

If you are prone to allergies or just generally react badly to scented dishwashing liquids, definitely avoid them. After all, it’s more important that it gets out grease efficiently, than that it smells like spring. Especially if that’s going to save you a trip to the doctor’s office, right?

Chemical Vs. Natural Products

I’ll show you a little bit of both.

Chemical dish soaps for sensitive hands do a great job at cutting grease and are really efficient at cleaning your dishes. They are not as good for your skin as natural products, but they are the better choice if you still want to wash really greasy pans with it.

Dish soaps made from natural ingredients are great for your skin. They don’t contain any harmful or toxic chemicals, and so they are completely safe to use even without rubber gloves. However, they aren’t really that efficient at cleaning greasy dishes, and you would still need a different dishwashing liquid for those super greasy pans.

The choice is yours – if you have super sensitive skin, I think you should definitely go for a natural product. But if you don’t suffer from allergies or have bad reactions to regular dish soap, then you might as well get a harsher one, which does a better job at cutting grease.

Best Dishwashing Liquids For Sensitive Hands

Top Products


Puracy Natural Liquid Dish Soap 

Puracy Dish Soap, Green Tea & Lime, Care for Your Dishes and Your Hands, 99.96% Plant-Based, Natural Liquid Dishwashing Detergent, Skin Friendly Sulfate-Free Kitchen Soap, 16 Fl Oz (Pack of 3)

This has to be one of the best dishwashing liquids you can get. For one thing, it’s completely made from natural ingredients, which is great. There are no toxins or harmful chemicals in this dish soap, so it is really good for your skin. It is scented, but that’s because of the different herbs that it contains.

That’s also obvious from the color – it’s a clear dish soap, which means that there are no artificial colorants in it. It is also hypoallergenic, vegan, and cruelty-free. It’s really good for the environment, but also for you – it contains coconut-based ingredients, and we all know what coconut oil does for your sensitive skin.

In addition to that, this liquid dish soap doesn’t contain any sulfates or fragrances – basically, none of the chemicals that really dry out your sensitive skin. I definitely recommend the Puracy dish soap if you don’t want to use rubber gloves anymore and if you want to be environmentally responsible.

And it does a great job at actually washing your dishes. It’s really effective against grease, and it leaves your dishes clean and shiny. Also, a little goes a long way – the formula of this dish soap is super concentrated, and you only need a little bit for a lot of suds. It is a little pricey, compared to traditional dishwashing liquids, but all of the benefits make it more than worth it.

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Fundamental Dish Soap

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The Fundamental Dish Soap is made only from natural ingredients. As such, it is completely safe to use without rubber gloves, and it’s even okay to use this as regular soap. What’s even better is that you can dilute a little bit with water, put it in a spray bottle and use it as an all-purpose cleaning liquid.

You can do that because this soap doesn’t contain any harmful chemicals – in fact, judging by the ingredients you’re pretty much okay drinking this straight up from the bottle. But don’t. Also, it contains orange oil, so it will leave your kitchen smelling like fresh oranges, which is nice.

But it does have some downsides. For one thing, it’s pretty pricey for a liquid dish soap, especially considering the amount of product you get. The bottle contains only 12 ounces, which means that you will run out of this dish soap fairly quickly. Plus, it doesn’t really produce a lot of suds, so you will need to use more products than you normally would.

Since this is a completely natural product, it’s not as efficient at cleaning greasy plates and pans as the chemical dishwashing liquids are. But that’s to be expected – it’s an organic product, and really it’s all the chemicals in your regular dish soap that do all the grease-cutting work. The same chemicals dry out your hands and cause your sensitive skin to break out. So, I think it’s okay that it’s not as efficient, considering how healthy and safe it is.

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Fairy Clean & Care Rose Washing Up Liquid

Fairy Clean & Care Rose Washing Up Liquid (383ml) - Pack of 2

If you want a dish soap that is really efficient but still good for your hands, then I recommend the Fairy Clean & Care Rose Washing Up Liquid. However, keep in mind that this is Fairy dishwashing liquid – it still contains chemicals, and it is by no means an organic product.

This means that it might contain some allergens, so avoid it if you have super sensitive skin. But if you want something that’s still really good at cutting grease and cleaning everything in mere seconds, then this is the dish soap to get. What makes it good for your hands is the addition of an Olay softening agent, which makes your hands feel smooth and soft.

It is fragrance-free, but unfortunately, it is not an environmentally safe product. But it is reasonably priced, and you get a big bottle of dish soap for your money. A little over 15 oz will last you a really long time, especially considering how efficient this detergent is.

Which you will know if you’ve previously used any Fairy detergents. A couple of drops make a lot of suds, and you can wash a lot of dishes in one go. Overall, I would recommend this dish soap to people who are fine with using chemical liquids but just want something that’s easier on their hands.

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TidyDish Dishwashing Soap 

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This is another natural product. The TidyDish Dishwashing Soap doesn’t contain any added dyes or chemicals and it’s a cruelty-free product, which is always a bonus. Additionally, this is an anti-bacterial soap with a thick lather, so it’s actually pretty efficient at washing dishes.

It does smell nice since it contains lemon, lavender, and orange. Plus, it also contains a bunch of different essential oils, which are really good for your hands. It makes them soft, and nourishes your skin, even though you are performing an activity that would usually just dry out your hands.

It does a good job at cutting grease, and you really need a small amount to get a lot of suds. However, considering that you only get 8 ounces of soap, you will want to use as little as possible, to make it last longer. And to get your money’s worth, since this is a pretty pricey dish soap.

Another downside is that it only comes in the 8 oz size. You can’t get a big bottle and save some cash, and that’s a bummer. I prefer to have one huge bottle of liquid dish soap so that I don’t have to think about it running out for ages. But overall, this is a really good product, and considering all the upsides, I’d say its price is justified.

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Maple Holistics Natural Dish Soap

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The Maple Holistics dish soap goes a step further than some of its rivals – not only is it a natural product, but it also comes in BPA free packaging. So, it is completely environmentally safe, and it is perhaps the best choice in that regard.

It contains Vitamin E, macadamia nut oil, and aloe vera, all of which are really good for your sensitive skin. And especially Vitamin E; it’s something that you see really often in dietary supplements and nail oils because it has really good health benefits for your nails, hair, and skin.

Additionally, this dish soap contains a few different essential oils, which are responsible for the way it smells. And it’s just the essential oils – so it is fragrance-free and there are no dyes in this product. However, some people do find the smell of this soap to be too much, and you might want to stay away from it if you are not a fan of lavender.

In terms of efficiency, it does what it’s supposed to do. It produces a lot of suds, and it’s also pretty good at cutting grease. You only need a few drops of the product, which is really convenient, considering that you can only buy it in the 8 oz bottle. And it is pretty pricey for that size, but it should last you long enough to justify that price.

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Palmolive Ultra Soft Touch

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Palmolive Ultra Soft Touch is one of those dish soaps that’s still full of chemicals but has some added ingredients to make it softer on your hands. And because of those chemicals, it does a wonderful job at cutting grease and actually cleaning all your dishes.

There are two different types of this dish soap to choose from. One of them contains almond milk as a softening agent and smells of blueberry, while the other one contains coconut butter and is orchid scented. I would definitely recommend the coconut one, as coconut oil is really good for your skin, but it really is a personal preference.

Again, this is not the best dish soap to get if you have really sensitive hands or are prone to allergies, since it does contain all kinds of chemicals. If that’s the case, I recommend you wear rubber gloves when washing dishes with the Palmolive soap.

One downside of this dish soap is that you can’t really get just one bottle of it. You have to buy three, but the price for them is pretty good. Especially considering that every one of those bottles contains 20 ounces of dish soap. For less than $20 you can buy enough dishwashing liquids for the next couple of months, at the very least!

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Babyganics Foaming Dish and Bottle Soap

Babyganics Foaming Dish Soap, Pump Bottle, Fragrance Free, 16oz, 3 Pack

The Babyganics dish soap is completely free of any toxins, allergens, and chemicals. It’s made mostly from plant-derived ingredients, so it’s 100% environmentally safe. And it is also cruelty-free, which I really appreciate. Plus, it comes in a dispenser with a pump, which makes it really convenient to use.

This dishwashing liquid produces a lot of suds – maybe even too much, depending on who you ask. One downside to it is that you can’t buy a single bottle. You can only get a pack of three, which are kind of pricey for a one-time purchase of dish soap.

I think this is the best product for those who have extremely sensitive skin. If a regular dish soap causes your skin to break out or really irritates you, you will love the Babyganics soap. For one thing, it’s approved by both dermatologists and pediatricians, which speaks volumes about how safe it is. And definitely go for the unscented version – the Citrus version contains methylisothiazolinone. That’s a cytotoxin that’s actually banned in cosmetics in most countries, so I think you want to avoid that.

Overall, this is by far the gentlest dish soap you will find. However, it is primarily designed for cleaning baby bottles, and that does mean that it’s not super-efficient at cleaning greasy pans, so keep that in mind.

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Mrs. Meyer´s Clean Day Dish Soap

MRS. MEYER'S CLEAN DAY Liquid Dish Soap, Biodegradable Formula, Lemon Verbena, 16 fl. oz - Pack of 3

The Mrs. Meyer’s dish soap is another decent option. It comes in 16 oz bottles, and you can get a pretty good price for a pack of three. You can’t buy just one bottle though, so there’s that.

The dish soap is produced with a lot of natural ingredients, but it is not completely organic. However, it doesn’t contain any really harmful chemicals, like formaldehyde, chlorine, or glycol solvents. So, it is pretty gentle on your skin. It will not dry out your hands, but it doesn’t contain any moisturizing agents, so you should use a hand cream after it.

That being said, in case you run out of hand soap, this is a safe alternative. It also does a great job at cutting grease and actually cleaning your dishes, which is the second most important thing.

There’s a bunch of different scents to choose from. And the good news is that each of the dish soaps gets its scent from different essential oils and plant derivatives. This is also a cruelty-free product – not tested on animals, and it doesn’t contain any animal-derived ingredients. Overall, it’s a pretty average dish soap – good price does a decent job but doesn’t really excel in any aspect.

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