A dish soap that is good at cutting through grease and annihilating bacteria may not be so great for your hands. It can dry them out, causing them to be painful and the skin to crack.
When you’re looking for a dish soap, you ideally want the dish soap that doesn’t dry out your hands, one that can protect and moisturize it.
Don’t despair: there are such dish soaps out there, and many of them are great for the environment and for your health, too, because they use more naturally-derived ingredients.
A Quick Comparison Table: 5 Best Dishwashing Liquid for Sensitive Hands
| Brand | Good For Hands | Leaves Dishes Clean | Cuts Through Grease |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1. J.R. Watkins Our Best Pick  Check Price | Yes | Yes | Yes |
#2. Dawn Ultra with Olay Check Price | Yes | Yes | Yes |
#3. Method Naturally Check Price | Mixed reviews | Not as good as others | Not as good as others |
#4. Seventh Generation Check Price | Not as good as others | Yes | Yes |
#5. Dawn Ultra Pure Essentials Check Price | Mixed reviews | Yes | Yes |
#1. J.R. Watkins Natural Liquid Dish Soap
This product is 24 ounces-per- bottle of dishwashing liquid that does not contain ammonia, dyes, phosphates, or bleach.
It is made in the United States, and it is animal-testing free. It is said to cut through grease yet be gentle on hands.
Users have reported that they often have to use a little more soap to get the dishes clean than with other products, but this is due to it not having harmful agents that create suds.
Reviews tend to say that the product cleans dishes very well. It is not reported to be harmful to hands, either.
#2. Dawn Ultra with Olay Beauty Dishwashing Liquid Hand
Another Dawn product is on this list, but this time with Olay’s name beside Dawn’s. Olay is a well-known skin-care brand, and it’s been around for years.
This formula leaves dishes without a residue and includes Dawn’s grease-cleaning power. It is designed to help your skin feel softer and more beautiful.
The product claims to leave your hands feeling softer in three uses. Users have stated that the claim to make your hands feel nice after washing the dishes have held true.
#3. Dawn Ultra Pure Essentials Dishwashing Liquid
Dawn is a well-known name in the dishwashing world, especially when it comes to fighting grease.
This particular formula doesn’t have dye or extra ingredients that are not needed to cut through grease. It is formulated to leave dishes without residue.
One user stated that this product, because it has no dye, didn’t irritate their skin like other soaps with dyes.
#4. Method Naturally-Derived Dish Soap Pump
A Method Naturally-Derived dish soap pump contains 18 ounces of dishwashing soap in gel form.
The ingredients are naturally-derived, according to the manufacturer, as the name describes, and they are concentrated into a gel soap. Because it’s concentrated, you will likely be able to use less of it on your dishes.
The formula is biodegradable and is great at cutting grease. It is non-toxic, and uses plants as the basis for its powerful grease-fighting properties.
Some reviews of the product have indicated that the supposed grime-fighting properties of the formula were not that great. Additionally, others said that they felt like they had to rinse their dishes more to get all the soap off.
The pump design caused other users to state that they would like the product better if it didn’t malfunction so often. It sometimes sends soap flying when pushed.
Reviews were mixed about whether the soap left users’ hands dry. Most felt that it did not dry out their hands, but a few stated they felt that it caused their skin to dry out after using it.
#5. Seventh Generation Natural Dish Liquid, Free & Clear Unscented
Seventh Generation’s Natural Dish Liquid, Free & Clear Unscented is said to cut through stuck-on grease and food, and to leave dishes feeling clean.
The product has been tested by dermatologists and is a hypoallergenic formula created specifically for sensitive skin. It uses no fragrances, dyes, phosphates, or triclosan.
Some users have found this product to not cut through food and grease as well as other dish liquids, but they say using a bit more seems to solve the problem.
In general, users have said they feel like this product doesn’t work quite as well as the dish soaps with more toxic ingredients, but they are okay with doing a little extra scrubbing to have a product that doesn’t harm their health or the environment as much as more traditional dish soaps.
When it comes to how it is on hands, some users said their hands didn’t fare so well using this product.
However, one such user later said they noticed that there was a bottled labeled with a “New Hand Care Formula” that they stated indicated that the company was listening to their customers.
Final Verdict
Of these five natural dish soaps, the Dawn Ultra with Olay Beauty Dishwashing Liquid Hand formula and the J.R. Watkins Natural Liquid Dish Soap have the best reviews overall.
They are all said to power through grease, stuck on food, and grime. They leave dishes without residue, and, best of all, users report that they don’t leave their hands feeling overly dry.
While the other products likely work fairly well, it is probably a subjective decision about whether they clean dishes well or leave your hands feeling soft after washing the dishes.
The reviews were mixed on these, or there weren’t enough reviews about a particular aspect of them to make a final determination.
In general, Method Naturally-Derived Dish Soap Pump is probably the least favorite for overall dishwashing capabilities and how they leave hands feeling after the dishes are done.
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