Castile Soap

I have become a fan of castile soap. It's not super hard to find, and it is way better for you than detergent bars (ie. Dove or Ivory) or pump 'soap'. (if you want to read the difference between the two :http://www.clearwatersoapworks.com/site/1501105/page/588981 or http://bubbleandbee.blogspot.com/2008/02/soap-vs-detergent.html )

Castile soap refers to soaps that are made from plant oils instead of animal fats.

The thing I like about it is the simple ingredients list: olive oil. At least that's what traditional castile soap has in it. Originally, castile soap hails from Castile, Spain. It's a a true soap that is made from a fat and lye.

I really like it because it is gentle on my skin and it doesn't do harm. The kind I am using right now is Dr. Bronner's peppermint castile soap. It's alright, but it isn't the traditional kind with just olive oil. It has palm and coconut oils as well as hemp seed oil in it. Why do I want the pure and traditional? Mainly, because coconut oil when saponified (turned into soap) can be extremely drying.

My husband and I are in the process right now of researching how to make our own and what is a good recipe. It seems like it would be very easy and cheap, as the only things you need are lye and olive oil, and whatever else (like essential oils or scrubby additives [like poppy seeds or oatmeal]) you see fit to add.

Currently, we are stuck at the lye finding stage. It used to be pretty easy to get, as it was used for drain cleaner, but people have more recently figured out that it can be used in meth production, and now the majority of hardware stores will not carry it. How unfortunate!

SO! back to why I became a fan! I use it all over the house! In my hand soap dispensers in the bathroom; in my all purpose cleaner for the house; in my every day shower spray; as dish soap; it will be going in to laundry soap; it will be going in to dishwasher soap; and there are ways you can use it as shampoo!

The other thing I like about it, is that it can be either a solid soap or a liquid, so it is very versatile!

A word of warning, though, that I came upon in a funny way: DO NOT mix castile soap with vinegar or any kind of acid.

I was mixing up a batch of “getting rid of fruit flies” stuff, and I mixed castile soap with apple cider vinegar. GROSS. I had a shot glass full of oil and weak vinegar like solution. You see, the acid in the vinegar un-saponifies the soap, turning it back in to the oil from whence it came. Unpleasant. Fortunately, I still had some detergent lying around and could use that instead (recipe for fruit fly death: 3-4 tbs of apple cider vinegar and ½ tsp of dish soap. It really works. :-D )

Anybody else a fan of castile soap?, if so, how do YOU use it?

XO,

Bliss