It used to be quite a challenge to get Castile soap, but today it is so popular that it is almost everywhere.
Why? It is a versatile helper to us, be it head-to-toe body care or household cleaning.
What Is Castile Soap?
Castile soap is an olive oil-based soap originating from Castile region of Spain. It is purely made from vegetable oils without any animal fats. Although olive oil is the traditional base ingredient, the biodegradable soap can be made with various vegetable oils or essential oils.
To save you from the hassles of finding one, here is a recommendation for you: Natural Coconut Oil & Castor Oil Liquid Soap Base. Made from 100% pure natural Virgin Coconut Oil and Castor Oil, it is free from any hazardous chemicals (such as SLS or parabens which can bring about caustic burn to the skin). It is essentially a base ingredient which can easily be used to make customised soap by adding the fragrance oil, essential oil, color or etc.
Now that we know what Castile soap, let’s read on to find out a dizzying number of different ways you can use Castile Soap.
1. Fruit & Veggie Rinse
With Castile soap, you can have the harmful pesticides or residues removed from fresh fruits and vegetables. All you need to do is to add 1/4 teaspoon of castile soap to a large bowl with water. Soak your fruits or veges in the water and gently rub them before rinsing it with plain water.
2. All-Purpose Cleaning Spray
An all-purpose Castile cleaning spray makes various cleaning chores much easier. Just add 1/4 cup of castile soap to 1 litre of warm water, and stir to incorporate. Add essential oils for extra boost of cleaning power if you prefer so.
3. Brush Cleaner
Add a few drops of castile soap into a small bowl of warm water. Swish your brushes around in the soapy water. Rinse the brushes with plain water and put them in the cup for around 10 minutes. Rinse the brushes again and allow them to air dry.
4. Floor Cleaner
Getting no desirable result out of your attempts to restore shine to your floors? Here’s the much-needed mopping solution for you: add 1/2 cup of castile soap to a bucket of 11 litres of hot water. Dip your mop into the bucket, and mop your way to clean floors!
5. Makeup Remover
Why bother buying a makeup remover where you can come up with the solution totally free? It is as simple as mixing equal parts castile soap, witch hazel, and a carrier oil of equal portions. Gently dab some makeup remover solution with a cotton pad.
6. Laundry Wash
Good laundry wash routines helps keep dust mites away from your bedding, but it can be so much more effective with this special wash technique: add 1/3 cup of castile soap to your laundry (or you can reduce it if you are using high-efficiency washing machine) before wash.
7. Dish Soap
To make a natural liquid dish soap, fill your sink with 10 parts warm water and 1 part castile soap for you to wash your dishes.
8. Shaving “Cream”
Want to try some new “cream” for a clean shave? Lather up a bit of Castile soap and apply it to the area for shaving, be it face, underarms or even legs. Rest assured that the razor will glide across your skin smoothly without causing a nick!
9. Face or Body Wash
Castile soap possesses antibacterial properties that remove dirts, debris, viruses or acne-causing bacteria, giving you a flawless skin. To apply it on the face, just rub a few drops of soap and rinse it off; to use it as body wash, squirt a small amount of the soap into your hands and use washcloth and exfoliate your skin gently.
10. Foot Scrub
Your feet deserve some pampering after a long, busy day, don’t they? Here’s a quick DIY natural foot scrub you can make: mix 2 tablespoons of castile soap, 2 tablespoons of coconut oil, and 4 drops of peppermint essential oil in a small bucket of hot water. Then scrub away dry skin and indulge yourself!
11. Sinus Decongestion
There might be no cure to sinus, but there is a better way to clear it for sure. Castile soap steam is the answer. Simply add 1 tablespoon of soap to a large bowl of hot water. Lean over the bowl, drape a towel over your head to trap the steam, breathe in the mist, and you will feel your airways again!
12. Teeth Cleaner
Since Castile soap can remove debris and dirt, it makes a perfect natural alternative to toothpaste, if you can handle the taste. Simply apply a drop of soap on your toothbrush before brushing your teeth.
What To Avoid When Using Castile Soap:
Keep in mind the following things when using castile soap:
- Hard water (water that highly concentrated in dissolved minerals, especially calcium and magnesium) will react with castile soap and form a white film residue. Use soft water all the time.
- Mixing vinegar or lemon juice with castile soap causes acid-base reaction (neutralisation reaction) that leads to the formation of white film residue. Soap will revert to its original oils.
- Castile soap, if applied to color-treated hair, may cause some colours to fade away.
Takeaway
Itching to start your DIY experiment after realising so many benefits of using Castile soap? You can get either a large bottle of liquid Castile soap or purchase it in a bar form. Trust us, you are going to get addicted to this multipurpose gentle cleanser in no time once you start experiencing the true benefits!
Let’s watch a video on how we use Castile Soap to DIY Lavender Bath Soap.