How to Make Liquid Castile Soap: A Simple Homemade DIY Recipe
What is Castile Soap? | How to Make Castile Soap? | Homemade Castile Soap Recipe | Conclusion
If you're looking to eliminate chemicals from your home, you may have come across liquid Castile soap. You might be wondering What is Castile soap? It's a natural, plant-based soap made from oils like olive oil, known for its gentle and eco-friendly properties.
Many commercially produced household cleaners and personal care products contain harmful chemicals that can disrupt hormones and even increase the risk of cancer. Over time, these toxins accumulate in our bodies, leading to a range of health problems. Liquid Castile soap offers a safer, chemical-free alternative that's gentle on your skin and the environment.
What is Castile Soap?
Castile soap is versatile, non-toxic, and made from natural ingredients. Castile soap was originally made in Castile, Spain from olive oil and but now there are a number of manufacturers offering Castile soap made from a variety of natural oils. You can clean your home and clean your body with it and it is safe for even those with sensitive skin, yes, even babies.
But what is available in America which has a huge variety is not always available in India or shipped to India. In some cases, when it can be shipped to India, it can be expensive. While liquid Castile soap is an excellent, natural alternative to commercial cleaning and personal care products, it's not always easy to find, especially in certain countries like India.
Shipping costs can be high, and availability may be limited. That’s why I’ve created this blog — to share a simple DIY recipe for homemade Castile soap. By making it yourself, you can enjoy the benefits of this gentle, chemical-free soap without the hassle of finding it in stores or dealing with expensive shipping fees.
How to Make Castile Soap?
Making homemade Castile soap is simple but it requires time and effort. It is also the more affordable option depending on the oils you use. Check the options after the recipe. But first some safety precautions:
- Wear chemical-resistant gloves.
- Wear safety goggles or glasses that protect your eyes completely from every angle including from below.
- Wear a long-sleeve shirt, long pants, and make sure that you are wearing closed shoes too.
- Make your soap in a well-ventilated area.
- Never ever put water into the potassium hydroxide, always add the potassium hydroxide to the water.
- When mixing the potassium hydroxide into the water, always use a heat-safe bowl that contains no aluminum. None of your utensils should contain aluminum either.
DIY Homemade Castile Soap Recipe
What You Will Need?
- A large crockpot (slow cooker)
- A food scale, preferably digital
- An immersion blender
- A spatula or wooden spoon
- Bowl, preferably stainless steel or glass but pyrex will also do
Ingredients
680 g Olive oil 454 g Coconut oil 265 g Potassium hydroxide flakes (Also known as lye, potash, or KOH). 14-16 cups Distilled water
Method
1. Turn your crockpot on high and add the oils
2. Put on your safety gear and put 4 cups of the distilled water into a stainless steel, glass, or pyrex bowl (best to have the bowl in the sink), then add the potassium hydroxide flakes and stir until all the flakes have dissolved. There may be some sizzling, bubbling, and heat, but this is all normal.
3. When the oils are warm add the potassium hydroxide mixture (lye) into the pot. You can keep the heat on high.
4. Then use your blender to blend the oils and the lye for 5 minutes until the solution becomes cloudy and starts to thicken. For the next 30 minutes blend the solution every 5 minutes. The solution will thicken during this time. Do this until it becomes too thick to use the blender.
5. Then put the lid on and leave the solution to cook on high for 3 hours. Fold and stir it every 30 minutes during this time. The solution will go from white and runny, to almost puffy, and then finally a thick, clear, yellow gel.
6. After 3 hours, remove 1/2 cup of the solution and put it into a cup or bowl. Put boiling water into the cup or bowl and mix. If the solution is completely clear you can move onto the next step. If scum floats to the surface or the solution is cloudy, keep cooking the solution in the pot for another hour before testing it again.
7. Add 10 cups of very hot or boiling distilled water into the pot and try to mix the paste in. It might not dissolve fully, but that is fine.
8. Put the lid back on and turn the heat down to warm for 8 hours or overnight. If you can come to stir the solution once every while, then do so, but it is not necessary.
9. After 8 hours or in the morning, check the consistency. There should be no skin or thick bits of soap. If there is, just add another cup or two of water until it dissolves completely.
10. Let the soap cool and then pour it into a clean bottle for storage or even into a jug if you are going to use it soon. But note that recipes often do not require large amounts of Castile soap.
Options
1. Oil Composition: You can play around with the oils that you use. You can use one oil only or you can combine quite a few. Different oils produce different lathers. This recipe uses 60% olive oil and 40% coconut oil. But you can also use hemp oil, jojoba oil, sunflower oil, or even almond oil.
2. Add Essential Oils: If you like the same scent for all your products you can add in the essential oils. Add the essential oils after the soap has cooled. The amount you put in depends on how strong you want the fragrance to be.
3. Tocopherol For Preserving: Add in tocopherol oil (vitamin E oil) into the soap when it has cooled. 25 drops per 650 ml will do.
4. Make Less: You can make less at once by halving the recipe.
5. Use A Different Process: There are other processes that you can use, but they will take longer to cure, up to a few weeks depending on the process. You may need to wait quite a while before you can use your Castile soap.
There you have it. Your own homemade Castile soap. You can use it in a range of recipes. You can also use it to make DIY household cleaning recipes.
Conclusion
Incorporating liquid Castile soap into your daily routine is a fantastic way to reduce the number of harmful chemicals in your home. Whether you're using it as a gentle cleanser for your skin or an eco-friendly solution for your household, Castile soap's natural, plant-based ingredients offer a safer alternative to conventional products filled with toxic chemicals. If you're looking for an even more cost-effective option, making your own Castile soap at home is a fun and rewarding DIY project that can also be customized to your personal preferences. From choosing your oils to adding essential fragrances, the possibilities are endless. So why not give it a try?
