Castile soap is a beautiful, natural and versatile product that has many uses around the home. It’s one of my low-tox staples and I use it often either just on its own or as an ingredient in my homemade products. If you’ve made the decision to phase out harsh chemical-based products in your home, this would be one of the first products I’d recommend getting to start you on your way!
What is Castile soap?
Castile Soap is a pure, gentle, natural soap made from plant-based oils without any synthetic ingredients. It gets its name from the olive oil based soaps that were originally made in Castile, Spain. These days Castile soap can be made from a variety of other plant, vegetable or nut oils. The brand I use, Dr. Bronner’s, uses olive, palm kernel, hemp and jojoba oils which gives it a beautifully nourishing and moisturising feel. These oils are then mixed with lye, creating soap molecules. When mixed with water, these are what capture the dirt and do the hard work for us.
What’s in normal soap?
Believe it or not, your innocent looking soap from the supermarket may be housing a range of dubious ingredients. Synthetic fragrance, petrochemicals, talc, alumina and synthetic colours are just some of the chemicals commonly found in standard soap. In my opinion a product that is meant to cleanse and nourish our skin shouldn’t contain any of these harsh and potentially damaging ingredients.
10 ways to use Castile soap
Here are ten of my favourite ways to use this versatile product to help phase out harmful chemicals in the home.
1. Use as a natural body wash
Use a small amount on wet hands or a flannel to wash your hands, face and body.
2. Wash the car
Mix ¼ cup of Castile soap into a bucket of water and use it to give your car a good clean.
3. Make your own foaming hand wash
Into a foaming soap dispenser, add 2 tablespoons Castile soap, 1 tablespoon fractionated coconut oil and 10-20 drops of essential oils. Top with water, shake well and use as required.
4. Clean the floors
Mix ½ cup of Castile soap into a bucket of hot water and use it to mop the floor. Add in some cleansing essential oils for extra oomph!
5. Whip up the world’s best DIY cleaning paste
This is one of my favourite cleaning products ever and works so well on bathrooms, tiles, toilets and even the kitchen sink! Mix together ¾ cup of baking soda, ¼ cup of Castile soap, 1 tablespoon of water, 1 tablespoon of vinegar and 10 drops of a citrus essential oil.
6. Give your feet a good soak
We recently spent several months travelling through remote parts of Western Australia. At times my feet were so dirty I actually mistook the red dirt for fake tan! When this happened, I would squirt a small amount of Castile soap into a bucket of warm water and soak my feet for at least 20 minutes and then watch the magic happen!
7. Wash your fruit & veg
To give your fruit and vegetables a good wash when you get them home from the supermarket, fill the sink with water, add a splash of Castile soap and add in your produce to soak. Rinse clean afterwards.
8. Use as a shaving cream
Lather the smallest amount onto your skin with wet hands and shave as normal.
9. Use as a baby wash
Because it’s so gentle, it’s safe to use on the youngest skin.Use a tiny amount of Castile soap diluted in water.
10. Wash your dog
Using a small amount, wet your dog’s fur and then lather the soap all over its body. Rinse off well.
I’ve only just scratched the surface of the possible uses for this fabulous product. How do you use Castile soap? Let me know below!
