Castile Soap

Soapmaking Forum

Help Support Soapmaking Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Lotus

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 30, 2013
Messages
461
Reaction score
147
Location
Portland, OR
I've been interested in the 100% Olive oil soap.

First of all, what is it's point? I've heard it can be good for eczema (I have a friend with this problem). But, first of all, what's the recommended lye discount. And second, is it recommended to add any other oils at all? Third, I wonder, is it really a good bar of soap? I hear people say, sometimes, that 100% olive oil makes a crappy bar. Please tell me your thoughts on a castile bar!!
 
Hi Lotus

I have just this morning tried, a 100% Olive oil Castille bar of soap , a 250 gm batch that I made 3 months ago. The batch was this small because I wasn't sure what an all Olive oil soap would feel or look like, or even if I would like it. So i made a very small test batch. and I am happy to say, that so far so good, its nice and mild, and the lather is quite creamy, and it is a really gorgeous looking bar of soap simple and cream, I do love cream coloured soap.

I am looking forward to trying something similar very soon. I am no expert , I am a newbie soaper, but from what i have read Castille is a very mild type of soap, very suited to babies and those with sensitive skin. I know the more experienced soapers will come by soon, :smile:

I would experiment. you have nothing to lose. and experience to gain, and the fun process of experimenting. You could try small batches 500gm or less, and play around with your Olive to other oil ratio, making either a 100% Olive oil or a variation of one a "Bastille Soap", untill you find a recipe your happy with. Using Soapcalc. http://www.soapcalc.net/calc/SoapCalcWP.asp to give you the lye ratio .

From what I have read, Castille takes awhile to get to it its best, 6 months atleast and up to a year, and from personal experience of unmoulding hours after making and then trying to cut, it also needs to be left longer to unmold and cut possibly quite a few days. I know that i have been carefully watching my soaps, and trying them, and they all improve with age.

Here are some previous discussions, Happy soapmaking :wave:

http://www.soapmakingforum.com/f11/first-cp-attempt-30492/
http://www.soapmakingforum.com/f34/your-recomendation-soap-formula-34280/#post328041
http://www.soapmakingforum.com/f16/thinking-about-doing-any-tips-ideas-34409/#post330322
http://www.soapmakingforum.com/f11/castile-vs-bastille-question-26367/index3.html#post293612
http://www.soapmakingforum.com/f11/new-soap-30442/
http://www.soapmakingforum.com/f11/bastille-castille-slime-factor-30091/#post282372
http://www.soapmakingforum.com/f11/soap-babies-29736/
http://www.soapmakingforum.com/f22/noob-so-proud-learning-fun-31166/
 
Last edited:
I have been wondering this also because I've seen various recipes around, some which insist on 100% olive oil and others which also use castor and coconut which I just find confusing! I'll be interested to see what replies you get but might give it a go myself next week sometime as I've ran out of all my other oils for the moment, so can't think of a better excuse :)
 
Thank you, both! Deedee. Experimenting is indeed a blast. I think you're right, I need to just have at it. That is a LONG cure time. I shall have to endure such waiting.

Something I want to do is make an "avocado soap," putting actual avocado in it. I'm wondering if doing this to a 100% olive oil soap is unwise. Nothing like just getting in there and giving it a try, eh?
 
Lotus yes please go play with soap, Your going to use advocado wow. now thats some good play right there. What a lovely colour for soap and Advocado is a wonderful ingredient for the face and hair. Yes i keep reading that Castille needs a long cure, but I tested mine today at the 3 month mark and it was hard, but I have read that it gets harder over time ??, so going to give it more time, to see what the differences are, and i will put aside a bar for a very long cure.

What helps the long cure wait was making more soap lol. I am hoping you post a pic or two of the soap when your creation is finished . I am going to try to make a Castille/Bastille soap next, I will try not to get carried away with the additives, and keep it mostly simple. I will try, I will try
 
What helps the long cure wait was making more soap lol. I am hoping you post a pic or two of the soap when your creation is finished. I am going to try to make a Castille/Bastille soap next, I will try not to get carried away with the additives, and keep it mostly simple. I will try, I will try

Yes!! I'll SO post a pic. I am excited to see the color, too.

Believe me, I SO know the difficulty in adding things. I have never added any EOs until recently, but I'm always wanting to add ground oats, or weird things from my kitchen. They never turn out as well as they would if I just make a decent regular bar of soap!
 
Here is the pour on my 100% Olive Oil with Avocado Puree. Seriously, I was really nervous, because of the natural oils that are in avocado. So far, however, it looks beautiful. That right there is a $13.5 batch of soap. : )

photo-230.JPG
 
Did you use regular olive oil or virgin and why? I used to use virgin oil but it was based on price not on theory or science. I quit using olive oil because olive oil has become so expensive. I have since moved back to basic coconut, palm, and lard. I would love to use palm kernel but price is also a factor. Did you use real avocados or the pouch stuff? Your soap does look nice, but cutting may be a *****. I hope you don't mind if I suggest a ruler while cutting. I tried a pan once and it didn't turn that great.
 
OP, Castile is a mild, gentle and moisturizing soap with a wonderful lather as long as it is properly cured, not that it just stops zapping and losing water. A soap with olive oil and any other oil is not Castile though some call it that. Soaps with primarily olive oil and a little something else are often referred to as Bastile. I think the b is replacing the c because the Castile is being 'b'astardized.

Nice looking avocado soap. The color is fabulous.
 
Did you use regular olive oil or virgin and why? I used to use virgin oil but it was based on price not on theory or science. I quit using olive oil because olive oil has become so expensive. I have since moved back to basic coconut, palm, and lard. I would love to use palm kernel but price is also a factor. Did you use real avocados or the pouch stuff? Your soap does look nice, but cutting may be a *****. I hope you don't mind if I suggest a ruler while cutting. I tried a pan once and it didn't turn that great.

I used virgin. A couple of reasons why. First, I cook with it quite often, so I just buy it in a larger quantity on a regular basis, then it's available for both things. Second reason, I just can't bring myself to buy anything but virgin, unless someone can give me a good reason (price isn't that important to me, yet) why I should. Also, it's the only kind I can find in the 68 ounce size in the supermarket.

I don't know what pouch avocados are. I used real ones. They are pretty expensive around here, because we can't grow them.

I'm currently out of coconut and lard. And Palm, I ordered with coconut, a couple weeks ago, and the mail seems to have lost it or some such thing. I'm checking up on that. But, it's sad, because I SO want that palm oil.

I also cook with grape seed oil, rather religiously. It's sad that it's one of the softer oils, because while I can still use it (and it's actually quite nice in soap), not really in great quantities. : )

About the ruler. I figured out the best way to cut through this pan with my last batch. I use a sculpting needle tool of mine, take a ruler to it and put tiny little nicks to mark the cutting spots throughout. As long as you cut at the right time, it's not that bad. I have a little "single-serving" tupperware bar sitting too, mostly because I can pretty much guarantee it won't gel. . . etc.

Thanks, guys. It is a lovely color.
 
OP, Castile is a mild, gentle and moisturizing soap with a wonderful lather as long as it is properly cured, not that it just stops zapping and losing water. A soap with olive oil and any other oil is not Castile though some call it that. Soaps with primarily olive oil and a little something else are often referred to as Bastile. I think the b is replacing the c because the Castile is being 'b'astardized.

Nice looking avocado soap. The color is fabulous.

I always wondered what the "b" was for. Good theory.

Thanks, by the way.
 
I personally love the 100% Olive Oil soap. I live in the desert and it has been the best thing for the constant dry skin. It does take a long time to cure so that it doesn't get used up so fast, you can use it after 6 weeks but 6 months would be better if you could wait that long. If you use a scrubbie or sponge in the shower it lathers up wonderfully. keep it up.
 
Oh my goodness Lotus ,I just found your pic of the Avocado Castille, Love the colour, Really summers day like. It looks like its going to be a gorgeous creamy bar. I cut my Castille soap way too early, next time I will wait a good few days. Going to take a look in my boxes and see what additives I have that can give me that shade in my next batch of soap, on my laptop screen its showing as a gorgeous yellow. Well done with your experiment, I do not use avocados ever, but i think I have now found a purpose for them one day. :). Thank you for sharing
 
Hi, I'm new to the forum and I live in the UK. I do CP soap.

Just wanted to add that I was told pure olive oil soap is 'slimy' if used before a long curing period (up to a year). It's great baby soap though.

Also, Lotus, the colour of your avocado soap is lovely. At what point did you add the puree? I tried it once and added the puree with the water. It turned brown, whereas yours has a rich creamy colour.
 
Hi, Daisy! Thank you so much! What I did, was reserve 5 ounces of my olive oil, and added my avocado to it, and stick blended it until it was as smooth as possible. I read that if there were any chunks, they would turn brown. I mixed my lye with regular water, and added the purée at a light to medium trace. Blended it to a proper trace, and Wa La!
 
Hey Lotus! I know you from Etsy! (I go by dollybirdblythe there). Nice looking soap. You are brave for trying the pureed avocado. Keep us posted as to how it turns out. :)
 
Hey, OHello! I know you, too. I come by and look at your stuff, from time to time. I don't have a Blythe doll, but I've always loved drooling over them and their different outfits. : )

About the avocado. You know, I just did some googling first and read what I could, just to make sure it was possible, or if there was something I should know. To be honest though, I really do think I should also make a regular bar of avocado soap.

Anyway, thanks. . . : )
 

Latest posts

Back
Top