It took 12 years and a lot of trial and error for me to develop a quick-cure no slime-castile. It is a
myth that it takes a year (or even 6 months) for Castile to cure. Traditionally, using 100% olive oil, proper temps when combining lye and oil (
100°F - 110°F), and sufficient mixing,
castile soap cures in 12 weeks - 3 months. Somewhere along the line, a soaper decided to start making her castiles at the beginning of each year so they could be ready for the holiday markets. Others liked that idea and followed suit. Thus the "preference" became the "1-year-cure time" myth it is today.
Also, the
COOC (California Olive Oil Council) at UC Davis grades OO for "taste" not soap making. Extra Virgin and Virgin are the best for putting on your salad but not the best for soap making.
EVOO - Extra Virgin OO comes from the first cold pressing. It is the least acidic so it tastes better. It is also the grade most likely to be
adulterated which is an on-going problem in the States.
Google
"Fake Olive Oil" to learn more.
Virgin OO comes from the second cold pressing. Less expensive than EVOO and fine for cooking.
Olive Oil Refined A or "Pure" OO is the 3rd cold pressing from the fruit of the olive, not the kernel or pit. It is then refined as a mix of olive oils. This is a good choice for soapers to use this grade to avoid shipping costs as it is readily available at Costco (Kirkland) and Sam's.
Pomace OO comes from the last pressing and is the most acidic and least expensive, the best choice for making soap. Some, but not all soap making suppliers carry it.
I buy it from
Soapers Choice near Chicago due to top quality, good pricing and shipping costs -- especially if you buy more than one 7-pound bottle at a time.
No, just enter 100% olive oil and it will give you the correct lye/water ratio.
Correct.
However, light olive oil might be okay to use. I hosted a 100% Olive Oil Swap in 2005. One of the entrants was a soap made with light olive oil and it was as good as the rest of the soaps.The
COOC used to put out an annual list of brands of olive oil that were not adulterated. Unfortunately, they stopped doing that.
I don't like Zanys either which isn't Castille, it's a Bastille and shouldn't be called Castille.
Actually, Shari, no offense intended, but Kirk's Castile (coconut oil) and Dr Bronner's Castile (a mix of vegetable oils) are
legally defined as castiles because they contain no animal fats. Kirk's went to court some years ago to address that issue and won. It's only on soapers groups and forums that we draw a line between
castile (100% olive oil) and
bastile (70% minimum OO plus other non-animal fats). Call it "soapers jargon", if you will. "Bastile" soap means nothing outside the wonderful world of handmade soap.
I made it 100% OO and still didn't like it at all. Some love it. Give it a try.
I agree! Castile definitely has a Love/Hate realtionship among soapers. I used to be a "hater" because of the long cure and,
no matter how long the cure, it still retained that slime. That's what motivated me to develop ZNSC.
If anyone wants to try it, here's the link:
https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/zanys-no-slime-castile.72620/
Is it a bastille because of the seawater? I just thought because it was 100% OO.
I explained the difference between castile and bastile above. The addition of sea water was a break through for me. While reading the history of olive oil soap I had written for the 2005 swap, I wrote that the world renowned
Savon de Marseille from France was made with olive oil and sea water. I then remembered my notes on how to make Faux Sea Water. It's purpose initially was to harden the soap but it I believe it hastens cure time as well.
