Castile Soap

I was poking around looking for mild/natural/hypoallergenic soaps (for skin care use, not a shaving soap) today, and came across "castile soap." Deep into the dim recesses of my memory, I seem to recall my grandmother having some of this around the house. Being an ignorant kid, I was not very interested in the nuances of soap.

Anyway...back to my store visit today...

Its ingredients looked pretty benign (olive oil-based IIRC...I was pressed for time -- and without my reading glasses so I didn't get the full ingredient list).

Wikipedia seems to indicate that the term has come to mean a vegetable-oil-based soap: "...Traditionally made with olive oil, it now may be used for any hard, white, vegetable-based soap..."

I was wondering if anyone had any experience with this kind of soap. I did a B&B search and found quite a few threads, but they were 5+ years old. I've been a B&B-er for about a year now, and I can't recall any discussion about it.

So...my questions:

• are there any current users here?
• what are its advantages? disadvantages?
• any specific brand recommendations?

Thoughts? Opinions?

I use Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap, which is a very popular classic brand of it, with very amusing labels. The liquid kind lasts forever because a little goes a long way and leaves my skin feeling very good. Plus it has at least 17 other uses, most of which I have yet to explore. It works great for pre-shave face washing/beard prep.

Yep, the same. But I've also washed my body, dishes and clothes with it camping. Biodegradable, use it anywhere.....

Another long time Dr. Bronner's user here. The liquid lasts a long time and comes in several good scents-I've used it for shave prep for a long time. The Bronner's bar soap is just as good. Another good brand is Kirk's Castile soap. Either of these produce big lather with little product and leave the skin clean and feeling good.

Dr. Bronner's liquid for me as well.

Tea Tree is my go to soap.

I love Dr Bronners, Peppermint is my favorite. I also have a bottle of Dr Bronners Shiakai soap which is excellent as well.

Kirk's Castile bar soap can be readily found. Lovely soap that has works well in all types of water.

I use Kirk's CocoCastile bar and like it quite a bit.

The local Trader Joes's carries castile soap. Good choice for me.

Great stuff. Especially for camping.

Castile soap was originally made with olive oil (that being the most commonly available vegetable oil where it was first made in Spain). Olive oil makes very gentle soap and the good reputation has stuck to the name. Dr. Bronner's soap is mostly coconut oil so it's kind of weird that they can call it "castile". Kirk's Castile is another coconut oil "castile" soap with glycerin and a chelating agent added so it will lather in hard water. If you want to try a true castile soap because you have dry skin, look for one with just olive oil in the label ingredients - but be aware that true olive oil castile doesn't lather as abundantly as a bar of Dove, and it has a slippery quality that not everyone likes. If you want one that lathers more, look for one with olive oil near the top and coconut oil way down towards the bottom of the label. If you just want a simple soap without a lot of extraneous ingredients, then any "Castile" type soap is probably going to work for you.

eyebright said:

Castile soap was originally made with olive oil (that being the most commonly available vegetable oil where it was first made in Spain). Olive oil makes very gentle soap and the good reputation has stuck to the name. Dr. Bronner's soap is mostly coconut oil so it's kind of weird that they can call it "castile". Kirk's Castile is another coconut oil "castile" soap with glycerin and a chelating agent added so it will lather in hard water. If you want to try a true castile soap because you have dry skin, look for one with just olive oil in the label ingredients - but be aware that true olive oil castile doesn't lather as abundantly as a bar of Dove, and it has a slippery quality that not everyone likes. If you want one that lathers more, look for one with olive oil near the top and coconut oil way down towards the bottom of the label. If you just want a simple soap without a lot of extraneous ingredients, then any "Castile" type soap is probably going to work for you.

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Great information...thanks!

I am indeed looking for a "simple soap without a lot of extraneous ingredients." My current ED soap (which seems to be such a soap) is Tom's of Maine Sensitive Natural Beauty Bar Soap with Soothing Chamomile with ingredients:

Sodium Palmate
Sodium Cocoate
Sodium Palm Kernelate (Palm Kernel Oil)
Water
Glycerin
Sodium Chloride
Sodium Gluconate
Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil
Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil
Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E)
Anthemis Nobilis (Roman Chamomile) Flower Oil

It seems to be mostly palm/coconut oil-based, with olive oil down the list. And the other ingredients seem relatively benign. And it lathers nicely, and treats my skin very well.

I saw the castile soap on the shelf next to my Tom's, and I was wondering what it was all about. It was relatively inexpensive IIRC, so maybe I'll grab a bar and try it out. Thanks for your tips about the relative quantities of the ingredients.

Thanks for the explanation. I found Castile soap at Trader Joe's and was pleased with the performance. Now I understand why.

I buy Castille soap from Mediterranean sellers on eBay as an alternative to Aleppo Soap. As stated above it is made from Olive oil and very hard to lather, you will need a shower mitt or a good flannel to generate a good lather.

The original castile soap is Aleppo soap made from olive oil and lye with added laurel oil. Great stuff even though it does not lather like a modern soap does.
I think I have 9 pieces left but I don't think it will be easy to buy new soap since Aleppo is in ruins right now and nobody knows what will happen to those old soap factory's after the war.

I've been using Papoutsanis soap this week. It's a simple soap (three ingredients) made from olive oil, and it hails from Greece.

The soap is very hard, and seems to be holding up well in the shower. The scent is mild, almost like clay, and doesn't linger. And it doesn't lather up like regular bar soap, which takes some getting used to. But the skincare is phenomenal! It leaves my skin feeling clean but not dry. I've even noticed some of the perpetual ingrowns on my neck are starting to heal.

If this kind of performance holds up over time, the Papoutsanis soap company has a loyal customer.

Puerco said:

The original castile soap is Aleppo soap made from olive oil and lye with added laurel oil. Great stuff even though it does not lather like a modern soap does.
I think I have 9 pieces left but I don't think it will be easy to buy new soap since Aleppo is in ruins right now and nobody knows what will happen to those old soap factory's after the war.

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Thanks for the information. I like castile soap and was wondering about the origin.

BigJ said:

Thanks for the information. I like castile soap and was wondering about the origin.

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One would imagine that Castile soap came from Castile, especially as it doesn't contain laurel.

Gents, another option or two to keep in mind. If you have an Arabic/middle east type store near your they may have Syrian olive oil soap. When you look at it you think, this is a dried up square of...what? Usually a really dull tan/grey/barely green colour from the months of curing, once you start to use it and the top coat comes off, it is olive coloured inside. I bought some at a shop in Kansas City at the River Market area for a dollar or two per cake a few years ago. It was not over the top spectacular or luxurious but simple, well made soap that was really easy on the skin and cost pennies per use.

Another option would be the shave cube from Enchante. The providers of the 'method shave'. Their shave cubes are huge. Something like 300 grams each and I think they have some in three, 100 gram bar sets but I am not sure. Even if you buy the larger cube, just use a saw or serrated knife to cut it into smaller pieces and voila, instant bathing soap. I have not used Enchante's product line but I have never seen a truly negative review about the products themselves. Just a thought.

Here is a link to the Hydrolsat products. The cubes or 'shave primers' as they seem to be called now, are on this page. Hope it helps.

Bronner's is a standby for me. Great soap for the price. Kirks offers a better value but dries my skin out.