How to make liquid castile soap without using lye. This recipe can be used for cleaning, washing dishes, or to make shampoos or hand soaps.
Liquid castile soap is a wonderful soap for your hair and body. Since it does not have any additional chemicals, it is also great for sensitive skin. Made from olive oil, it nourishes your hair as it gently cleans to remove dirt and oils
As wonderful as liquid castile soap is, the price is not so wonderful. A 16-ounce bottle will set you back about $10. I use it quite often, so this definitely adds up.
Making a liquid soap is quite a time consuming process, and you'll need a lot of equipment and supplies. Most people don't keep lye on hand, but you can learn how to make liquid castile soap without lye for cleaning.
You can make your own liquid castile shampoo for a fraction of the price of buying a ready-made shampoo, and you can easily do it without using a lot of ingredients or lye.
HOW TO MAKE LIQUID CASTILE SOAP WITHOUT USING LYE
When I wrote this post five years ago, I never expected the backlash it would get! Before you rudely comment, yell at me, curse at me, or otherwise degrade me, yes I know that all soap needs lye. Yes, I know that the castile soap that you start with has lye.
However, this recipe doesn't use extra lye. Lye isn't something that most people have on hand. You can make this without purchasing or storing lye. That's what I mean by making liquid castile soap without lye. I'm all for comments - I love them! - but please don't be rude. I'll delete it. Thanks!
What is Liquid Castile Soap?
Castile soap originated in the Castile region of Spain. It's a very gentle soap that's made with olive oil and no animal fats.
Castile soap is great for your skin and hair. It's also a wonderful cleaner for the home.
Yes, you can wash your hair, your body, and your floor with the same soap!
Liquid castile soap is a liquid version of the soap. I use it for cleaning and for DIY bath and body recipes, so I go through a lot of liquid castile soap.
True castile soap is only made with olive oil. But olive oil doesn't yield a great lather. Lather isn't necessary to get clean, but people like lather so they know the soap is working.
Most castile soap has coconut oil or another vegetable oil in it to increase lather.
Rebecca from Soap Deli News guest posted here at Everything Pretty with a recipe for a homemade bastile soap recipe. It is a mild soap made with olive oil, castor oil, and coconut oil. It would be a great bar to use in this recipe on how to make liquid castile soap.
Want to learn how to make your own natural cleaning products? My Natural Cleaners ebook has 12 easy recipes plus printable labels.
How Do You Make Castile Soap Pure Liquid?
To make soap, you'll need fats or oils, water, and a type of lye. A bar of soap uses sodium hydroxide, and liquid soap uses potassium hydroxide.
Lye isn't cheap, and most people don't want to mess with it. Making a true liquid castile soap will take several hours and some expensive ingredients.
Instead, this is how to make liquid castile soap without lye by making it from a bar of soap. It's much easier to make, takes less time, and it's fairly inexpensive.
Just know that this liquid castile soap isn't exactly the same as what you get in the bottle. It tends to separate, so I use it for cleaning mostly.
You can certainly use it as a body wash or even a shampoo, but you will need to shake it before using.
Does Castile Soap Have Lye In It?
Yes, all soap needs lye. During saponification, lye and fats are converted into soap, and all of the lye is used during the is process.
Does Castile Soap Kill Germs?
While castile soap is not antimicrobial, it does act as a surfactant. Surfactants remove dirt and bacteria from surfaces so they are washed away.
How to Use Liquid Castile Soap
I use a tablespoon of liquid castile soap in a gallon of hot water to mop my floors with. I also use it in this dusting spray recipe.
You can also use it in the following recipes:
- Gingerbread jelly soaps
- Pumpkin spice body wash recipe
- Pumpkin spice hand soap recipe
- Liquid hand soap for eczema
Click here for more ways to use liquid castile soap.
INGREDIENTS AND SUPPLIES
- 1 bar of castile soap
- 6 cups of water
- cheese grater
large stock pot
- Lavender essential oil
or peppermint essential oil
(optional)
DIRECTIONS
STEP #1
Grate the soap using the cheese grater. Using soap flakes helps the soap dissolve faster.
STEP # 2
Heat the water on high heat until it simmers. Measure two cups of flakes to add to the water.
STEP #3
Stir to help the soap dissolve. Turn off the heat and let the soap continue to dissolve for the next hour. Stir occasionally.
STEP #4
If desired, add a teaspoon of lavender or peppermint essential oil.
STEP #5
Let cool completely before you pour it into a container. This recipe will make just over 48 ounces of liquid castile soap.
Like all liquid castile soap, this recipe is very thin. If you do not like thin shampoo, you can use a foaming soap bottle. Fill the bottle halfway with your homemade liquid soap and add water to fill the container.
Castile soap is gentle enough to use on your hair and body. Many mothers use this soap on their children's hair and body without any skin irritation. This is also an inexpensive hand soap for the kitchen or bath.
You can add a teaspoon of body-safe fragrance oil or essential oil if you like to use a scented shampoo. Be sure you look for an oil that is safe to use in soap because candle or potpourri fragrance oils may irritate your skin.
Keep track of this recipe with my printable essential oil recipe cards or add it to a printable essential oil journal.
And now you know how to make liquid castile soap without lye!
How to Make Liquid Castile Soap Without Lye
materials:
- 1 bar of castile soap
- 6 cups of water
- A cheese grater
- A large stock pot
- Lavender essential oil or peppermint essential oil (optional)
steps:
- Grate the soap using the cheese grater. Using soap flakes helps the soap dissolve faster.
- Heat the water on high heat until it simmers. Measure two cups of flakes to add to the water.
- Stir to help the soap dissolve. Turn off the heat and let the soap continue to dissolve for the next hour. Stir occasionally.
- If desired, add a teaspoon of lavender or peppermint essential oil.
- Let cool completely before you pour it into a container. This recipe will make just over 64 ounces of liquid castile soap.
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