An amazingly versatile soap, a castile soap is a natural vegetable oils-based cleaner, sans any animal fats and other synthetic ingredients that are present while manufacturing the majority of commercially produced soaps. This soap is natural, non-toxic, biodegradable, and is available in both bar and liquid form.
Traditionally castile soap was made using olive oil; however, nowadays coconut, palm, avocado, almond, kernel, castor, jojoba, or hemp oils go into its manufacturing. These oils give the soap its remarkable cleansing, moisturizing, and lathering properties, and make it ideal for the use of vegans. Further, some of them may also contain other fragrances or added ingredients to target specific uses.
A castile soap is a natural disinfectant, however, it may not be considered to be antibacterial. But it can be made antibacterial by adding extra tea tree oil to any castile soap solution.
Castile soap boasts of being used in a myriad of ways, which can be used regularly to reduce or eliminate the need for additional cleaning products. Let’s look at some of its uses-
As Efficient Makeup Remover
Castile soap serves as an effective homemade makeup remover that also acts as a moisturizer. You need to combine equal parts castile soap and carrier oil like coconut, almond or witch hazel oil to make a remover. Then soak washcloth or cotton rounds in the solution of warm water and wipe gently to remove the makeup residue. Rinse with water.
As Showering and Bathroom Soap
Unlike most commercial soaps, it has a natural lather property which means that it does not contain any harmful sulfates to make it lather. It is also suitable for all skin types.
You can make your bath more luxurious by adding a little of the liquid form of castile soap to your hot tub of water. Since it contains natural plant oils and glycerin, it helps to soothe the irritated skin, and also naturally moisturizes it.
As Dish Washing Soap
Castile soap is better natural alternative to your usual dishwasher detergent, as it is great at removing the grease from dirty dishes. To make a Castile dish cleaner, mix one part of the soap with 10 parts water to make liquid dish soap. It washes off the excess oils and leave your dishes sparkling clean.
To make its detergent, combine equal parts of castile soap with water as the base. Then add their one-fourth quantity of white vinegar and baking soda until a paste is formed. Use this paste to clean dishes.
All-Purpose Household cleaner
Castile soap also makes a great all-purpose household cleaner to deal with all sorts of your cleaning work, including serving as a window cleaner, mopping liquid, and toilet cleaner.
Add some liquid soap to warm water, mix them, and then pour the mixture into a spray bottle. You can use this liquid to clean furniture, remove stains, clean counters, appliances, dusty surfaces, and much more. Spray and follow with a wipe using a clean cloth. Further, to use it as a scrubber on tough stains, you can sprinkle the surface with baking soda before spraying the castile soap mixture.
Laundry Detergent
Castile soap is an appealing option for people who suffer from rashes while using traditional store-bought laundry detergents. Use one-third or half cup o castile soap for a normal-sized load (you can reduce the soap’s quantity if you’re using a high-efficiency washing machine).
However, for more soiled clothes or gym clothes, pre-washing may be required. For this you will need to add lathered castile soap directly to the dirty items. Then scrub the clothes with the soap and allow it to soak in a bowl of water for a few minutes before adding it to the main laundry.
Its additional benefits include-
- It is environment friendly
- Suitable for vegans
- Quite affordable
- It is hypoallergenic as compared to other chemical soaps
- It is produced organically using ethical means
So, now that you know how castile soap can be a beneficial addition, bring it home and grab its amazing benefits!