Would you like to make Castile soap at home?
Well, here is one of my favorite homemade soap recipes.
This Castile soap is a pure and very mild soap.
It's also one of the easiest to make if you are new to soap making.
When making soap, it is often advised to make it with 100% olive oil.
But personally, I find that the result is a little soft and viscous. Plus, it can take hours to get to the right consistency.
So, to balance things out a bit, this recipe also contains carrier oils.
In this way, we obtain a soap that retains the softness of a good old olive oil soap while having a better texture.
- 570 ml of olive oil
- 75 ml coconut oil
- 75 ml palm oil withsustainable certification
- 230 ml of cold water
- 90 g of caustic soda
- 5 to 10 drops of essential oil (e.g. peppermint, lemon and lavender)
- a large stainless steel tray
- a suitable mold (silicone cake mold)
- a measuring cup with glass spout
- a silicone spatula
- 2 cooking food thermometers
- an apron
- long rubber gloves
- safety glasses
- an immersion blender
- a digital scale
- a large steel (or stainless enamel) saucepan
1. Prepare the ingredients and measure them precisely with the digital scale.
Warning: it is essential to respect the right quantities for the saponification process to be successful.
2. Put on protective glasses, mask, apron and long rubber gloves.
3. Pour the water into the tall glass with spout.
4. Add SLOWLY soda.
5. Stir with the plastic spatula until dissolved. There will be a reaction between the water and the soda which will heat the water. Leave to cool.
6. In the large steel saucepan, gently melt all the oils (except essential oils).
7. Place one of the thermometers in the large glass (soda mixture) and the other in the large saucepan (oil mixture).
8. Wait for both mixtures to reach the same temperature of 43°C .
9. When they are at the same temperature, pour VERY SLOWLY the mixture of water and soda in the melted oils.
10. Now add the few drops of essential oils you have chosen.
11. Now use the hand blender to stir the mixture thoroughly for a few minutes. First, very slowly without starting the blender . Then, running it in 3-second bursts.
Between each burst, stir gently until the mixture thickens slightly and looks a bit like heavy cream. This stage is called "trace". This is when the oils and the soda begin to react with each other to form soap paste.
12. Now pour the mixture into the mold and smooth with a spatula.
13. Place a piece of cardboard on top of the mold, and wrap an old towel around it to keep the heat inside.
14. Leave your soap for 24 hours at room temperature until the soap has hardened.
15. When the soap has hardened, remove it from the mold and let the soap block air out for 1 or 2 days.
16. Cut it into pieces, but keep your gloves on, as the soap will still be caustic for the first 48 hours.
17. Arrange the soaps on the large tray covered with a cloth. The soaps should not touch each other so that the air can circulate.
18. Store them in a dry place and turn them daily for the first week. Then every other day thereafter for 3-4 weeks before using.
There you go, you have made Castile soaps easily :-)
They are now ready to use. Not that complicated, is it?
Remember to test your soap on your hands before using it on your face.
As you may know, preparing and making soap can present real dangers when handling soda .
It is therefore essential to take precautions each time you handle it.
That being said, all you need is a little common sense not to mess things up.
Therefore, always protect your eyes and skin by putting on safety glasses and rubber gloves.
If it splashes, rinse the skin with vinegar before washing with water.
Once you add the water to your soda, some vapors will escape from the container.
Keep your face away from these fumes as you stir the mixture and try not to inhale them.
You can use a mask if you want.
Me, I wrap a scarf around my nose and my mouth and that's enough, because the fumes only last a few moments.
When cleaning utensils, let the mixture solidify and scrape the excess into a bag.
Keep your gloves on when cleaning and add a little vinegar to your dishwater to help thoroughly clean your utensils.
Last important tip, you should always add soda to other materials, not the other way around! Otherwise you risk causing splashes that will burn the skin.
