Going natural is the trend nowadays. If you want to be at par with the latest trends, you should use products that promote nature and help save the environment. With these in mind, manufacturers and people who are adept in creating their own stuff are finding different nature-friendly and natural items that you could use in your household. One of the frequently made all-natural item is the bath soap. There are many types of natural bath soaps that are available in the market today and some of these soaps can be made at home by just following the instructions on how to make the soap. The instructions are simple enough and it can be made even by people who want to make home-made soaps that they could give away as gifts or sell to friends and acquaintances. One kind of natural bath soap is the castile soap. Castile soap uses vegetable oil rather than animal fat. This kind of organic soap has many types and they are classified according to the vegetable oil that was used to make them. The vegetable oils that could be used in making this kind of soap are olive oil, jojoba oil and coconut oil.
There are many forms of castile soap. It can come in the form of bar soap, liquid castile soap, or castile soap flakes. Among all its forms, the liquid castile soap is the most popular form and olive oil is the most frequently used oil in manufacturing this kind of organic soap.
The olive oil castile soap is considered to be the best among all of its kinds because it has many uses and castile soap benefits. It is non-toxic, biodegradable and the production of this kind of soap has minimal waste. The olive oil castile soap that is being produced nowadays is highly recommended to be used on hair because it makes the hair soft and smooth. It contains glycerin which seals in moisture in your hair. There are many uses of the olive oil castile soap. It can also be used as pet shampoo, detergent, shaving foam and toothpaste.
It is readily available in major stores and online shops. If you buy online, you'll find out that it is cheaper than buying from the major stores in your neighborhood. The manufacturers of the soap usually have websites where you could buy their products and in their website, you can read about the best ways to use their product to achieve the maximum result and get the best value for your money. The manufacturers also offer a money-back guarantee in case you are not satisfied with their product. This type of promotion gives the manufacturers a drive to improve their products so that the customers would love their products. This also assures their customers that the said product has optimum quality.
This soap originated from Spain. It is white in color, mottled, hard and fine. Castile soap uses soda and olive oil as its main ingredient. As compared to other kinds of soaps, it lathers slowly but it is rich due to its main ingredient, which is the olive oil.
Another castile soap benefit is that it is very mild and gentle that it could be used on babies.
Ingredients and Procedures in Making a Castile Soap
The ingredients in making the soap are 1.8 pound of 100% olive oil, 1 ounce of pearls of beeswax, 4 ounces of lye or sodium hydroxide and 10 ounces of distilled water. Beeswax is the ingredient that is responsible for giving a silky grain texture to the soap.
The procedure in making the soap using the castile soap recipe is very easy to follow. First, you have to heat the olive oil and dissolve the beeswax into it. Then, add the distilled water and continue stirring until the temperature reaches approximately 120 degrees. Add the sodium hydroxide and continuously stir the mixture until you are sure that there's no more trace of beeswax. Remove from heat and pour the mixture into the mold.
You can make innovations in the castile soap recipe. You can add dried chamomile, oils and extracts of 
eucalyptus, orange, rosemary, rose garden, citrus blend, and calendula to produce other fragrances for your soap.
The classic castile soaps also have disadvantages. They are slimy in texture and have high alkaline levels which range from 7-9 pH, while the human body only has an acidic level of 5 or 6 pH. The classic soap recipe is not recommended for use on hair.
Castile soap is organic, has many forms like castile soap flakes and it also has many disadvantages as well as castile soap benefits. Through time, it has improved but it is still up to you if you are going to use it.
