What is Castile Soap

What is Castile soap? It is traditional lye soap made with vegetable oil. That's it. It should be sudsy, smooth, and feel great. 

Choose from 5 different natural essential oil scents

Instant Liquid Soap is the perfect stovetop cleaner. It's gentle on your hands while being tough on built up, caked on grease. Click here to read How to Clean your Greasy Stovetop using zero waste natural soap methods

1. Tear open pouch at notch
2. Fill pouch with water to top of label. Gently stir.
3. Pour into a reused plastic bottle. Use.

The future starts now as you end single use plastic bottles. Click here

Where does Castile soap come from

The name Castile Soap, comes from the Castilian region of Spain. Originally, it was made out of olive oil, since that was and still is a commodity that Spain grows and exports. What Castile soap means, is the soap is made from vegetable oil and more specifically, not made out of animal fats or, more recently, petroleum oil. 

All natural hand soap made by Ithaca Soap is Castile soap, using these vegetable oils: organic coconut oil, sunflower oil, and olive oil. That's it!

For more information on Castile soap and how to use it, click here

What is good Castile hand soap? It is a vegetable soap (aka Castile soap) made from an oil and lye solution, specially formulated to be sudsy and gentle, while killing germs. The lather has the function of collecting excess dirt, puncturing germs and then removing them during the rinsing process.

What is Castile soap compared to anti bacterial soap

What is Castile soap compared to antibacterial soap? Simply by its physical structure Castile soap is antibacterial. It kills viruses, germs, bacteria, and any other pathogens it comes in contact with, by a mechanical process instead of a chemical reaction. Each soap molecule has a special shape that punctures virus membranes.

Many antibacterial soap products are not soap at all. They are detergent soap-like substances that fool you into thinking they are all natural soap. Detergents operate on a chemical reaction basis by breaking pathogens down, but not necessarily killing them.

The pathogens are simply chopped up into very small pieces, placing them in a weakened state for a period of time. Because the pathogens are temporarily in smaller pieces, the problem with antibacterial soap like substances, is that the pathogens they attempted to kill (but didn't) can grow back stronger.This is where the term anti bacterial resistance comes from.

Anything you wash your hands with goes into your waste water system, whether it's privately owned or a public utility. From there is goes back to the earth through that system. Soap with antibiotics in it, will go there also. Unfortunately, bacteria adapt to and become antibiotic resistant and mutate.

Waste water and Castile soap

Waste water, or grey water, is used water. In residential settings, it is water that is used for personal cleanliness, house cleaning, dish washing which includes bits of food, toilet flushing, etc.

In commercial settings, waste water can be industrial waste, containing substances left over from an industrial process such as dyes from the textile industry or solvents from the automotive industry. 

Grey water goes into a septic system in a rural setting or in a public utility system in urban and suburban settings. Ideally, you want your grey water to be as clean as possible, since it eventually ends up in rivers, streams, creeks, reservoirs used for municipal drinking water. Wildlife depends on these waterways for their survival. 

All too often, people forget that they too, rely on these very same waterways for their survival. When soap products end up in these waterways, if the soap does not break down and compost, residues end up in drinking water, which will make its way into the food supply, and eventually into the ocean. This is a big topic.

Castile Soap can be Bar Soap or Liquid Soap

Bar and liquid soap each have a useful place in everyone's life. Check out Ithaca Soap today.

Castile bar soap:

• is an effective hand soap 
• is a solid shampoo bar 
• is a wonderfully sudsy a beard soap
• is an excellent shower wash

Castile liquid soap:

• cleans grease and grime off dishes making it great dish soap
• is an excellent fruit and vegetable wash, making it a versatile kitchen soap
• is useful hand soap in the kitchen
• cleans the bathroom 
• cleans your cat litter boxes

I use liquid soap to wash my dishes, just like everyone else. I am acutely aware of plastic bottles, and how they impact our world.

Plastic is an amazing invention that changed how food is stored, how long food and other items last. Liquid soap has been transported in plastic bottles for decades.

What if you could get good, natural liquid soap in eco friendly packaging and reuse a bottle you already have? 

Read about Ithaca Soap's Instant Liquid Soap Refill and the liquid hand soap refill instructions here. Just add water.

Are you a bath person? Instant Liquid Soap Refill makes an excellent bubble bath

What is clean Castile soap 

Since traditional Castile soap is made from saponified vegetable oil, it is a clean ingredient soap. It should biodegrade as it makes its way through a grey water system, leach field, septic system, public municipal water system, and back to natural waterways. 

What we wash off our bodies, clothes, cars, dishes, etc, all goes into the grey water, making its way back into the earth. By becoming more aware of what we eat, put on our bodies, and then clean off is a step in the right direction of taking care of planet earth and all of the living beings on her.

Get clean Castile soap at Ithaca Soap today.

Castile Soap Uses

Organic Castile Soap has many uses:

• liquid dish soap
• How to deep clean the house 
• hand soap
• wash your countertops 
• clean your bathroom 
• Wash the car and mechanic's shop soap 
• clean the windows in your house
• Clean all of your bathroom fixtures 
• clean up pet messes accidents, wash the litter boxes.
• Clean your chicken coop
• use for garden soap 
• use as a fruit and vegetable wash.
• Clean your hair brushes
• How to clean your stovetop
• How to clean a couch
• This soap cleans everything. 
• wash your bread banneton liners - sourdough bread recipe
• Laundry Soap recipe for washing machines
• Hand Wash Laundry for delicates
• Perfect for knitters and wool wet felting: Yarn, wool felt and dye studio
• Biodegradable camping soap and best dish soap for rv's
• Make a first aid kit with the best all natural soap

Is Castile Soap Biodegradable

Yes, Castile soap is biodegradable. It is best to let it slowly go back into the earth through dirt, instead of through water. 

The best visual is to wash your hands with Castile soap, using a glass of water. Make sure you wash and rinse in this glass of water. Bar or liquid soap does not matter for this. After your hands are clean, consider drinking this glass of water. My guess, is you will not want to drink it. Wildlife and those who rely on fresh drinking water would prefer not to drink it either.

When you are camping, make sure you bath and rinse on dirt at least 15-20 feet away from the pond, stream, lake, ocean, etc.

Peppermint bees wax lip balm

Moisturize, hydrate, and nourish your lips with wonderfully luxurious

LiXTiK Beeswax Lip Balms.

Leave your lips moist and smooth for many hours. Soothes severely chapped lips.

Shop Now

Choose from 8 LiXTiK Beeswax flavors/scents. Ingredients: Organic coconut and sunflower oils, premium beeswax, 100% pure essential oils

Get a 3 pack and save

Share

Recent Articles

• 

1. Essential Oils and their benefits

   Apr 23, 24 12:18 PM

   What is an essential oil? Essential oils are natural perfumes distilled from plants. There are approximately 3500 different plants around the world that exude a perfume, while only about 150 have the…

   Read More

2. Why is Beeswax Lip Balm good for you

   Apr 16, 24 02:25 PM

   I love bees and their gift of beeswax. Bees are mathematicians, calculating the magic of the universe. The worker bees (females) collect pollen all day, while the drones (males) keep the hive clean an…

   Read More

3. Best Way to Clean A Bathroom

   Apr 09, 24 04:34 PM

   without producing garbage The best way to clean a bathroom is to do all of the cleaning without producing any garbage. All too often, one time plastic wipes and sponges are used to clean bathrooms. Pl…

   Read More

Follow us 

 THINK

Soap and water kill germs, while cleaning you

Good, all natural bar soap is an essential as a whole body soap wash. It's economical, luxurious, and effective. When selecting a bar of soap, look for simple ingredients with pleasing essential oil aromas and lots of sudsy lather. Sudsing all the way down to a sliver, over 3-4 months of daily use, is key in good bar soap. Try Ithaca Soap   

Sign me up now
for a 25% off coupon
ithacasoap.com 

Your coupon code will be in the subscription confirmation e mail. The coupon is valid with any purchase.

Get industry news, sales, & specials, before everyone else when you subscribe below

Just Add Water

Make Liquid Soap at home. Save your hands from harmful dish washing soaps and liquids. Get some here.

Instant Liquid Soap is liquid soap, sold in a paper bag.  The soap is sold dry. The end user adds water to turn it into true liquid Castile soap. This saves ship weight, space, and the environment. Water stays where it belongs.

This creation is patented and available for private label and license. Let's work together.

Contact us to discuss your options.

Visit The Ithaca Farmers Market. Booth 6

The Finger Lakes Welcome Center Geneva, NY

Main Street Farm

Good eats at Main Street Farms

Eat, shop, small, local.

Main Street Farm

36 Main Street 

Livingston Manor, NY 12758

shop Ithaca Soap

traveling? check our locations page