What is Castile soap?

What is Castile soap?

Back to blog

Leave a comment

Please note, comments need to be approved before they are published.

Good old fashioned lye 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. 

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.

Choose Castile bar soap

Castile soap is vegetable oil soap

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

Olive Oil Shampoo Bar

What is Castile soap

Compare Castile soap 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.

Instant Liquid Soap

aka Grey Water

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.

Naturally clean the bathroom

Castile Soap can be

Bar Soap or Liquid

Castile bar soap: 

Castile liquid soap:

Fruit and Vegetable Wash

Plastic Free

Instant Liquid soap

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? 

Find Ithaca Soap's Instant Liquid Soap. 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.

License this manufacturing technology here

Choose from 5 scents

Did you say clean soap?

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.

Learn to read ingredients labels

biodegradable means eco friendly

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.

Best Camping Soap

One Castile soap cleans everything

Castile Soap Uses

Organic Castile Soap has many uses:

Make your own laundry soap