What is Castile Soap?
Traditionally, Castile soap is hard bar soap made only from olive oil and lye in the Castile region of Spain. It has a pure white color that gets whiter with age, and has wonderful properties including a long lasting fluffy lather and a hardness that makes the bars last a long time. It’s also considered to be very good for skin, and it’s one of the least environmentally polluting.
The “original” olive oil soap was Aleppo soap, made in Aleppo, Syria and exported along the Silk Road and other trade routes for thousands of years. Aleppo soap was made with olive oil and lye, and near the end of the process laurel oil was added.
Since laurel oil wasn’t available in Spain when the Aleppo soap formula eventually made it there, they made olive oil soap without laurel oil. The soap became extremely popular in Europe, and earned the name “Castile” soap for the region in Spain where it was produced.
Today many manufacturers make what they call “Castile” soap. Dr. Bronner’s concentrated liquid soap is probably the most well known. It is sold in bulk at natural foods stores with labels covered in tiny script - a kind of manifesto of “sayings” from Dr. Bronner, who it is said thought he was a prophet. It’s not true Castile soap because it also contains other oils like hemp, coconut, and jojoba.
True Castile soap is made from just one oil – olive oil. It may contain colors and scents, but it is made using only one oil. It’s a good general purpose soap, a great choice if you want a soap that’s non-polluting and biodegradable.
It’s also great for people with especially sensitive skin. Castile soap is usually hypoallergenic.
Here’s a link to Joyce’s Castile Creations. Joyce is a local soapmaker (West Memphis, Arkansas) who makes great Castile soap.