American Castile Soap
My soap worked! In my last attempt, I overcooked the soap and the result was dry and crumbly bars. No crumbs this time! I used my bread pans as a mold, lined with trash bags and sprayed with olive oil to avoid sticking. I cut the bars small so the little fingers in our family would fit around them properly.
American Castile Soap
taken from Handcrafted Soap by Dolores Boone
Unlike Spanish castile soap, American castile soap uses more oils than just olive oil. This recipe still provides the gentle cleansing you would expect from Spanish castile soap.
8 ounces (227 g) almond oil
2 ounces (57 g) castor oil
8 ounces (227 g) coconut oil
36 ounces (1 kg) olive oil
16 ounces (454 g) distilled water
7.3 ounces (207 g) lye
Yield: 54 ounces (1.5 kg) of soap
Follow your preferred method of soap making.
See My Soap Molds
Good for you wardeh! Good for you. I enjoy soap making so much. I’ve been making it for many years now. I think I made my first castille soap about 15 years ago. I made the Spanish type, I guess. We like homemade soap so much and though the new fragrances smell so nice, there is nothing like a bar of plain white castille soap to wash little hands and feet in. I have memories of a white porcelain pan full of warm soapy water and that slippery bar of homemade soap sitting outside my Grandmother’s house on a big tree stump most every summer day. A white towel lay nearby and that wonderful aroma of soap and roses on the trellis still lingers with me.
Sylvia, you made the type made with olive oil as the only oil? I grew up using that type of soap, although we didn’t make it ourselves, we purchased it from a Middle Eastern market. I agree with you about a plain white bar of soap, to us that is the best “fragrance” there is ~ mild and simple. What wonderful memories you have of your Grandmother’s house in summer. I can just picture it. Thanks for sharing that memory with me.
Yes, I used only olive oil in making the castille soap. It was so soft you could bend the bars when they had cured.
These bars I have made are still pretty soft, but not as soft as pure castile soap would be (so I’ve read). The ones we buy must sit around for a long time for they are quite hard.
I guess so…the longer my regular soap sits the harder it gets. You know, when you buy any kind of soap from the store, if you will unwrap it and store it unwrapped in a linen closet or other dry place, it will continue to dry and last much longer than soap fresh out of the wrapper.
Hi Sweety. Had a moment to access the web. I was thinking about how the new batch of soap panned out. Sounds like it worked perfectly, down the hand match for our such treasures. I love you, and look forward to seeing you when I get home.
Hi, Jeffrey! What a surpise ~ to see you here since I can’t see you in real life right now. You just made my day. I love you!
Hello Miss Wardeh!
Your soap looks great! Isn’t it just one of the most satisifying things? I can see how I came to slowly love cooking more elaborate meals when hand-made soap making is a joy to make. Miss Sylvia herself taught me how to make soap 3½ years ago in her home. I was hooked and started purchasing supplies. I went through a time of experimenting with fragrances, natural colorants (herbs, etc.) and recipes. But, as soon as the remainder of my soap sells I am going to make a very few (less than five) kinds of soap that are very simple favorites for our family and a few friends who buy it regularly. There are about 4 who I think are going to continue to use my soap. 
Thank you for your sweet e-mail. You are very gentle with your words - making one feel very special.
Have a terrific Tuesday, Miss Wardeh. Huggs!
P.S. Praying for God’s love to surround you as you wait for your honey to come home.
Thank you, Robin. I think I understand now why you and Sylvia love to make soap. What a creation!
Hi Wardeh, I was wondering if your soaps are good for baby’s. I am thinking of making some knitted (lol, I am a terrible knitter)washcloths and I thought baby soap would be an added touch to the gift. Do you make anything with lavender? How long does the soap last,unopened? I just wanted to know that incase I order early. Thanks so much for the help.
Michelle, these soaps are excellent for babies or anyone with sensitive skin. We started using them because of my son’s eczema. I’m sure your washcloths are lovely. The soaps last ages as long as they’re not cooped up. They need to be unwrapped and left in a dark, cool place where air can circulate.
I’ve never made anything with lavender… yet.
Love, Wardeh