Green Clean

Castile Soap

Cleaning with natural ingredients is preferred by a lot of people.  There are many natural ingredients on this planet that you can use safely to clean with, most people don’t know what they are.  Years ago I discovered the many uses for Castile soap and I have been using it ever since. 

‘Castile’ designates that the soap is vegetable oil based and not animal oil based.  The identification ‘Castile’ comes from the fact that this kind of soap was made originally from vegetable oil ingredients found in Castile, Spain centuries ago. If it is pure Castile soap, then it is a simple ecological soap. The main ingredient is olive oil. My family has used Castile soap for decades.  As a child I remember my mother using Castile bar soap.

Liquid soap has not been around as long as hard bar soap. However, because it is liquid it is easier to use and has more applications.  Pure Castile liquid soap can be used for many things including household cleaning as well as washing the body and washing clothes. This is green clean.

Other vegetable oil based soaps include Marseilles soap, a bar soap made around Marseilles, France.  It is made from sea water, olive oil, soda ash and lye (sodium hydroxide).  This is a greenish hued soap. The white hued soap is made with palm oil.  

Nabulsi is a Castile soap made in Nablus, Palestine on the West Bank.  It is made with virgin olive oil, water, and an alkaline sodium compound of powdered ashes from the barilla plant. It has no scent and is light colored. This soap has been around since before the 14th century. 

Some Castile bar soaps have coconut oil as a vegetable oil based ingredient which help moisturize your skin. I have found that vegetable oil based bar soaps have more lather than animal oil based soaps, especially in hard water.  They are more beneficial and add to the quality of life for everyday living.  More green clean.

These soaps are biodegradable and kind to the earth, you, and the atmosphere. 

From my investigation making your own "green clean" soap can be easy and interesting. You can be creative and add scents and ingredients that will make your soap special for you.  I think I’ll search for a recipe for a beginner like myself.

Have a pleasant day  good tips