Lots of people have started realizing just how amazing castile soap is. This versatile and plant-based soap product is just as effective at cleaning as animal fat-based soaps or synthetic alternatives. Plus, it doesn’t come with the same risks for side effects and poisoning that many more commercial soaps do, especially if ingested by your little one or your furry friend.
Everyone knows that castile soap can clean – after all, it’s a type of soap! But if you’re still on the fence, you might wonder if there are any lesser-known benefits and uses to castile soap that set it apart from the competition.
When it comes to castile soap, there’s always a little more than meets the eye. Let’s take a look at some of the more niche uses and potential advantages castile soap can offer your household in this guide.
What is Castile Soap?
Castile soap is created by using plant based oils rather than the animal fats the majority of other soap products use. Additionally, most castile soap varieties use eco-friendly or natural ingredients instead of synthetic ingredients and harsh cleaning chemicals like triclosan.
The result? An effective but gentle “green” soap that’s suitable for a wide variety of cleaning tasks without any of the downsides or side effects of traditional soap products.
How Does Castile Soap Work?
As with other types of soap, castile soap is alkaline, which means that the soap molecules have sides that attract or repel water, respectively. When you combine castile soap with warm water, free-floating soap molecules drift throughout the soapy water and can capture oil, grease, dirt, grime, and anything that isn’t water-soluble.
Basically, castile soap works the same way as other soap products, but doesn’t have any abrasive or synthetic cleaners that can potentially damage your skin or the surface you’re trying to clean, or that are overly toxic if accidentally consumed. Even with all of this, it is no less effective than other types of soap.
What is Castile Soap Made Of?
Castile soap can be made with one or more types of plant-based oils mixed with other natural ingredients that can add fragrances or additional cleaning effects. Popular oils to make castile soap from include castor, hemp, avocado, almond, and walnut.
Castile soap can be made in either a bar or liquid form depending on the needs of the user.
What Else Can You Use Castile Soap For?
So you can use castile soap to clean yourself, your dishes, and your countertops. But what else can you use castile soap for?
Turns out… quite a lot!
- Toothpaste – that’s right! You can actually use castile soap as toothpaste if you put a drop of the soap on a toothbrush and scrub your teeth as usual. However, keep in mind that castile soap doesn’t taste nearly as good as peppermint toothpaste. So, castile soap serves as more of a backup toothpaste as opposed to a first choice. If you’re wanting to avoid fluoride, you may want to give our fluoride-free, all-natural peppermint toothpaste a go versus trying to deal with the taste of soap.
- Shaving cream – castile soap works well as shaving cream, especially since it’s non-toxic and doesn't irritate the skin. Just put about 10 drops of liquid castile soap on your face after washing it with warm water and drying, and use your favorite razor for a smooth, slick shaving experience. Use a few less drops for shaving other parts of your body.
- Shampoo – castile soap effectively doubles as a shampoo, which can be a lifesaver if other types of soap or shampoo cause dandruff or irritate your scalp. Try mixing about one half of a tablespoon of castile soap in wet hair, then scrub and rinse thoroughly. We’d recommend only trying a little bit at first, however, and make sure to use a conditioner afterward to give your hair the nutrients it needs to be healthy.
- Body wash – on top of being a great shampoo, castile soap serves well as a body wash too. Just mix a few drops of the soap onto a wet sponge or washcloth and go to town! Note that this also works for your face – again, since castile soap isn’t harsh on the skin and doesn’t contain synthetic ingredients. If you have dry skin to start with, you may want to make sure you use a moisturizer afterward.
- Laundry detergent – you can even use castile soap to clean your laundry. It shouldn’t cause any color draining or swapping and will be gentle on even fragile fabrics. Mix about one half to one-third of a cup of castile soap with one half of a cup of vinegar for a large load of laundry. It’s an excellent all-natural alternative to artificially-scented, chemical-packed laundry detergent products.
- Veggie and fruit rinse – want to make sure that your vegetables from your garden are appropriately clean before you throw them in the pot? Use castile soap to scrub them down beforehand. Since castile soap is easily rinsed off, you don’t need to worry about your vegetables tasting like soap, either!
- Animal shampoo – tons of commercial shampoo products are too harsh to use on our furry friends and can end up causing irritation, but not castile soap, and especially not our Animal Castile Wash! If you have a cat or dog that needs a bath, use castile soap to thoroughly clean their fur while also providing nourishing hydration thanks to other helpful ingredients like coconut oil and shea butter. Best of all, castile soap is safe even if your pet ends up licking some of it up during their bath.
- Plant spray – if your plants are constantly under attack by little bugs, make a castile soap spray by mixing one tablespoon with a quart of water and add one half tablespoon of cayenne pepper or cinnamon. Then spray your plants down to create a bug-repelling mist!
- Toilet cleaner – lastly, you can use castile soap as an effective toilet cleaner. Just dilute to about one part castile soap and four parts water, then add one-fourth of a teaspoon of an essential oil to add a pleasant fragrance. Use a toilet brush regularly for the best results.
All in all, castile soap serves as an excellent natural alternative to commercial soap and cleaning products. It’s a perfect pick if you want to make your home even more eco-friendly, especially if you don’t want to use soap products that can cause stomach upset or worse for your kids or animals if it’s accidentally ingested.
Green Goo offers several high-quality castile soaps. Our Unscented Castile Soap is a great option if you aren’t a fan of fragrance, but even our scented castile soaps are made only with natural plant oils and other natural ingredients. Our Grapefruit Castile Soap is scented with actual grapefruit, and our Lemongrass Zinger Castile Soap is actually zinged with lemongrass. Eco-friendly and affordable, these soaps are a perfect pick for environmentally-minded folks as well as people on a budget.
What Are the Main Benefits of Castile Soap?
Castile soap’s main benefits are that it’s safe, eco-friendly, and multi-purpose. Since it’s only made with natural ingredients and plant-based oils, it doesn’t carry the same risk for side effects like skin irritation or poisoning that come with soaps made from synthetic chemicals or animal fats.
The eco-friendly aspect of castile soap means you can rest assured that it’s biodegradable. If you throw some of the soap out with a bucket of soapy water, no need to worry about ruining plants or harming animals that might drink the water later. Castile soap doesn’t foam, use any detergents, or include any synthetic preservatives.
Finally, who doesn’t like a product with many uses? Castile soap can be used for so many things, and serves as a natural, plant-based alternative for a lot of household cleaning items that have harsh chemicals and artificial fragrances.
Lesser-Known Benefits of Castile Soap
Aside from those major benefits, castile soap also provides a few lesser-known advantages that make it a great alternative option compared to traditional soap products.
- Castile soap is mostly hypoallergenic. While there may be a few people who are allergic to the plants in the formula, far more people are allergic to animal fats or other synthetic ingredients by comparison. Chances are you and your family won’t have any adverse reaction to the stuff when it touches your skin, but you can always do a patch test to make sure.
- Castile soap is also really affordable. In many cases, all-natural alternatives aren’t very economical, meaning those with tight budgets can’t take advantage of them. But castile soap is very affordable and even a small amount can be stretched to last for a long time if you use it correctly.
- Vegan-friendly soap is the best! Castile soap fits the bill, even though many people won’t recognize this. Remember, castile soap doesn’t make use of any animal products like lard. Only plant-based ingredients are used in castile soap.
- Castile soap is customizable, especially if you pick up our Unscented version described above. You can add essential oils and other fragrances to your soap so that it’s totally unique. You can also add additional cleaning ingredients depending on your needs.
Summary
In the end, castile soaps are much better than any commercial alternative, and in more ways than one. You won’t experience any reduction in cleaning effectiveness or power, so you can still scrub away stains and other contaminants just as efficiently while still staying green.
With reduced environmental impact, no harsh chemicals, and affordability that’s hard to match anywhere else, our Castile Soaps are worth a try – we think that once you see how excellent they are, you won’t want to go back to anything else!
Sources
https://www.defeatdd.org/blog/how-does-soap-actually-work
https://www.healthline.com/health/castile-soap
https://www.news-medical.net/life-sciences/What-Makes-Something-Acidic-
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/expert