How to make real castile soap. Castile soap: cook and enjoy

Real connoisseurs have been making Castile soap for hundreds of years. This recipe came to us from the coast of Spain, where all this time it has remained practically unchanged. Castile soap is based on just three ingredients: water, lye and natural olive oil. To this classic base, you can add all kinds of additives, focusing on your own taste and skin characteristics.

main ingredient

It is believed that olive oil is a unique product. No wonder it has been widely used in cosmetology for thousands of years. The inhabitants of the Mediterranean coast from time immemorial took care of their skin and hair with the help of olive oil.

Thanks to this component, castile soap can be used even when bathing babies. In addition, olive oil itself is a natural preservative, so the soap made with it is well stored and does not deteriorate for a very long time. Classic Castile soap is hard, cut into bars (or cured in molds of the right size). But you can cook and liquid.

Taste and color...

Those who have already tried this soap often disagree. To some, its foam seems creamy, tender, affectionate, and someone speaks of a slimy, unpleasant substance. This only says that you need to try everything personally, without focusing on someone else's opinion. Make your own Castile soap and try it out for yourself - what if it becomes your favorite?

Looking at the matter objectively, it is worth noting that such homemade soap really prone to soaking and ductility. Solving the problem is simple - store it in an open soap dish, which will allow the bar to ventilate. And if you let the soap mature enough, mucus will not form at all. The period of full maturation is 6-8 months. But first things first.

As for liquid castile soap, this effect is not so noticeable. Its structure is creamy, very delicate, pleasant to the touch. Of course, if you follow all the rules, recipes and subtleties of the process during cooking.

Required inventory

The method of making classic Castile soap at home involves the use of some equipment. We will need an accurate kitchen scale, a small mixer, a sieve, measuring utensils, gloves and a respirator. If possible, protect your eyes with goggles to avoid injury. Alkali is a rather aggressive thing, and using this substance can easily damage the skin and mucous membranes.

However, the use of such an unfriendly component will not negatively affect the final result. During cooking, it is completely neutralized.

In addition, a wooden spatula and a couple of containers for a water bath will come in handy. We will take care of the necessary working space in advance, so that nothing interferes with the work process.

Naturally, among other things, you will need a gas burner or a conventional burner.

Required Ingredients

It is important to follow a strict dosage. Especially if you are making Castile soap for the first time. The recipe consists of the following set of ingredients:

olive oil - 200 g;
melted ice crumb (ice water) - 95.2 g;
NaOH (alkaline) - 23.7 g.

Those who have already mastered the technology often add palm and coconut oil to the recipe (23.6 g each). This gives the finished product flavor, accelerates the aging process, and makes the soap more dense.

The process of making hard castile soap

To cook Castile at home in a hot way, we strictly measure the required amount of ingredients on the scales.

We prepare the alkaline solution: carefully introduce the alkali into a container with ice. Beginners should not be afraid of a violent reaction - it should be so. Let the solution cool down a bit.

Pour olive oil into a large bowl. When the alkaline solution cools down a bit so that the temperature difference does not exceed 10 ° C, we introduce it into the oil through a sieve (not vice versa!), And then carefully knead the solution with a spoon. After that, connect the mixer and start beating. Soon the mass will begin to reach for the mixer. This phenomenon is called a "sustainable trail" and says that everything is going as it should.

Now we send the soap to the water bath, covering it with a lid. This is necessary to speed up the passage of the gel phase, which, in turn, will speed up the aging process.

In the process, it is necessary to check whether all the alkali has come out. This can be done with a pH meter or strips of litmus paper. The pH should be around 8.

Be patient, because the bath will last several hours. When the mass turns into a gel state, remove it from the heat. Now it remains to pour liquid castile soap into molds and carefully tap on all sides so that air bubbles come to the surface.

Let the soap dry. This will take from several hours to one day. Dried soap can be easily removed from the molds, and if necessary, it is well cut into smaller bars.

Liquid castile soap

The soap prepared by us can be used not only for its intended purpose, but also serve as the basis for other products. It can be used to make dishwashing liquid and even laundry detergent.

To make liquid castile soap, hard bars must first be melted. This process is quite simple. Three solid soap on a grater or thinly cut with a knife, put in a container and send to a water bath. Stir every 10-15 minutes, allowing air bubbles to escape. When the soap acquires amber transparency, add hot water at the rate of 1:1. Mix thoroughly, cover with a lid and leave for a day so that both parts are completely connected. It is convenient to store such soap in bottles with a pump dispenser.

Additives for the classic recipe

There are many active additives with which you can diversify the classic recipe. The main thing is that their amount does not exceed 12% of the volume of olive oil.

You can add goat milk, cream, ground coffee, salt, sugar, essential oils, chopped citrus zest, citric acid to the recipe.

Classic Castile soap, invented several centuries ago, today we will prepare the accelerated method and get Castile soap from scratch in a hot way. This all natural soap, according to the original recipe, will contain olive oil, lye and water. The maturation process of such soap is accelerated by heating the whipped oil-alkaline mass in a water bath or in an oven, followed by the passage of the gel stage.

Castile soap recipe

Soap recipes should always be at hand, so it’s more convenient to check whether everything has been done, so it’s better to write out or print out the ingredients and step-by-step instructions.

To make soap you will need: scales, measuring utensils, a strainer for an alkaline solution, dishes for a water bath, spoons with long handles, a mixer, a thermometer, a pH meter, or litmus paper, protective equipment (glasses, gloves, a respirator), ingredients, and soap mold.

Handmade soap ingredients:

200 g - olive oil
95.2 g - ice water (ice)
23.7 g - NaOH alkalis

We free the workspace from unnecessary items, open the window for ventilation, prepare all the necessary tools and ingredients, put on gloves, cover our face with a respirator, eyes with glasses and close the door from strangers.
Weigh pre-frozen water in a glass of the right volume.
Separately weigh the alkali.
Let's prepare an alkaline solution, for this, with the most accurate movements, we introduce alkali into the ice. Beginners, do not be alarmed, a chemical reaction will begin with the release of heat. Therefore, we leave the alkaline solution for a while so that it cools down a little.
Measure out the olive oil and pour into a large bowl.
When the temperature of the alkaline solution differs from the temperature of the olive oil only within 10 0 C (measured with a thermometer), we introduce the solution, filtering through a sieve into the oil (not vice versa).
The oil-alkaline solution is first kneaded with a spoon, and then, we connect the mixer.
We beat the mass until a path stretching after the mixer appears - this is called a stable trail. After a minute, check again for a trace. Due to the large amount of olive oil, the mass may delaminate again, do not be alarmed, you just need to beat it up and check again for a trace.
The Castile soap brought to the trace is sent to a water bath under the lid, to speed up the passage of the gel stage, and therefore to speed up the maturation process. Periodically open the lid and mix the soapy mass thoroughly, adding a little water if necessary.
In the process, it is necessary to check whether all the alkali is gone and whether the soap is pinching. Some professionals check the soap on the tongue, if it stings, then we still cook. You can check with a pH meter or strips of litmus paper, pH≈8.
After a few hours, we achieve the gel stage, remove the soap from the water bath.
We shift the castile soap from scratch in a hot way into molds and tap well on all sides.
We leave the soap to harden in the form from several hours to a day.
We take out the dried soap from the mold and, if necessary, cut into smaller sticks.

Making handmade soap:

Our recipe for Castile soap allows you to make a soap that can be used immediately after hardening. However, over time, this soap becomes only nobler. In view of the absence of dyes and fragrances, the soap is completely hypoallergenic, lathers well and is suitable even for children.

How to make new from old castile soap

Sometimes, over time, it seems to us that the boiled bar of soap is not as good as we would like. Or, for example, you want to make soap with additives from an existing bar. The recipe described above for Castile soap has a simple recipe that does not contain any auxiliary components, be it color or fragrance. Therefore, once brewed such soap can be easily digested again, ennobling it. You can also digest unsuccessful Castile soap, when something did not work out with the color, the aroma has disappeared, etc., we advise you to collect all the remnants and remnants and make a new one from the old.

How to make new from old castile soap? Perhaps even easier than making Castile soap itself from scratch. In this case, you do not have to work with alkali. The alkaline reaction took place at the gel stage in the production of soap.

So, there are pieces of unsuccessful Castile soap and remnants of it.

Soap making instructions:

We weigh all the Castile soap (in order to understand the number of components introduced and the size of the mold), this is our soap base.
Three all the soap on a grater.
We send the soap shavings to heat in a water bath, adding ≈10% liquid (water, chamomile decoction, milk, etc.).
Stirring constantly, bring the soap to a homogeneous mass. Add liquid if necessary.
For better melting, you can add honey, sugar or sorbitol diluted in water.
Optionally, you can add overfat, in the form of selected oils.
Well-melted Castile soap can be enriched with whatever your heart desires. You can divide the entire volume into several parts and add different dyes to each, and then pour multi-colored soap in layers. Dried flowers or exfoliating particles can be added to homogeneous uncured castile soap. Such castile soap can be scented with your favorite aroma, thanks to fragrances and essential oils.
Castile soap saturated with the selected components is transferred to a suitable size form, tapping on all sides from the accumulated air bubbles.
We leave the soap to “rest” for several hours in the form.
We remove the frozen soap from the mold on a cotton towel, and leave it to lie down for a while, for the disappearance of excess fat and moisture.

DIY castile soap:

As a result, from an old, unattractive bar of soap, a completely new Castile soap is obtained with properties, colors and aromas acquired during the manufacturing process, as planned.

Soap making is a fairly unusual hobby that has gained popularity not so long ago, largely due to the growing popularity of natural cosmetics. Castile (olive) soap is a traditional cosmetic product Mediterranean women, long known for their luxurious soft skin...

At first glance, it may seem that the process of making soap at home is an extremely difficult task, in fact, soap making is no more difficult than, for example, baking. confectionery at home. In addition, soap making has many advantages: with very low skills, you can make soap from natural ingredients that will be much more beneficial for the skin than cleansing cosmetics produced by cosmetic brands.

An example of such soap is the famous Castile soap, which is brewed with olive oil. Although soap making as a hobby is not so long ago, the history of Castile soap is rooted in the deep past. Back in the sixteenth century, in some regions of Europe, soap was brewed using olive oil rather than animal fat, resulting in a solid product, White color which has not changed even after several years.

Soap is a product chemical reaction arising from the interaction of fat and lye. However, in order to make soap at home, you don’t need to know all the tricks of chemical interaction at all. Successful outcome depends not so much on the knowledge of the intricacies of the process, but on the right ingredients.

It is not for nothing that a few decades ago, home-made soap was completely unpopular - due to Low quality ingredients, such a product had an unpleasant odor, was harsh and, moreover, provoked skin irritation.

However, today the most exotic ingredients can be easily purchased at the nearest store, and at home you can make soap that is not inferior in properties - or even superior - to the soap that cosmetic brands produce.

Luckily for beginners, castile soap is one of the easiest varieties to make, as it only takes three ingredients to make. And the result is a very mild soap that lathers well, but does not cause an unpleasant feeling of dryness and tightness of the skin. Castile soap is so gentle that it is suitable for the most sensitive and dry skin.

Before you start making castile soap, you need to properly organize workplace- that is, to choose dishes for cooking. Soap making requires utensils made of materials that will not interact with alkali and other components - for example, utensils made of stainless steel, glass, plastic, wooden spoons for stirring. Under no circumstances should aluminum or cracked enamelware be used.

Castile soap - recipe

To make castile soap, you will need the following utensils and equipment:

Large stainless steel or glass bowl for mixing ingredients
Heat Resistant Glass Container for Alkaline Solution
Spoons for mixing the finished mixture - wooden ones are better suited for soap, and thick plastic spoons are better for lye
A plastic mold or a regular plastic container for shaping the soap (before pouring the soap into the mold, it must be lined inside with parchment paper greased with odorless oil)
Household thermometer – e.g. a meat thermometer
Blender for whipping the mixture
Rubber gloves (required when working with lye)

The recipe may vary, but it is best to stick to a certain ratio of ingredients: 60% olive oil - 40% other oils, such as coconut, palm, avocado oil, shea butter, finally, regular castor oil, or a combination of both. It should be taken into account that coconut oil and palm kernel oil improve the foaming properties of soap, but at the same time, dry the skin, therefore, in in large numbers these oils are not recommended.

So, for example, in order to get about 4.5 kilograms of castile soap, in the simplest case, you need:

About a liter of olive oil
About 280 grams of coconut oil
Half a liter of cold water (distilled or plain, purified)
Approximately 200 grams of lye

Of course, the composition can be varied depending on personal preferences - for example, add cocoa butter or essential oils to the recipe for a pleasant smell.

With flavors, however, it’s easy enough to overdo it, so it’s better to stick to the following ratio: 20 grams of light essential oil or 11 grams of strong essential oil for every 0.5 kilogram of olive oil.

For flavorings, this ratio is 14 and 8 grams, respectively. The basis of Castile soap is unrefined olive oil (this oil has a greenish color and a characteristic aroma). Besides, in finished product you can add various fillers: bran, oatmeal, sea salt crystals to gently exfoliate the skin.

There are two ways to make soap at home - the "cold" method, which involves curing the finished product in air, and the "hot" method in a water bath.

Cold method for making castile soap

Prepare the workplace: cover the desktop with sheets of paper (you can use old newspapers), put on rubber gloves (it is better to protect your eyes with goggles)
Using a spoon, pour the lye into a container of cold water, cover the top with a lid and leave to cool for two to three hours until the temperature of the solution reaches 35-38 degrees
Mix the olive oil with the extra oils in the castile soap recipe and heat the mixture in a saucepan to 35-40 degrees
After reaching the optimum temperature of both mixtures, carefully pour the alkaline solution into the oil mixture, stirring with a steel spoon
After mixing, the resulting mixture of alkali and oils must be thoroughly beaten with a blender or whisk until the consistency of a thick sauce is reached. The finished mixture is homogeneous, thick, opaque in color
After readiness, add additional ingredients to the resulting mixture as desired - dyes, flavors

Pour the soap into the mold and leave to dry in the air for 24 hours (if the walls of the mold are not smooth, but with a pattern, the time increases by 24 to 48 hours). After take it out of the mold and leave to ripen in the air for 4-6 weeks.

Hot method for making castile soap

Mix all the oils in the castile soap recipe and leave to heat in a metal saucepan on the stove
Using a spoon, pour the lye into a container of cold water, cover the top with a lid and leave to cool until the temperature of the lye solution and the mixture of oils are the same
Pour the alkaline solution into the oil mixture, stirring with a spoon
Beat the resulting mixture with a blender or whisk until the soap thickens (the consistency of the finished mixture should resemble a thick sauce or pudding)
Place the saucepan with the finished mixture in a large saucepan filled with water and leave on low heat until the soap becomes homogeneous and slightly transparent, resembling a gel in consistency.
Additional ingredients can be added to the finished mixture - dyes, flavors, and then pour the soap into the mold, leaving it to harden for a while (depending on the size of the soap mold, the hardening time is 20-40 minutes)

Take the soap out of the mold and let it dry for 2-3 days (this step is not necessary and in most cases the finished product can be used immediately after preparation).

Where to buy ingredients for soap making?

Most of all the ingredients can be bought in specialized laboratory equipment stores - there you will probably find convenient glass containers that can be used for soap making, industrial thermometers, and other equipment.

Alkali, or caustic soda, can be purchased at large hardware stores, shops selling chemicals or specialty gardening shops.
Distilled, salt-free water, which is much more suitable for making castile soap than ordinary water, can be found at any pharmacy.
Well, pure olive oil is sold in most major grocery stores.

The desire to make your own Castile soap from scratch is due to its popularity. It owes its name to the province of Castile, located in Spain, where it is traditionally made on the basis of olive oil.

Among the advantages of castile soap, the following characteristics are noted:

when lathering, a gentle foam appears;
beneficial and gentle effect on the skin;
over time, it acquires even greater hardness, which allows it not to get wet, while maintaining its shape.

Delicate and non-irritating to the skin, some housewives prefer to use castile soap instead of a chemical agent when

Rapid production of solid soap from scratch

To make Castile soap with your own hands, it is advisable to use proven recipes. Considering that it traditionally matures up to 12 months, you can use the recommendations with shorter terms.

Starting the creative process, put on gloves, a respirator, goggles. This is important, since one of the components is alkali. The room must have exhaust ventilation.

Weigh water - 128 g. The liquid should be in a tall glass jar and be cold.
With constant stirring, with a glass rod, pour alkali (sodium hydroxide) - 76 g in small portions. Caution is exercised, as a violent reaction begins with the release of heat.

Attention!

The order described above is necessarily observed when alkali is poured into water, and not vice versa.

Putting the resulting solution for cooling in a sink filled with cool water, measure out vegetable oil - 605 g. Put it in a water bath (you can use a microwave oven) to heat it up to about 50 ° C.

Important!

By the time the alkaline solution and oil are combined, their heating should be the same. This will avoid splitting.

Pour the lye into the oil, filtering through gauze. For mixing, include a blender. With the exact selection of the number of components, the mass begins to thicken very quickly.
After reaching the stage of the appearance of a stable trace, the finished product is laid out in a mold. If desired, draw patterns with a glass rod.
The surface of the soap mass is sprayed with alcohol.
Having covered with a film, put the form in the switched off oven, which was previously heated to 60 ° and kept there for 24 hours.

After removing from the mold, if necessary, cut the soap into portions and lay out on white paper for further aging. This method allows you to use the finished product almost immediately.

Different ways of making soap

If preference is given to the accelerated hot method, then the soap mass after whipping is covered with a lid and placed in a water bath with slight heating for two hours, and then poured into molds. It hardens in about a day.

When whipped, the soap mass is not heated in a water bath, but is immediately poured into the mold. Some recommend mixing a few drops of your favorite essential oil into the mass before doing this.

Keep soap in molds wrapped in a scarf or towel in a warm place for two days. After that, the hardened piece is taken out and, if necessary, cut. A month later, the product is almost ready for use. But, given the peculiarity of Castile soap, over time it becomes more and more high quality. Therefore, it is advisable to withstand products for which the cold manufacturing method was used for a long time (6 - 10 months).

Making Liquid Soap

To make liquid castile soap, the prepared solid analogue is taken as the basis.

Rub the bar using a grater, or plan with a knife.
Store in a suitable container.
Put in a water bath. Keep stirring every 15 minutes until the soap is amber transparent.
Remove from the stove, pour in hot water in a volume equal to the amount.
Stir and cover the container with a lid.

After a day, you can pour into a suitable bottle equipped with a dispenser.

Soap recipe with additives

For classic castile soap, no additional ingredients are included in the recipe. But some home craftsmen offer more complex options.

According to one of them, an infusion of chamomile is preliminarily prepared. To do this, pour a handful of dry raw materials with a liter of olive oil and heat at 40 ° (can be put on a battery) for 10 hours. After straining, you should get 800 g.

You will also need a decoction of chamomile, a tablespoon of which is boiled for 3 minutes in 400 ml of water and infused until cool. Filter, measure out 330 g of broth and put in the freezer.

Traditional Castile soap is 90% olive oil. It is almost non-existent on sale: it is soft, quickly soaks and is expensive for the manufacturer. If you cook it at home in a cold way - try to withstand the composition for at least six months. Keep in mind that the consistency will approach ideal only after a year.

Castile soap has been made since the Middle Ages. It is known for its gentle, gentle action, which is why it is often used to care for children. Gentle and creamy, it gently cleanses the skin without causing allergies. When lathered, it forms a fine bubbly foam.

hot castile soap recipe

This method of cooking is suitable if you do not want to wait a year, but plan to use soap the very next day after cooking.

Required Ingredients:

200 g of olive oil;
95.2 g of ice water;
23.7 g NaOH alkali.

Necessary equipment:

scales;
dishes with measured divisions and a container for a water bath;
strainer for alkali solution;
mixer;
thermometer;
spoon with a long handle;
litmus test;
soap mold;
protective equipment - respirator, goggles, gloves.

A set of tools and ingredients is standard. That is why beginners master the Castile soap recipe first: it does not require special skills.

Castile soap from scratch

Working hours: 1 hour.

Complexity: below the average.

Clear your workspace, open the window and close the doors.
Put on protective equipment: respirator, goggles, gloves. Alkali is a corrosive substance. Getting on the skin and mucous membranes, it corrodes them.
Measure the frozen water in a glass of the required volume.
Separately measure the lye.
Prepare the lye solution: Add the lye to the ice in one gentle motion. The reaction will start. Wait until heat is released and the solution cools down.
Separately measure the olive oil and place it in a bowl.
Wait until the temperature difference between the oil and the alkaline solution reaches 10°C. To do this, use a thermometer.
Inject the alkaline solution into the oil by straining it through a sieve. In no case should you do the opposite!
First - stir the resulting mixture with a spoon, then - use a mixer.
Beat the mixture until a trail starts to appear from the mixer. Because there is a lot of olive oil in the mixture, it may disappear after a couple of minutes. There is nothing wrong with this: beat the solution again and check again for a trace.
Send the resulting mixture to a water bath to speed up the process - close the lid. Raise the lid periodically and stir the soap, if necessary, add water.
Check if the lye is gone. Professionals do this by tasting the mixture on the tongue: if it stings, you need to continue cooking. We recommend using litmus paper.
After a few hours, remove the soap from the water bath. By this point it should be in the gel stage.
Pour the mixture into the prepared molds, tap on all sides.
Leave to harden: the recommended hardening time is at least a day.
Remove the dried soap from the molds, if necessary, cut into smaller pieces.

Ready! Castile soap can be used immediately after hardening. However, we advise you not to rush: over time, it beneficial features only intensify.