One of the most popular products in the Green Beaver lineup is our Castile soap. It’s a favourite for so many reasons – it’s multipurpose, made from natural ingredients, vegan, biodegradable and more.
What is castile soap?
Castile soap is a leader in non-toxic cleaning products because it’s a vegetable based soap that contains no additives, animal fats or synthetic ingredients. It comes in a liquid or bar form and gets its name from the Castile region in Spain.
In general, castile soap can be made with coconut, castor, or hemp oils. Occasionally it’s made with avocado, walnut, and almond oils as well. These oils give the soap its lathering, moisturizing, and cleansing properties.
Castile soap dates back hundreds of years. Originating from the region of Castile in Spain, it was originally made from olive oil.
Does Green Beaver use the original Castile soap recipe?
Instead of olive oil, we chose to use sunflower oil for many reasons. There is an abundance of sunflower oil produced in Canada, so we can source our ingredients locally. Choosing local ingredients reduces our environmental impact because we’re not importing large quantities of olive oil.
Sunflower oil is also rich in vitamin E, a powerful antioxidant for the skin and for cell regeneration.
How can Castile soap be used?
There are dozens of uses for castile soap and we’re continuously discovering more. Castile soap can be used for anything from cleaning the house, washing produce, bathing your pets, brushing your teeth, and washing clothes.
We’ve put together some of our most popular castile soap recipes so you can get started with this multi-use product in your home. Here are our most practical and popular recipes:
- All-purpose soap: Add ⅓ cup of Castile soap to 1 liter of water in a spray bottle. Adjust the proportions for tasks (and stains) that require even more power!
- Floor cleaner: Add ½ cup of castile soap to 10 liters of hot water, and enjoy the sweet smell of essential oils to remind you that your home is clean, rather than the artificial and harmful scents of industrial products.
- Sinus decongestant: Do you have the flu, or suffer from seasonal allergies? Add a few drops of our frosty mint Castile soap to a bowl of hot water, and breathe in the steam. You will feel like you are rediscovering your nasal passage.
- Body Soap: Keep a pump bottle filled with the Castile soap of your choice in the shower, then add it to a wet washcloth. Economical, efficient and easy to use!
- Dish Soap: Mix one part of soap with 10 parts of water in a large bottle and shake to combine. This miracle worker does not contain the harmful chemicals found in most dish soap, which is good news for your hands and will cost you a fraction of the price.
There are many other possible uses for our liquid castile soap but as you can see, the result is always the same – it works, it is safe for your family, and will save you money.