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You’re really missing out on something great if you haven’t tried castile soap. It’s wonderful because not only is it all natural and gentle, but it can be used for multiple purposes, everything from face soap to laundry detergent! Castile soap is a great natural alternative to many of the products that contain harmful chemicals. The list of castile soap uses is virtually endless because you can use it to clean practically anything!
I’m always discovering a new way to use castile soap! Just today, my lhasa apso, “Pouchy”, went on his usual exploration of the woods near our home and came back like he took a mud bath. I whipped out my castile soap and a large tub of warm water before he could escape into the living room to rub himself all over the couch cushions! A wash cloth and the castile soap worked perfectly! Now I can add pet cleaner to my list of uses, too!
In this post, I have written down 10 castile soap uses; these are just a few of the many ways to use it! It’s great because you can replace it for all of the toxic household products.
What is Castile Soap?
Castile soap is made from 100% pure plant oils. It is all natural and does not contain any chemicals or toxic preservatives as commercial soaps do.
There are several different varieties of castile soap, each with different scents, most are made with essential oils, such as lavender or tea tree oil. Also, there is, my favorite, a non-scented soap which is called Dr. Bronner’s Baby Mild. A lot of people I talked to prefer the non-scented because they feel the scented is somewhat strong, but it depends what purpose you use it for.
Here are the ingredients you would find in Castile soap (the Baby Mild kind):
Water, Saponified Organic Coconut + Organic Olive Oil, Organic Hemp Oil, Organic Jojoba Oil, Citric Acid, Tocopherol (Vitamin E).
It is great because it doesn’t contain any harmful ingredients and is also bio-degradable.
Where to Find It:
I was surprised how easy it was to find castile soap in my area. Places I’ve seen it include the local health food store, Target, and Walgreens. If you aren’t able to find it locally, you can also get it online. For me, I often opt to get it online because it is quite a bit cheaper.
Castile Soap Uses
1. Hand Soap – The soap lathers very well and all you need is a small squirt to wash your hands. I have read that you can make a foaming hand soap by mixing water and castile soap and putting it in an empty dispenser (I haven’t tried it myself yet).
2. Face Wash– The soap is very gentle and can be used for your face. I put a few drops of the soap in my hands and add a few drops of water.
3. Shampoo– You can replace your shampoo for castile soap. Some say to dilute it to the ratio of 50%water and 50% soap, but I usually just wet my hair and then apply a small amount directly. This makes it easy, especially if you’re in a rush in the morning and are crunched for time.
4. Dish soap– It can be used for hand washing dishes and I have heard some people use it for their automatic dishwasher (although I haven’t yet). When washing by hand, I first wash the dishes with the soap and then use white vinegar as a rinse to remove any film left behind.
5. Carpet Cleaner-Mix half castile soap with half water for a floor cleaner. I have one room with carpet in my home and just a small amount of this mixture was able to remove a stain.
6. Body Wash– Apply to skin and it will form a lather. It makes a great body wash as it is very gentle on your skin.
7. Veggie Wash– Most recipes call for using a tablespoon of castile soap to 2 cups of water. You can leave it in a container next to the kitchen sink or put it in a spray bottle.
8. All Purpose Cleaner for your home– You can use it for cleaning pretty much anything in your home. I have used it for cleaning my kitchen counter tops, the bathroom tub, tile floors, bathroom sink, and so much more. For cleaning purposes, you can use half water and half soap, but use it full strength to clean up grease or other tough areas.
9. Laundry soap -This is one of my favorite castile soap uses! Most of the recipes for natural laundry soap contain borax, but you don’t need it when using this soap. Add ¼ cup to 1/3 cup to a load of laundry. Optional- add a teaspoon of baking soda.
10. Shaving cream/soap– Squirt a few drops on to your skin and mix with water. The soap will lather and make shaving a breeze.
Do you use castile soap? What are some of your favorite castile soap uses?
Curious – why not use Borax – is it toxic?
Some say it is and some say it’s not. So, until I research it further, I am not using it. 🙂
Hi Lori,
Thanks for the post! I’ve been using Dr. Bronner’s castille soap for a lot of my all natural projects! Recently, we ran out of the body wash that I had been making, so I just told my husband to use the castille soap straight and he loves how sudsy it gets compared to what I was making before! I love it because you don’t need a lot at all so it lasts a while!
I was worried that using it as a shampoo would leave my hair greasy since it is oil based. Have you had that issue?
Also, when you use it to clean your veggies, do you spray it on or soak them in the sink?
Thanks,
Katy
Hi Katy,
I use it for shampoo about every other day now and it doesn’t leave my hair greasy at all. 🙂 It works great as a shampoo!
To clean my veggies with it, I let them soak in a glass bowl and then give them a good rub and rinse them off.
Thank you so much for the ideas. My son and I both have very sensitive skin. I will give them a whirl.
Awesome!
I love castile soap, and I use Dr. Bronner’s for many things, especially in the shower. It has completely replaced any shampoos/conditioners/body washes I might have used in the past. I love that I can use just a tiny amount-maybe 2 tablespoons-in my thick long hair, and it gets super sudsy. I will sometimes mix some coconut oil (raw, cold-pressed, organic) in with my castile soap, and sometimes a few drops of tea tree oil. I will occasionally use a ACV rinse as a “conditioner”, but I have found that the longer I go without all the bad chemicals in conventional shampoo and conditioner, the less my hair needs it. (I do occasionally rub a tiny amount of coconut oil into my wet hair to smooth it quickly if my hair is dry or frizzy. The key is to do this in WET hair. If I do it that way, my hair dries shiny and smooth. If I rub some coconut oil into DRY hair, I look like a dirty grease ball.) I also use Dr. Bronner’s as a body wash, usually just scrubbing with the excess suds from my hair. I also have it in one of those “foaming” soap dispensers, mixed about 50/50 with water.
I worry about chemicals that my dog (a sweet whippet girl) is subjected to, so I wash her exclusively in Dr. Bronner’s Baby Mild. I use a small spray bottle of Dr. Bronner’s and water as a quick paw clean-up when we come inside. I just spray her paws and wipe with a soft cloth. This gives her clean paws and stops her from tracking stuff all over the house (like the weed killer the neighbors use, or the nasty asphalt from the road) and when she licks her paws, I don’t worry about her ingesting poison.
*A note about the different scents of Dr. Bronner’s. Baby Mild is the one that I use for everything, but I have tried most of the others. One of the most enjoyable things to do on a hot day is use the peppermint scented soap as a body wash/shampoo. When washing your hair with it, you want to rinse it out fast because it is super cooling and the longer it sits, the more the oils penetrate your scalp, and the “colder” it gets. I just do a quick scrub and rinse for my hair. When washing your body, it is the same thing. Quick scrub and rinse. You get such a cooling, clean, rush from it. I never use this on my dog. Apparently this is what Dr. Bronner himself used to do with a towel and a sink filled with water. Just be sure you don’t do what I did once without thinking: do not add the peppermint castile soap to a bath and relax in it. I still have the shivers from it, I swear. =)
Thanks for sharing Debbie. That’s great that you were able to replace most of you bath products with Castile soap, it can be used so many ways.
Does it kill germs and food bacteria?
The essential oils in the Castile soap are antibacterial and it can be used for veggie was or as a surface cleaner to kill germs.
I use Castile soap for shampoo: 1 c. castile soap, 1 c. distilled water, 1 t. avocado oil, 15 drops lavender essential oil, 7 drops tea tree essential oil. Place it all in a recycled foaming soap dispenser, and I use 4 pumps for my medium length hair. For conditioner I use a 50% apple cider vinegar, 50% distilled water solution. The key here is to use A LOT of the vinegar rinse, and your hair will feel amazing. The vinegar balances the ph balance in your hair and is an important step. No need to store-bought shampoo or conditioners any more! It’s amazing!
That sounds like a great shampoo recipe; I’ll definitely have to try that!
Hi, this is for Ericha…. if it gums up the DW, then why wouldn’t the soap gum up any other pipes and/or plumbing?
Thanks, Lori, for all you do!!
Thank you Sheila 🙂
DO NOT use castille soaps in the dishwasher! It will gum up the mechanism and destroy your machine. This comes firsthand from Dr. Bronner’s daughter who has a great resource for cleaning uses on castille soap at the Bronner’s soap website. I suspect the coconut oil builds up, since I used to have castille soap at the sink for 190 of my art students. Over 2 weeks of use, the basin would start to get a white, oily buildup from the soap. I did not mind, but can see how it would clog a dishwasher.
If it does that to a dishwasher wouldn’t it cause problems with a washer too?
Lori,
I was wondering.. Sending my son to college with castile soap for multi purpose use and chemical free 🙂 I have a question, as far as use for shampoo, do u need conditioner? His hair is very dry and usually use conditioner. The rest of family has switched to “No Poo” method w/baking soda & ACV but, he’s a teenage boy who thinks his mom is getting weird. LOL So, trying to simplify for him. Also which would work best for disinfective cleaning? Does tea tree one have enuf tea tree to do the job? Dorms eww… I’m making him some laundry soap too but, like that he can use some of this also. Eventually going to order a laundry ball I think 🙂 TY
Oh! Sry one more Q…. Your Ebooks can I get them in hard copy form or would I have to print on my own? Thanks again, Lisa
I have recently started using the tea tree castile soap for my whole body wash. I am absolutely loving the way my skin and hair are responding but I do use a tea tree conditioner as my hair has become very dry since menopause.
My husband has begun using this as a shampoo as well and has completely cured a years long problem with dandruff by using a big hand full and scrubbing the scalp very completely a few times.
Hope this helps,
Shelia
Hi Lisa, hope your son is enjoying college! I use apple cider vinegar as a conditioner, but occasionally, I skip it. It’s not as harsh as other shampoos, so he may be able to get away without using a conditioner. I love using the tea tree oil castile soap for cleaning because it has the added benefit of antibacterial properties. It should work great for cleaning around the dorm. My e-book is only available in PDF format right now, you can download it to your computer or any device. Let us know how the castile soap works for him 🙂
Netflix has an excellent movie about Dr. Bronner. Check it out. Good stuff.
I use castile soap at about a 10 to 1 mix in an up-cycled foaming soap pump with a little peppermint essential oil to clean my dentures
Another great use! Thanks for sharing 🙂
I mix mine 1 past castille to 2-3 parts distilled water, add 6-12 drops of lemongrass or other favorite essential oil for scent as well as antibacterial properties, into an upcycled (well cleaned) foaming soap dispenser. Voila!
Awesome! I need to try this 🙂
I make fabric accessories and sell them. Since many of them are baby or children items, I prewash the fabrics before making the items with Castile soap, because I can’t stand the idea of putting any toxins into baby items! It works great, too. Makes the fabric smell clean and takes out that stiff sizing. And being concentrated, I don’t need to use much! (I add a splash of organic/natural vinegar to set colors, when needed.) Love Castile soap! I also will mix it with some coconut milk for my hair or body wash. Love the stuff! (I use the citrus scent for cleaning around the house; it smells so clean!)
I love the idea of mixing it with coconut milk for body wash, I’ll have to try it!
I’ve done the foaming hand soap, works great as long as it’s in one of the foaming soap dispensers!!!
I’ll have to try it!
I would love the recipe for the foaming hand soap please!
I ordered your book, Make your own makeup, it appeared to have downloaded to my IPAD, but when I went to open it again It did not download. How can I access it again.
Hi Betty, the link should still be in the email that was sent to you and you can just click it and download it again. Please feel free to email me any time.
Hi Betty, were you able to access the e-book? Please let me know if you have any difficulty or have any questions. Feel free to email me anytime.