Castile Soap Recipe that is ROCK HARD in 24 hours! But that doesn't mean it's cured. | Day 357/365

[@iorodriguez18]

Oh no!!!! Castilla is in Spain, not Italy! I bet it was an honest mistake anyway we do have similar culture and we are Romantic countries... (I am Mexican but you know the Spanish conquest and all, and I have Italian ancestry). But anyway about the soap I just hot process the CS when I make it but I do make it unscented and no additives, I'm afraid if I do it like you people would say "that's not a real Castile!" but well here in my town there would be a very few peps that would know about what Castile soap is anyway!

[@MrsSoapAndClay]

Of course Spain - thanks for the catch! I really think the only people that want to fight over what is or isn’t a Castile soap are soapers. Yours sounds delightful!

[@florestista9339]

Right!!!

[@iorodriguez18]

@@MrsSoapAndClay LOL the community reminds me to that meme of the guy that will argue with anyone about anything. We all need to take a chill pill, well not you, you are very cool and chill already :D

[@Makermook]

I'm new to soap making and all I've made so far is pure olive oil soap. Just olive oil, lye, and water. I do the hot process: I heat the olive oil to about 170 F, mix the lye and water, and immediately put them together and blend. In less than 10 minutes, it's like pudding. At that point, I put it in the oven at 195 F for two hours until it looks like vaseline. Then i put it in the mold. It's firm in less than 2 days, so I cut it then. With my first batch, I only let it cure for a week before I started using a bar in the shower. It lathers fine and rinses completely; there's no residue of film left over at all. My second batch is curing right now, and I'm going to cut my third batch into bars tomorrow.

[@pjmarks100]

i love this lol. the people that say castille is soft and u need to wait 3 days b4 unmolding need to see this. love it. ty so much for always busting bubbles out there! honestly some things i would have never known unless i watched ur videos!

[@thisisme2681]

You are always so generous with your knowledge and recipes, thank you!

[@RavenVargas27]

I cheat by adding a little salt water to the mix the perfectionists out there argue it's not Castile with salt added 😂I also use anatto to color it when I feel like it. For those who want to tell me that's not how Spanish make it I'm Mexican etc 🤣This soap maker is awesome and cool with a great personality her soap is beautiful thank you

[@courtneygraham6719]

I fully cringed watching you cut the loaf, because I was so so scared that your strings would snap! I am such a wuss! But I have NEVER seen Castile unmold that quickly. So very cool! Between the Sodium Lactate and the water discount, that was freaking magic! Thanks for sharing!

[@MrsSoapAndClay]

The shitty thing is I just broke my cutter on a soft bar of soap, but it handled this business. Always tighten your strings! 😂

[@Elevendyeleven]

My olive oil castile soap is also rock hard. I used a water discount and sodium lactate as well but no clay. I used a very small amount of Ylang Ylang and Rose essential oils. I was going for a baby powder scent and that seems to be it. Mine are almost white. I used flower molds and these came out the best. I dont know why everyone says castile is so soft. Its harder than my 20% superfat 100% coconut oil soap.

[@ArreisMorsCI]

Your castile soap is so gorgeous!!!! Thanks for giving the lather demonstration too!!! I've never seen that before!!

[@MrsSoapAndClay]

The lather after a longer cure is SO much better!

[@ArreisMorsCI]

@@MrsSoapAndClay it definitely is. Looks so luxurious

[@The-Grateful-Hippie]

I just made my first ever batch of Castile soaps and I was shocked how hard the loaf was to cut at 24hrs. When I did the pour I was fully expecting it to take an extra half day before cutting and I didn't mix my batter to a thicker trace. No sodium lactate but I do run at a 30% lye solution. I really liked how easy it was to measure out one oil at room temperature, with my stock lye solution at room temperature mix and GO!

[@witchhazel8583]

Nice soap.. can I do it unscented in molds? If it gets rock hard you can not cut it with a knife right? I dont have a soap cutter..

[@sisterchristian32]

Thank you I always learn something new. I really appreciate the knowledge that you impart in such an interesting way.

[@cathmcfarlane-noble2087]

What is sodium lactate?? And why did you use it?

[@k3lzzm.502]

Yup I also use my Castille in the shower in one month sometimes 2 but 4 is max for us.

[@pamelawalker8815]

Yes they're surely hard I hate making them sometimes but are super good.

[@jppcasey]

What do you spray on top of the soap? Great video, thank you.

[@MrsSoapAndClay]

Hey! I spray rubbing alcohol on the top to prevent soda ash.

[@jppcasey]

@@MrsSoapAndClay Wow! That was quick! Thank you!

[@ambermartin1117]

I don’t have clay or lactate so trying this with just the 3 ingredients and about 3 oz of lemongrass scent , wish me luck

[@ambermartin1117]

Actually instead of the clay I used 3tbsp of whole fat powdered milk and blended it in the oil before adding my lye water

[@nelpe9703]

If you unmold the soap earlier, when it's not as hard, you may make it easier on your cutter💝

[@MrsSoapAndClay]

I unmold faster than most! Forever impatient 🤪

[@cherylirvin9625]

Thank you for the tips love this bar of 🧼🧼🧼🧼

[@barbiescraft]

How nice. It still needs long time curing to lather

[@LaudenElizabeth]

Thank you!

[@gimomable]

That's crazy! I've avoided making Castile soap because of cure time and how soft I thought it would be. I never knew lol

[@MrsSoapAndClay]

Cure time is still super long (not a year as others have suggested), but it’s not so soft it’s in the mold forever!

[@MrsSoapAndClay]

Castile soap recipe! Make it, and let me know what you think.

[@royalbodyandbath]

Quick question: Have you ever talked about how to cure soap? Like temperature? Open window for natural airflow? Using air-conditioning?

[@MrsSoapAndClay]

I’ve never talked about those specifics! My soaps all cure in a cool space away from direct light in the shop. I’ve cured in cold basements, hot houses, and in natural light. The only one I would super avoid would be natural light.

[@katherinekaanga7745]

if I wanted a slimly soap would this soap still clean? Timo

[@MrsSoapAndClay]

Hey! You bet!

[@katherinekaanga7745]

@@MrsSoapAndClay made some for Halloween. put green mica. I loved it - Timo

[@cindylawrence1655]

what super fat do you use? Also If I use 85% olive oil, 10% coconut oil, and 5% castor oil, is it still considered Castile or Bastille?

[@MrsSoapAndClay]

I usually do a 5% superfat across the board. Technically you can still call it a Castile, though others would disagree for a number of reasons. It's kinda like the "you can't call champagne champagne unless it comes from France" thing.

[@cindylawrence1655]

@@MrsSoapAndClay Made my Bastille soap yesterday, cut and stamped it today! I added salt and baking soda to my lye water to make a kind of faux sea water, no slime at all, and lots of beautiful creamy bubbles!! Absolutely love this recipe!! I think it's my new favourite now :)

[@hvnlyangellee]

Can I use any other type of clay?

[@MrsSoapAndClay]

You bet!

[@pattiemoseley8752]

Are there any benefits, skin wise, to a Castille soap?

[@MrsSoapAndClay]

I mean, people say it’s super gentle and moisturizing. I suppose that makes sense. I don’t particularly like castile soaps, but that’s their big appeal. A secondary thing to that really is the simplicity of the soap, which can reduce the potential for skin irritation on sensitive or young skin.

[@pattiemoseley8752]

@@MrsSoapAndClay thank you. I learn so much from you

[@k3lzzm.502]

Exactly that's how I see a Castille and how I make mine.

[@florestista9339]

Great job

[@danielleecko4154]

What percentage of sodium lactate should we use?

[@MrsSoapAndClay]

I would say .5-1%!

[@danielleecko4154]

@@MrsSoapAndClay thank you so much!

[@hvnlyangellee]

What is the super fat on this type of soap?

[@loriprice6571]

What temp did you have in oven and how long?

[@MrsSoapAndClay]

Just regular CPOP - 170ish degrees

[@Kaileynorriscreates]

Beautiful!

[@loricolwell1470]

Gorgeous!! As usual ❤

[@Kaileynorriscreates]

I made some Castile soap and was able able to unmold in 24 hours after cpop. It was a zero percent super fat and 40% lye solution and they were pretty hard. I’m still letting them sit for a month but I was expecting mush.

[@Kaileynorriscreates]

Okay maybe longer.

[@MrsSoapAndClay]

If you discount the water and add some clay, they’re SUPER hard right away!

[@happygoto]

I let mine gel and I have to cut it in 12 hours max.

[@SandyRavenAuthor]

What a great way to spend the the pandemic year!

[@mignonking5016]

Been binge watching your channel since I first saw you! May I ask where in Washington that you are? Do you have a store location? I live in Washington as well!

[@MrsSoapAndClay]

I do have a shop - I’m in Tacoma!

[@mignonking5016]

I will stop in! Thank u!

[@cassandranewcomb2458]

So what happens over the "cure" that improves the bubble?

[@MrsSoapAndClay]

So there’s so much oleic acid at play in a soap like this, and the carbon bonds that form as a result are really weird and harder to “crystallize” (not a word I like using to describe the soap stuff, but it’s one that people seem to understand). So while it’s safe to use, the lather is just pretty slimy for quite some time with a 100% olive oil bar.

[@onegreenev]

Maybe demold in 12 hours or 10 hours so your cutter can handle the soap. Then cure till it lathers well. I like the salt part but why clay? That I don’t understand except maybe it would be to help exfoliate the skin. Maybe. Seems clay would be too fine to actually do that.

[@MrsSoapAndClay]

Clay soaps are awesome! I include loads of clay in all of my soaps for a number of reasons. Which I’ve talked about so much on the channel I’m sure people are tired of hearing it. 😂

[@onegreenev]

@@MrsSoapAndClay Well, I guess that is a plug to go watch more of your videos. :) Will do.

[@onegreenev]

Could you de-mold in 8 hours successfully with this recipe?

[@MrsSoapAndClay]

Oh, absolutely. This recipe can likely be taken out within four, assuming you remember to do so. Which is always my problem! 😂

[@onegreenev]

@@MrsSoapAndClay I use my phones alarm for many such needs.

[@monodiajean-baptiste1349]

Is it possible to make Castile soap with potassium hydroxide or with plants like yucca instead of lye

[@annettebobko3628]

Thank you! You are amazing to share all this information:-) I made a Castile Soap (my first of any soap) the beginning of the month and didn't add the clay. I was wondering about why it needs to cure so long.

[@MrsSoapAndClay]

So not to get too sciencey, but the carbon bonds in a 100% olive oil soap are kinda funky. So much oleic acid in a soap does mean that it takes longer for the bonds to form appropriately in the soap. That doesn’t mean the soap is dangerous - it’s fully fine to use, but the lather is legit gross and slimy for quite some time with a castile.

[@annettebobko3628]

@@MrsSoapAndClay Yeah, I saw the slimy grossness. That's another thing you do that I love, showing us the lather:-) Thanks again!

[@JaguarPriest]

Question: why do you add lactate at lye stage? Why not add it after you do the mixing and then mix a little more? I do it that way. Would like some clarity from you

[@MrsSoapAndClay]

So I don’t forget. Why do you do it your way?

[@JaguarPriest]

@@MrsSoapAndClay my thought is that it will give me more time to mix thoroughly while having a light trace. I only pour with a very light trace.

[@MrsSoapAndClay]

Yup, I pour most everything at emulsion. Sodium lactate doesn’t speed up trace too much, so when you add it is totally a personal preference and there is virtually no benefit to adding it at a specific stage.

[@JaguarPriest]

@@MrsSoapAndClay good to know, thank you for that. I know you make more soap than I do

[@RaysForDays]

This is off topic but I looked through and can't remember which video it was so thought I'd ask you on your most recent. I'm about to purchase the book you recommended. Was it called "scientific soapmaking" by Kevin Dunn?

[@MrsSoapAndClay]

That’s the one!

[@RaysForDays]

@@MrsSoapAndClay thank you! 😊

[@Nina-2311]

Oh gosh..I didn't know that the reason why we let the soap cure is for the bubbles! Silly me. I always thought that once it's hard then it's done!

[@MrsSoapAndClay]

Cure is an interesting concept, and most people talk about it wrong. For MOST soaps, the cure is complete and the bar is nice and bubbly as soon as it stops losing weight. That can be a week, a month, etc, depending on the recipe and the curing conditions. 100% olive oil soap is a bit different though in that it takes longer to form a nicer lather, though I always find the lather to be too slimy regardless. 😂

[@Nina-2311]

@@MrsSoapAndClay 😁All this is interesting. Thank for sharing. I gotta learn more about curing soap!

[@TessieDobey]

I made my first and last castile soap five years ago and it was a disaster!

[@MrsSoapAndClay]

I actually don’t like castile soaps, which is why it took me so long to put one on the channel. I don’t like the cure time, I don’t like the unbalance of the oils. BUT - when you incorporate clays? Castile becomes better. ❤️

[@iluminameluna]

The only Castile soap I like is called Bastile. 75% olive, 20% Coconut, 5% Castor. My 72 year old Nanny absolutely LOVES the ones I make for her, scented with lavender, lemongrass, and patchouli, once a year. I make a brine with 15% canning salt and 1% bicarbonate. 1.7:1 water to lye ratio, CP. The slight water discount means no ash. This year I added the rinse water from kokuho rice and she said the soap felt silky on her skin. I hope it gives you some inspiration to try again.

[@rhondawiggins5728]

🙏😘

[@mariacespedes5629]

Clay make the soap harder

[@karentucker9445]

Very pretty

[@renierbonthuyzen9703]

Hi there. You are NOT making Castile soap. Secondly it is all those other additives that is making it so hard.

[@MrsSoapAndClay]

I dunno that I put many additives in this one, it’s been a while. But yes usually the clays and water discount speed up hardening. To whether or not I’m making castile, it depends on what camp you fall in. Personally I don’t think anyone making an olive oil soap outside of Spain is making a castile, so yours is probably bastardized too. 😂