10 Uses for Castile Soap
on Jan 10, 2019, Updated Apr 15, 2024
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These 10 Great Uses for Castile Soap include household cleaners, personal hygiene and other uses throughout your home. Grab your Castile soap and get ready to have your mind blown!
Castile soap is a type of organic soap that is commonly used to create DIY cleaners of all kinds. You can buy it unscented or with essential oils already added. Plus, it’s biodegradable, earth-friendly, and easy to use!
It’s also super concentrated, so a little bit goes a long way, making it economical. One of the great things about Castile soap is that you can customize it to your preferences by adding different essential oils to create the scent you want and enjoy the added benefits each oil brings.
If you like making your own cleaners, you will also enjoy making felted wool dryer balls (which can replace dryer sheets) and bath salts and sugar scrubs. These also make great gifts!
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FAQs about Castile Soap
It’s a kind of soap made from plant oils, which differentiates it from most commercial soaps, which use animal products and chemicals. It generally comes as a liquid or in a bar form. I prefer the liquid because it’s more versatile.
Dr. Bronner’s Pure Liquid Castile soap is probably the most popular brand out there (not sponsored, just love it and use it in my home). It comes in scented and unscented options.
You can use Castile soap in making DIY cleaners and personal care products, including: hand soap, dish soap, shampoo, laundry detergent, and so many more. It’s such a versatile product!
It’s named for the Castile region of Spain, which was known for its soap making for centuries.
10 Best Uses for Castile Soap
- Hand Soap
- Dish Soap
- Laundry Detergent
- Shaving
- Natural All-Purpose Cleaner
- Produce Wash
- Tub and Tile Scrub
- Nasal Congestion
- Shampoo
- Floor Cleaner
Need more info? Here’s how to make each of those things and some tips and tricks too.
Hand Soap
Create a gentle but effective hand soap by mixing 1 part Castile soap with 4 parts water. Add a drop or two of your favorite essential oil to make those freshly cleaned hands smell amazing – lavender is a great option for hands. You can also add this to a foaming hand pump!
Dish Soap
This one is so easy because you don’t even have to worry about diluting it – just add a few drops of liquid Castile to your sink full of dish water, and you’re good to go! If you do want to make some to store in a bottle, just mix your Castile with water at a ratio of 1:10. Lemon oil or lemon juice is a great addition to get your dishes smelling great and add the antibacterial power of lemon.
Laundry Detergent
Commercial laundry detergents are full of all kinds of questionable ingredients. Castile soap is a key ingredient in a homemade laundry detergent that is safer and cheaper than most commercial products. You can add 1/3 to 1/2 cup straight to your washing machine, or try this homemade laundry soap recipe from Dr. Axe.
Shaving
Using Castile soap for a shaving aid is gentle on your skin and very effective! To keep it super easy, just spread a few squirts of liquid Castile soap on the area to shave and go for it! If you prefer a foam, try this shaving soap recipe from Wellness Mama.
Natural All-Purpose Cleaner
There’s nothing handier than a good all-around cleaner you can use on any surface. Castile soap is perfect for that – it’s strong enough to clean tough areas but gentle enough to use on any surface, and won’t irritate your skin in the process.
In some cases, it works even better than store-bought products! Here’s a great recipe for an all-purpose cleaner which includes borax. If you want to avoid borax, simply mix 1 part vinegar with 3 parts water, add a squirt of Castile oil, a few drops of tea tree oil, and a few drops of orange or lemon essential oil.
Produce Wash
Washing your produce is the way to go, even if you grew it yourself or bought it organic. In many cases, a simple rinse of H2O will do the trick, but in some cases, it’s best to use a little something extra.
Mix 1 tablespoon liquid Castile with 2 cups of water, and keep it in a spray bottle near your sink. Spray on the produce and rinse clean. I like to use the plain liquid soap for this.
Tub and Tile Scrub
I don’t know about you, but the tub is one of my least favorite things to clean. Castile soap is a great tool for getting the pesky tub clean. Sprinkle baking soda over the area you want to clean, then spray it with a solution made from 1 part Castile to 3 parts water. Let it sit for a minute if needed, and then scrub!
Nasal Congestion
Up your steam bath game with some Castile oil. To a bowl of steamy water, add 1 tablespoon Castile soap, a few drops of eucalyptus oil, and a few drops of peppermint oil. If your kids are too little to hold their head over a bowl of hot water, you can achieve the same effect by adding the same ingredients to a hot bath – bonus, it’ll get them clean in the process!
Shampoo
You can use about 1/2 tablespoon of Castile oil to replace your shampoo, or if you want something more resembling typical shampoo both in smell and foam (plus less tangles), try this homemade shampoo recipe from Wellness Mama that uses coconut milk!
Floor Cleaner
Add 1/2 cup Castile soap to 3 gallons of hot water for a floor cleaner that works on any floor surface, including wood. I’m in love with the peppermint soap for this! There’s something so fresh and clean smelling when it comes to the natural peppermint and I love it.
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Awesome list of uses of Castile Soaps!
We take it camping with us because it can do so much and is biodegradable. I have used the citrus and it is divine. I mix the peppermint and lavender for our hand soap.
Love that idea! When I start camping more I’m so remembering that!