# Castile for the New Year anyone?



## roseb (Dec 29, 2013)

Several people have stated that they will be making castile soap at the end of the year.  I'm joining the bandwagon and making some today.  However, I will be adding 5% castor...a girl needs some bubbles! :shock:  Okay, alright I'll call it bastile then!  

Who will join me!


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## lsg (Dec 29, 2013)

I just made a bastile recipe using coconut, Castor and olive oils from Soaping101's recipe.


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## houseofwool (Dec 29, 2013)

I made a huge batch of Castile for my sister. Should be ready in time for Christmas.


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## seven (Dec 29, 2013)

meeee...

i wanna add 5% castor too. i've read that it made quite a difference in bubbles. still debating whether i should leave it unscented or add some EOs. perhaps i'll split the batch and make both.


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## nframe (Dec 29, 2013)

*Soaping is a terrible addiction...*

I asked the children to get me the book "Scientific soapmaking" by Kevin Dunn for Christmas and I decided that I would not make any more soap until I read the book.  Here we are, four days after Christmas, I have only read the introduction and have already made four batches of soap!  The last one being the Bastile recipe from Soaping 101 as well.  Reading the posts entitled "Castile for the New Year anyone?" spurred me on.  This was something I had meant to try for a long time so now that I've done it I can concentrate on the book...:grin:


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## boyago (Dec 29, 2013)

I'm down.


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## QueenBeeSoap (Dec 29, 2013)

I definitely want to try making castile and bastile soap! I recently bought a ridiculous amount of olive oil that I now have to find ways to use up - there was a crazy manager's blowout sale on olive oil at my local grocery store for $3.00 per litre (which I believe is about 2 lbs worth) with no tax for a brand of olive oil that was regularly more than $14 per litre. I _might_ have gone a bit overboard...


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## Ruthie (Dec 29, 2013)

I made mine last Thursday.  Olive was my only oil and I left it unscented, but did use Goat's milk.  Actually, that is not quite true.  I grabbed 2 bags of ice cubes, thinking both were GM.  I'm thinking now one was coconut milk.  It traced way too fast for a castille, and that CM had guar gum, which moves trace along.  Maybe CM castille is the way to go!  (This was about 3/4 CM.  Rest was GM.)  Think this will serve as a lesson for me to label better?  Prolly not!


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## boyago (Dec 29, 2013)

Why does your CM have guar gum in it? Or is that normal?


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## CaraBou (Dec 29, 2013)

roseb said:


> I will be adding 5% castor...a girl needs some bubbles! :shock:





seven said:


> i wanna add 5% castor too. i've read that it made quite a difference in bubbles. still debating whether i should leave it unscented or add some EOs. perhaps i'll split the batch and make both.



I'm doing it with castor too, but I wonder if a little more might be in order.  What's the most anyone would recommend?  I will definitely be leaving CO out b/c I want to try it as a face soap.  Also for face soap reasons, and the fact that it has to sit so long, I may leave it unscented.  Or maybe add just a tiiiiiiny bit of lavender eo and see how it survives the very long cure...


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## CaraBou (Dec 29, 2013)

I'm going to do it too, probably on NYD. I was thinking I'd try it as a facial soap -- does anyone have thoughts on this?  I have rosacea so my face is really sensitive to a lot of things.  I've never used a castille soap (and I currently don't use _any _soap on my face) but it is supposedly soooo mild, it seems like it would be good for the face.  I am also prone to acne.  So for these reasons I would leave out castor and CO if I was really doing this for my face, and probably fragrance too.  Anyone use castille this way, and have any advice?


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## Skatergirl46 (Dec 29, 2013)

I have used a very gentle Bastile on my face, but I know nothing about Rosacea and how it might be affected. I believe Castor oil is rated at 1 on the comedogenicity scale, and it really helps with bubbles. I have never tried a Castile.


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## Ruthie (Dec 30, 2013)

boyago said:


> Why does your CM have guar gum in it? Or is that normal?


 

It was the brand I bought.  That was months ago and all was frozen into ice cubes, so I can't tell you what brand it was.  It is possible to find CM without guar gum.  Perhaps someone with more CM experience can fill us in on brands.


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## Lin (Dec 30, 2013)

I made mine a couple weeks ago. 2 full pringles can batches, one swapping pumpkin and the other yogurt for water. I'm going to try out the end slivers at 6 months I think. Can't wait till next christmas for the whole bars!

I do the oil cleansing method and castor oil is very drying and stripping. I use VERY little castor oil mixed in with grapeseed, and if I have too much castor its obvious immediately with my skin feeling tight and dry.


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## grayceworks (Dec 30, 2013)

Ohhhh.... pumpkin castile? Yumm! I love the pumpkin soap I made before, and it was high in OO, so that might be something I'll try with full OO too! Or carrot.... hmmm.... I like them both. I'm soooo impatient though. I don't know if I can wait a whole year to try it out... lol


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## Ruthie (Dec 30, 2013)

Grayceworks, you do not have to wait that long to try it.  It would be worth your time to try it at six weeks, then again every couple of weeks.  That way you can see for yourself how it matures as it ages.


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## roseb (Dec 30, 2013)

CaraBou said:


> I'm doing it with castor too, but I wonder if a little more might be in order.  Or maybe add just a tiiiiiiny bit of lavender eo and see how it survives the very long cure...



I also thought about adding more castor, but I wanted it as close to castile as possible.  I couldn't leave it unscented, so I added a very small amount of lavender eo as well.    Now the wait begins!


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## Susie (Dec 30, 2013)

Canned Coconut Milk has guar gum.  I think the only way to find CM without it is to buy a coconut and make your own.  Soaping 101 has a video on this process: 

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiA1wtqYQ80[/ame]


Me, I'm going to use the canned stuff.


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## neeners (Dec 30, 2013)

wow....I was thinking of doing this, but wasn't sure if I really wanted to.  after seeing this thread, I now want to do a full castile, just water, oo and lye.  

would it matter if it was regular oo or pomace oo?


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## Numbers (Dec 30, 2013)

I'm going to make a large-ish batch of castile today. Most of it will be for my sensitive skinned, coconut oil allergy little sister. The batch I helped her make will be ready in February (6 month mark) and she is excited to use soap that she made. Hopefully it will last her long enough for the new ones to cure. I don't know what she does to the soap but I think she might be eating it because she uses bars up fast.


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## roseb (Dec 30, 2013)

Numbers said:


> Hopefully it will last her long enough for the new ones to cure. I don't know what she does to the soap but I think she might be eating it because she uses bars up fast.



My brother too!  I made him a 2 lb loaf that lasted him 2 months.  That is 10 bars in 60 days!


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## The Efficacious Gentleman (Dec 30, 2013)

I'll be making a Castile in the next couple of days ready for next year (11.5 months or 12 months is not such a difference!)

But big thanks to Skatergirl for getting us back on to the right track - Castile is only olive oil.  Adding another oil gives you a Bastille soap!  There was a whole other thread on this, but I am such a pedant when it comes to things like this


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## neeners (Dec 30, 2013)

^^ but but....would pomace count too?  or just regular olive oil?


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## StarSoaper (Dec 30, 2013)

I made two batches a few days ago. The first was a true castile soap 100% olive oil   I wanted to see how it turned out. My second batch was using honey as an additive. So I guess it's not true castile soap? even though I used 100% olive oil?   Oh well, I hope it turns alright. I'm thinking of letting it cure for a whole six months.


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## boyago (Dec 30, 2013)

neeners said:


> ^^ but but....would pomace count too?  or just regular olive oil?



I think that would REALLY be getting down to splitting the split ends.  I'm sure there is a purist out there that would get down to the patch of trees that grew the olives but I think any olive oil would be Castile.


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## SudsyPM (Dec 30, 2013)

I'm in. I want to try with the castor oil too, the patience it is going to take to wait for the cure. Grant me the strength


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## hlee (Dec 30, 2013)

I will make one too. It's about time I try it.


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## MzMolly65 (Dec 31, 2013)

CaraBou said:


> I'm going to do it too, probably on NYD. I was thinking I'd try it as a facial soap -- does anyone have thoughts on this??



I made a liquid castille, I have really dry, sensitive skin and I LOVE IT for my face!  No more moisturizer for me!

Now I'm thinking I'd like to make a CP version.  I've always done this oil cleanser thingy   http://www.ilovenaturalskincare.com/oil-cleansing-method.html

So I'd love to hear what people think about turning those ratios into a bar.


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## engblom (Dec 31, 2013)

Castor does just bad to Castile, unless you also add coconut oil. A castor single oil soap will not lather at all.  Castor oil strengthens lather only.  It does not add any by itself.  My Bastile soaps with castor oil has been extra slimy. My pure Castile soaps are far better than those with castor oil.

EDIT: When I have been reading about oil properties, I learned Castor oil gives a softer soap. This could explain why castor is a disaster in Castile. Castile is quite soft and runny even if you dry it for a long time.


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## seven (Dec 31, 2013)

I did it. Mine is sleeping peacefully in the oven with just a gentle push to gel. Hopefully i dont get partial as i am using a silicone mold. Added a dash of castor to mine (5%). Left it unscented. It's really a plain jane. No colors no swirls no nothing.


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## neeners (Dec 31, 2013)

boyago said:


> I think that would REALLY be get down to splitting the split ends. I'm sure there is a purist out there that would get down to the patch of trees that grew the olives but I think any olive oil would be Castile.


 
ok!  i'm going to aim to try to make some tomorrow


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## AngelMomma (Dec 31, 2013)

Susie said:


> Canned Coconut Milk has guar gum. I think the only way to find CM without it is to buy a coconut and make your own. Soaping 101 has a video on this process:
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiA1wtqYQ80
> 
> ...


 

You absolutely can find coconut milk with no additives at all that can be purchased in the store.  I have scoured shelves looking for interesting food items or items that were gluten free because I have Celiac.  I have come across coconut milk a few times and its not always where I would think it should be.  Try searching in fresh veg sections and search in the "specialty" food sections that would have organic, and gluten free foods.  Also look in drink sections.  At our local Kroger I found cans (like a soda can, only taller) that were coconut water (the liquid out of the center of the coconut).  This reminds me I totally want to make a soap with that.  Out of all the stores we have in our area, 2 would have these items readily available(now that I know where they keep them).  The main difference that you might see in the coconut products that do not have the additives like the guar gum is that they are not nearly so thick.  But that may be just stating the obvious :grin:

Putting Castile at the top of my soap list today!  I think I will make 2 small batches.  One that is a true castile with just OO, Lye and Distilled water.  And one with carrot juice that I have left.......and maybe honey, yogurt......I don't know, but I will jazz it up.  I have never used a true castile so it will be fun to try it.


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## GrantLee63 (Dec 31, 2013)

OK ... I jumped on board and made two 2.5 pound loaves this morning.  100% OO with lye and distilled water only, so a true Castile.  First time I made this particular soap, and the first time I used my new Waring Commercial Immersion Blender (Model WSB33X) my daughter and son-in-law gave me for Christmas.  WOW!  What a beast!  I love it - HUGE upgrade from the cheapie I've been using.


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## Candybee (Dec 31, 2013)

Already made my goat milk and coconut castiles. I like making bastiles instead of straight olive oil or castile. I just don't like an all olive oil soap. I love bastiles as they are still high OO and very gentle and for me they are nicer soaps.


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## Tienne (Dec 31, 2013)

I'm not fond of Castile, but I want to join in on this _except_, I'll just make a high OO champagne soap instead with any leftovers there might be after tonight. I don't know how much will be left, though! I looove champagne! *hiccup*! :crazy:

Happy New Year, folks! 

(I can't find the post where someone asked about using pomace in Castile, but yes you can. It'll even speed up your trace time.


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## CaraBou (Jan 1, 2014)

Mine is in gel-bed too, a New Years Eve baby, my very last batch of 2013.  100% olive, with a smidge of lavender EO.  And I also made a bastard, a quasi-comparison batch with 95% OO, 5% caster, the same smidge of lavender and 1 Tbls ppo of green clay.  The clay in the bastille was mostly to see if it holds the scent better in a long cure, and while that precludes an unadulterated direct comparison I just had to try it (when else am I going to cure something so long, unless I _reeeeeally_ end up liking the castille?).  Before engblom's post (which I didn't see until after they were both in bed), my impression from others was that a _tiny_ bit caster really makes a positive difference.  But I knew I'd never be happy with myself as a soapmaker until I have made and tried a long-cured pure castille.  So maybe next year by this time I'll be happy.  Regardless of whether I like either of these batches :-D


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## boyago (Jan 1, 2014)

Okay, I'm in the mold.

Had to reverse calculate to use the last of my Lye.  Will probably jones tomorrow and wind up cruising the drain cleaner isles.  100% pomace OO with nothing but time to acquire.  Now that it's done though am kind of thinking I should have used my nice OO since it would be more authentic.  darn it!

Out of lye so I'll start working on my stamp.


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## Lin (Jan 1, 2014)

pomace olive oil has more unsaponifiables, so I don't know about "authentic" but many consider pomace to be the best kind of olive oil for soapmaking.


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## Candybee (Jan 1, 2014)

Okay okay! I am making mine right now. 100% olive oil with only lavender EO thrown in because I want mine scented. I guess the enthusiasm was catching so I broke down and made a full castile.

They hard part will be not touching it until next year!!!! :lolno:


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## AngelMomma (Jan 2, 2014)

Anyone take any pics of their Castile yet?  I didn't get to make the one with additives because I got sick.  The family went to the party without me and I stayed home.  I started feeling better and went ahead and made the plain Castile with a steep water discount.  This is the first time making it and I was surprised how creamy the batter was.  It didn't take as long as I though it would to get to trace because of the water discount.  I molded into a silicone mold with square cavities.  I popped them out this afternoon.  Now we wait


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## MoonBath (Jan 2, 2014)

I got on the bandwagon. Great idea to do a batch on January 1. I made mine with some of the red wine left over from last night; I scented with cranberry (my Brambleberry gift sample) and orange, and added some crimson sparkle mica for color. Still qualify as castile?:shh:


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## AngelMomma (Jan 2, 2014)

I posted pics of the Castile I made in the photo threads.  I hope to see how others Castile comes out as well.

http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=41194


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## seven (Jan 2, 2014)

left mine in the mold for 48 hrs. by the time i wanna cut it, it has become too hard for the wire cutter to handle. i ended up using a knife. not really a fan of the smell. i left it unscented and it has this weird olive smell? am gonna make another batch with pure 100% olive next.


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## engblom (Jan 2, 2014)

AngelMomma said:


> I posted pics of the Castile I made in the photo threads.  I hope to see how others Castile comes out as well.
> 
> http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=41194



Nice soaps!


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## lizflowers42 (Jan 2, 2014)

I have not yet made any, but I picked up some clearance holiday ice cube molds and think I will make up some castile imbeds to use for next Christmas


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## Ellacho (Jan 2, 2014)

I made my castile soap about two weeks ago using 90% olive and 10% sunflower. Can I still name it "Castile Soap?"

This time, instead of distilled water, I used 100% aloe vera juice(for the 1st time)! Surprisingly, I had no problem of tracing it and pouring into molds. They look great so far. I cannot wait to try it. 

Has anyone made soaps with Aloe vera juice?

Here is my Aloe vera Castile Soap .


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## Lin (Jan 2, 2014)

You can call it a bastile due to the 10% sunflower.


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## Ellacho (Jan 2, 2014)

Lin said:


> You can call it a bastile due to the 10% sunflower.



Thanks Lin! I heard about a Marseille soap but never heard a "Bastile" soap. Wow, you learn something new everyday .

What makes a bastile soap? What if I use 20% of sunflower oil?


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## Lin (Jan 2, 2014)

A bastile is a modified castile, so 20% sunflower would be fine. With this one its up to interpretation, but most people feel it needs to be around 70% olive oil to be a bastile. Bastile is usually thought to mean a bastardized castile


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## Ellacho (Jan 2, 2014)

Lin said:


> A bastile is a modified castile, so 20% sunflower would be fine. With this one its up to interpretation, but most people feel it needs to be around 70% olive oil to be a bastile. Bastile is usually thought to mean a bastardized castile



:razz:
he he Thank you Lin!


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## neeners (Jan 2, 2014)

so, I was going to make some tooth soap tonight, but found out the EO I bought is lethal to use internally (guess I didn't do enough research.....  roblem.  I was going to wait until tomorrow to make soap, but everything was already out.  that was the moment.  I currently have my castile in the oven hoping to gel (pilot light is on).  will take pictures in the morning when there's better light!


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## QueenBeeSoap (Jan 3, 2014)

I made a dent in my olive oil stash by making two 5 lb batches of Castile soap last night. One was the traditional 100% olive oil with no additives, and the second was 100% olive oil with added honey and beeswax that my bees produced last summer. I'll have to see if they're ready to unmold and take pictures!


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## ca_soap (Jan 3, 2014)

I had to jump on the wagon also, 100% true castile here, only 3 ingredients, Olive Oil, Distilled Water and Lye.


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## hlee (Jan 3, 2014)

I made my first  tonight also. OO, water, lye , a dash of lavender.
 I can't wait to unmold.


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## MirandaH (Jan 3, 2014)

I did a batch too, and my husband, who is so thoughtful, knew we were going out of town and was afraid my soap would get to hard to cut while we were gone, so he threw it in a plastic shoe box with the cutter, still in the mold, and brought it with is.  After the incident where he was playing with my tops and smashing them flat with is hands, this time, he smashed my tops flat with the lid to the shoe box.  :Kitten Love:  He's lucky he came through with the beeswax and honey this weekend, that's all I'm saying.  Oy!


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## roseb (Jan 3, 2014)

LOL!  Poor guy can't win!  That was very thoughtful of him.  Got to give him A for effort.


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## MirandaH (Jan 3, 2014)

I love him, that's for sure...and he's a lucky man that I love him like I do.


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## boyago (Jan 3, 2014)

MirandaH said:


> I did a batch too, and my husband, who is so thoughtful, knew we were going out of town and was afraid my soap would get to hard to cut while we were gone, so he threw it in a plastic shoe box with the cutter, still in the mold, and brought it with is.  After the incident where he was playing with my tops and smashing them flat with is hands, this time, he smashed my tops flat with the lid to the shoe box.  :Kitten Love:  He's lucky he came through with the beeswax and honey this weekend, that's all I'm saying.  Oy!



A lot of dudes just prefer _topless_.


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## lizflowers42 (Jan 4, 2014)

Today is my day to do castile! I think I will make it with this fresh, glorious snow!


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## The Efficacious Gentleman (Jan 6, 2014)

Castile is molded and in the freezer!  :thumbsup:


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## MzMolly65 (Jan 8, 2014)

How much is everyone superfatting?


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## The Efficacious Gentleman (Jan 8, 2014)

I went 9%, because it was a nicer weight to work with than 10%


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## MzMolly65 (Jan 8, 2014)

The Efficacious Gentleman said:


> I went 9%, because it was a nicer weight to work with than 10%



hmm .. I only went 5% .. I also dropped my water down to 30%.  I hope it's going to be ok.  

That said .. I made teeny, tiny purist soap .. 100% OO, no scent.  2 cylinders that are only 1.25 inches i.d. .. travel or baby or just tiny, cute soaps for no real reason.  Outside cooling for the next 24h.

:wave:


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## boyago (Jan 8, 2014)

I went 3% SF and 35% H2O.  I really don't want to touch it for a year so I figured fewer free acids would be better.  Though that is way more of a gut check than anything founded on science or experience.


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## thinkativeone (Jan 8, 2014)

It's not technically castile but if it counts among you guys' bastille, I made 85% OO, 25% CO soap with some extra SFing for winter - unmolded and cut on the 1st of the year, so it happens.  Prior to this all my bath and facial soaps have been completely castile but despite letting them cure for 6 months or longer I just could NOT get past the slimey/gel/gooey build-up. It also seemed to make my bars not last as long. Great soap for babies though, or people that don't mind the sliminess. Is there ever a point in cure time when it (pure castile) no longer is gooey when wettened like that? I take great care to keep my bars dry in between uses and still. Blah. If there is some magic age where it doesn't do that anymore I can still make some and just hide it from myself or something.


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## Lin (Jan 8, 2014)

I've been using some modified bastile small bars for hand soaps, they are on the slimy side. They're OO, CO, and sunflower. Not sure I'll use the recipe again, but it was my first batch of soap so I got the soaping101 bastile recipe and modified it since I didn't have enough castor. 

I superfatted my castiles at 7%


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## roseb (Jan 8, 2014)

I superfatted at 7% with a 33% discount.  Mine traced really fast because of the discount.  It really surprised me, because all I've heard is how long castile/bastile takes to trace.  I think that's why I have the dream about it separating in the mold.


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## dryalligator (Jan 8, 2014)

I sold out of so many soaps this "selling season" begining in October that I started* hot processing* soap to keep up with demand.  On a whim, cause I had an extra crock pot, I made castille soap.  I use 40% water so I can manipulate it if I color,swirl or scent. I used a smidge of green oxide and OMG Olive from NG.It wasnt a failure but I didn't account for superfatting at the end of cook.  I superfatted at the beginning like you do for CP. Was very thick and the tops frosted like they do with hot process when it cools too much.  The soap is just like castille. Lather can be stringy but if feels more like a lotion bar than big fluffy suds.  Castille can be made to use quicker!


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## thinkativeone (Jan 8, 2014)

The reason I did 25% CO was at the suggestion of a member here, saying as long as there was 20% CO, that would keep the sliminess/gooiness of pure OO soap at bay.


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## MzMolly65 (Jan 9, 2014)

dryalligator said:


> Was very thick and the tops frosted like they do with hot process when it cools too much.  The soap is just like castille. Lather can be stringy but if feels more like a lotion bar than big fluffy suds.  Castille can be made to use quicker!



I'd love to see pics if you have any to share.


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## seven (Jan 9, 2014)

I superfatted mine at 5%. Just made another batch tonight, this time with evoo. 1.8:1 water:lye and it traced in just under 15 mins. It's sleeping peacefully in the oven for now.


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## MzMolly65 (Jan 10, 2014)

Here's another question .. where and how are you going to store this for a year?  My batch is tiny .. about 10 wee soaps but I'm thinking since it's such a long curing soap maybe I'll make a BIG batch.  I don't know where I'd put it and how to keep it clean and safe.

Thoughts?

ETA: maybe I'll HP a batch .. hmmmmm ...


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## MzMolly65 (Jan 10, 2014)

dryalligator said:


> Castille can be made to use quicker!



I'm thinking of trying your HP version.  How long did you have to wait before you could use it?


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## seven (Jan 10, 2014)

I'm putting mine in shoe boxes with holes in it


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## The Efficacious Gentleman (Jan 10, 2014)

Mine is resting a larger box with no lid, then also shoe box with holes.


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## roseb (Jan 10, 2014)

Mine are on my drying rack for about 6 wks, then they'll go into plastic shoe box with holes.  This is how I store me other soaps.


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## MzMolly65 (Jan 14, 2014)

Here's my tiny bars, 1.5" diameter 3/4" thick.  They came out of the mold fine but one roll cracked before I cut it, any ideas why?  I really like them .. they look rustic.


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## dryalligator (Jan 14, 2014)

MzMolly65 said:


> I'm thinking of trying your HP version.  How long did you have to wait before you could use it?


I don't have pics sorry.  I used 32oz olive oil, cheaper the better and whatever soap calq says to do with 40% water to lye at 5% superfat.  I was on last batch and tired!! That's why I missed the superfat.  If/when I do it again, I will superfat main batch at least 2% and then add about 1 1/2 oz olive or 3 % of oils after 2nd hour of cook.  The superfat is good at the end because it keeps the soap a little more workable.  "They" say you can use it right after it hardens but I still wait at least 2 weeks so it can dry out.


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## dryalligator (Jan 14, 2014)

If you scent it I recommend cardboard shoe boxes. I buy mine from Michael's or JoAnn Fabrics.  There about 3-5 dollars each. If you put a cottonball with some of the scent it seems to last longer.  I read somewhere that soaps will pickup other scents or odors if left out.


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## grayceworks (Jan 17, 2014)

Finally made mine night before last. Whew! Took about 30min to trace, but then set up nicely. BUT I didn't realize how loooonngg it takes to be firm enough to cut. I just unmolded it this morning -- very carefully because it's still soft and tacky, but was just firm enough to cleanly unmold. I figured getting more air circulation would help. Probably should have discounted my water more lol. 

BUT... I finally did a pencil line, and I'm getting soooo impatient to cut! I didn't do any other coloring, and kept it a simple lavender-mint EO with 7% SF. I did try cutting it, but it was sooo soft, like cream cheese, I didn't want to smush it, so pics will have to wait till tomorrow I think. :banghead:


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## grayceworks (Jan 17, 2014)

Ok, I couldn't help it. I carefully slid the piece I tried to cut earlier off of the cutter, managing to do it with just a slight fingerprint and a little smudge. The rest can wait to finish hardening up now.


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## Em522 (Jan 23, 2014)

So, I decided to join the Castile party and make my first soap a simple one :smile: 

I did cut a little to soon though.


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## AngelMomma (Jan 23, 2014)

Anyone tried their Castile already?  I decided to give mine a try about once every week or two.  So far the lather is already mild.  But it is thin and not much to speak of where bubbles are concerned.


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## grayceworks (Jan 24, 2014)

I have not tried my CP batch (the one with the pencil line) But I decided since I have never used a pure castile before, I wanted to know.... 

So I made a HP batch yesterday, and tried it today --- WOW. I love it! It feels soooo nice on my skin! 

And it lathers nice too! I found a trick to lathering it, which is the same as lathering my "ugly soap" which has a high OO content... I get it and hands wet, get lots of the lotion-like slippery lather on it, then I get MORE water on my hands, and voila! plenty of bubbles!  I can see how some people might not like the slimy lather though... I don't mind it. 

I used sugar and SL, and I scented with rose-geranium EO. WOW that EO is strong. I used less than a half-ounce in a 32oz batch, and my whole house smells like roses. lol

Something I found interesting in doing the castile by HP... medium trace is the thickest it ever got. It never really reached the really thick mashed potatoes stage. Just kinda turned to translucent runny applesauce. I let it go for a while that way, and finally cooled it a bit, added the EO, and poured. And it did indeed pour rather than glopping. Which was a nice change. It started to thicken up though as soon as it was in the mold, so that I STILL had a rough looking top. *sigh*  Well, at least the inside of the soap is nice and creamy and marbled looking.


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## AngelMomma (Jan 24, 2014)

grayceworks said:


> I have not tried my CP batch (the one with the pencil line) But I decided since I have never used a pure castile before, I wanted to know....
> 
> So I made a HP batch yesterday, and tried it today --- WOW. I love it! It feels soooo nice on my skin!
> 
> ...


 
I also was not bothered by the feel of the lather from my CP batch that I tried.  I made it on New Years Eve......so its just at 3 weeks.  I am excited to see how it does over the next year.  I'm thinking I will do a lather test with pics every so often so I can compare now to 6mo and 12mo.  I love geranium Rose EO!  It cures really nicely.


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## neeners (Jan 24, 2014)

no, i've been trying to hold off on trying until at least a months' cure.  this is very difficult for me, but i've been busy making my friend's wedding favour soap, so i've been distracted.  it's also sitting at the back of the curing rack (out of sight, out of mind).  i moved them the other day and they're still kind of wet...


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## MzMolly65 (Jan 24, 2014)

AngelMomma said:


> Anyone tried their Castile already?



YES .. and loving it so much I'm going to make a great big batch of it.

I don't think it feels "slimy" .. I grew up in a house with a water softener and that's what the soap feels like to me .. like softened water .. slick, while the word slimy makes me think of worms.

Anyway,  I love the soap I love the way my skin feels after.

I think if it's this good after a few weeks it's only going to get better with curing.


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## MirandaH (Jan 24, 2014)

MzMolly65 said:


> YES .. and loving it so much I'm going to make a great big batch of it.
> 
> I don't think it feels "slimy" .. I grew up in a house with a water softener and that's what the soap feels like to me .. like softened water .. slick, while the word slimy makes me think of worms.
> 
> ...



I have been SO good.  I haven't tried mine at all. But I did make a bunch of it and when it hits the six month mark I plan on using it then and continuing to make a small batch every month so that once it is a year old, I will never be without it again.


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## seven (Jan 24, 2014)

AngelMomma said:


> Anyone tried their Castile already?  I decided to give mine a try about once every week or two.  So far the lather is already mild.  But it is thin and not much to speak of where bubbles are concerned.



yes. i just cant wait 6 months, LOL! i took a piece and use it for facial soap. my face seemed to like it. this one i'm using is really a bastille in reality as it has 5% castor in it.

i ended up making 3 small batches. all of them are hard as a rock as we speak.


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## coffeetime (Jan 24, 2014)

Hmmm, I must be in the minority. I find my 6-month old Castile drying. Bubbles aren't bad and definitely less slimy but my skin feels tight and dry after. I think I might try making a soap with no olive at all and see how that feels. Maybe my skin just doesn't like olive oil?


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## dryalligator (Jan 24, 2014)

*Hot Process Castille re-do*

I re-did my not so great hot process castille.  This time I still used 40% water to lye, but I remembered to only superfat 2%.  I then cooked for 1 hour and stirred it well and cooked the second hour and then added 3% of olive oil and stirred well. I let it sit on warm for thirty min.  It was moveable and scented with aloe cucumber scent.  I was able to swirl with 3 green colors.  Looks very pretty. If I knew how to post pictures I would.:-D


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## grayceworks (Jan 25, 2014)

AngelMomma said:


> I also was not bothered by the feel of the lather from my CP batch that I tried. I made it on New Years Eve......so its just at 3 weeks. I am excited to see how it does over the next year. I'm thinking I will do a lather test with pics every so often so I can compare now to 6mo and 12mo. I love geranium Rose EO! It cures really nicely.


 

I know, I've got my calendar marked for both the CP batch and the HP batch, so I can see how they cure out at 3 months, 6 months, etc. 

I know if my HP batch is sooooo nice right now, it's gotta be absolutely wonderful once the rest of the water evaporates out and it hardens up more. 

My CP batch has been cut for over a week now... and I have not tried it, as it still feels odd to the touch. No zap or anything, just... I dunno. Like touching cream cheese. Well, it's got 12 months to sort itself out. lol

That's great to know that the geranium-rose EO will cure nicely. My house STILL smells like roses. lol. I love it! I think I'll make some lotion to match. and maybe another liquid soap. And maybe some rose-shaped rose soaps. and.... somebody stop me!!!


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## Lin (Jan 25, 2014)

Haven't tried mine yet, but maybe I will try an end sliver soon. I made mine at the end of November for next Christmas.


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## Vickery (Jan 26, 2014)

I'm a little late on this band wagon, but I'm curious to see how a cure affects a castile.  I'm new to CPing, so my little quart sized batch will be my first learning experience in soap making patience and curing.


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## MzMolly65 (Jan 27, 2014)

I love my wee batch so much I made a 3 lb batch this morning.  As well as how nice it feels on my skin, I also love how easy it is to make.  Start to finish, including clean up in under 30 minutes.  Beyond the long cure time I can see this becoming a favorite soap for me.


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## Jerry S (Apr 14, 2014)

*Castile/Bastile question..*

I am going to make up a batch of Bastille in a couple of weeks and have  made it in the past. I just thought I'd bounce this off the members on  this topic instead of starting a new one. What type of OO do you find  works best for you in making you Castile/Bastille..? In the past I have  used OO from Costco and it worked out pretty well. But this time I want  to make sure my bars are snow white so I guess I want to use the  lightest OO I can get, without mortgaging my house. Maybe I should just  check out Costco again and see what they have, but the last time I  looked most of their OO tending toward the dark side. One more  request..If anyone knows of a drop dead delicious FO for these bars that  absolutely will not discolor, please feel free to offer your  advise..thanks..:-D


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## CaraBou (Apr 16, 2014)

My Costco carries Montolivo Extra Light OO, and it produced a nice white bar for me.  This is actually the cheapest OO the Costco here carries in what I consider to be a reasonable quantity (2- 2 liter bottles). It is the whitest soap I have ever made since nothing went into it but the light OO. My cut pics are post #4 on the sister castille photo thread (http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=41194).  And for an even better idea of the color, here it is to the right of the green clay 95/5 bastille I made the same day.  It's white enough for me!

Can I assume that since you're a repeat castille'r, you actually like the stuff?  I can't wait to try it -- for the first time!  Just 8 1/2 months to go!


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## neeners (Apr 18, 2014)

I tried my almost 4 month old castile, and its still that weird slimy consistency. I have been obsessing abt shampoo soap, and so I tried it in my hair (just the roots bc that's where I get a little oily there), and so far my hair feels great!


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## Jerry S (Apr 18, 2014)

Those are absolutely beautiful...white as white can be...do you ever use FO's in your castile/bastile?..I'm still looking for one that won't turn my bars dark...and have asked this question on another forum/thread and found one answer which is to check out Peaks FO spreadsheet..Your Cosco is a little far from me..lol..since I'm in So. Ca..but I am going to check them out again to see what they have...thanks again Carabou..
Jerry in So ca.


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## CaraBou (Apr 19, 2014)

I used lavender EO in these two bars. The "Peaks" spreadsheet is a good place to look for FO info -- be sure to check the tabs on the bottom of it for more suppliers than just Peaks.  good luck, have fun!


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## boyago (Oct 25, 2014)

Hey Buddies, we're clocking in almost 11 months.  Tried mine this morning and it seemed nice, was looking to see if I could detect any of the slime factor that people are always talking about.  The lather was a little slick but didn't feel at all how I would describe slime.  How bout you guys?


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## CaraBou (Oct 25, 2014)

I tried my bastille (w/green clay and 5% castor) about 2 months ago, and was pretty pleasantly surprised. Mild, creamy and not slimy.  First impression is that it's a keeper!

A couple of my pure castile with no subs/no additives developed a few dos sometime this summer, but it doesn't seem to be going rampant.  It's the only soap I have with this "condition" yet it doesn't freak me out.  I guess because I know what's in it and where it came from 8)  By the time this puppy is aged a whole year, anyone will be lucky if I share it.  I'm curious if they'll mention the spots.  Both batches were made on the same day, and stored in the same plastic bin.  Both had a good water discount and were hard as a rock after unmolding in 24 hours. They feel so light, like they would float, but I have never attempted that.


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