# castile soap



## HomemadeBathGoodies (Jun 3, 2013)

I am interested in adding half water to my liquid *castile soap base* and would like to know if a _preservative_ is needed for this product? 

Or is it stable enough not to add one in?

Any advice would be appreciated!


----------



## Lindy (Jun 5, 2013)

So if I understand you properly you want to dilute your paste with equal amounts of water to paste?  If that's right then no you don't need to add a preservative to it.

_*ETA  *_If you start adding any botanicals, dairy, beer or anything _*other*_ than water then you would need a preservative.


----------



## HomemadeBathGoodies (Jun 6, 2013)

I am using the liquid castile soap base from dr bronners, and I want to dilute it half with water. Some people say add a preservative, others say not too, because the base is very stable. So I am a little confused.


----------



## bodhi (Jun 8, 2013)

Dr. Bronners isnt a castile(but thats another topic), and you dont need a preservative.  Its just soap.


----------



## juliet (Jun 12, 2013)

As I understand it, the reason why soap doesn't need a preservative is because the pH is high enough to inhibit any bacterial or fungal growth.  If you thin in out it will lower the pH. I don't know what the cut off level is for needing a preservative but that is worth investigating.


----------



## Lindy (Jun 12, 2013)

Salt has been used throughout history as a preservative.  pH itself does not create a preservative system.  Soap by its very nature does not create an environment for bacteria or mould to grow even when reduced/diluted by water _*unless*_ you are addint bioligicals or botanicals after the cook then you have a whole new ball game.


----------



## sakura1024 (Jun 12, 2013)

bodhi said:


> Dr. Bronners isnt a castile...



What is it, then? Now I'm curious .


----------



## Lindy (Jun 13, 2013)

It's Bastille which means it is high in Olive oil but there are other oils in it such as Coconut and/or castor.  For it to be castille it must be 100% olive oil, Dr Bronner's is bastardizing the name for profit.  Do No Get Me Started................... :evil:


----------



## Mockingbird Ramble (Jun 13, 2013)

But, but "Made the same way for 120 years!"

and "cures whatever ails ya"

I love Dr. Bronners for camping :}


----------



## Kersten (Jun 13, 2013)

Lindy said:


> It's Bastille which means it is high in Olive oil but there are other oils in it such as Coconut and/or castor.  For it to be castille it must be 100% olive oil, Dr Bronner's is bastardizing the name for profit.  Do No Get Me Started................... :evil:



I just looked and olive oil is the 3rd oil listed after coconut and palm, yet they advertise "pure Castile"! Crazy!! I've never used it, so I just always assumed it was Castile...:thumbdown:


----------



## Lindy (Jun 13, 2013)

Mockingbird Ramble said:


> But, but "Made the same way for 120 years!"
> 
> and "cures whatever ails ya"
> 
> I love Dr. Bronners for camping :}



ROFLMAO!  I'm not saying it isn't a good soap, I'm just saying they are riding on the coat tails of a soap that is famous and a benchmark for gentle.  Because they are doing this I've seen soapmakers try and call their Bastille a Castille which is a mark against our industry as a whole. roblem:

Okay, okay I'm getting off my soap *hic* box..... :lolno:


----------



## bodhi (Jun 14, 2013)

Preface:  Admins, please excuse me..

Dr. Bronners pisses me off to no end!  Some days i feel like putting a big banner up somewhere and calling them on it.  'Dr Bronners is not pure castile because Dr Bronners is NOT even Castile!'.  They should not be allowed to advertise as a Castile, should not be able to say its been made the same way for however many years they claim, and imho the European Castile makers should be suing the pants off them for false advertising and bastardization of tradition!  Dr. Bronners is not Castile!  phew...

End of rant.


----------



## Lindy (Jun 14, 2013)

Bodhi I am in complete agreement with you...   Hmmm maybe a class action?


----------



## 100%Natural (Jun 15, 2013)

Agreed 100% about it not being Castile!  My parents were buying it by the gallon before I entered the world of soap making and told them it's absolute nonsense.  I'm curious to see when I start up with LS whether or not the name Bastile will bring about interesting questions and open up the door to carefully let customers know that their beloved Dr. Bronner's is full of it!

It was really, really hard to not fill those sentences with F bombs and other favourite four letter words...lol.  My mom would be proud..lol.


----------



## bodhi (Jun 15, 2013)

Class action?  Im in!

Ive been calling my high oo bar soaps bastiles in advertising, in hopes of opening up the same conversations about who is/is not selling castiles.. bronners!...  so far not much biting, then again i have not been calling my ls bastiles.  aha!  That will be next on the list.   Im thinking it might take banners and class actions though.  



I was tempering the f bombs too.


----------



## Lindy (Jun 16, 2013)

Here's another idea - on your website have that discussion that there are imposters out there that are using commercial product bastardizing the name of Castille.  Explain the difference and then some history on Castille soap itself.  Don't name names but perhaps on your FaceBook page ask likers to tell who they have noticed misrepresenting their soaps as a Castille when in truth it is not.

In fact I'm off to my FB page right now to start that discussion.


----------



## robtr31 (Jun 16, 2013)

i make some soap 100% pure olive oil, one with water/ one with goats milk/ and one with coconut milk  are they all castle or just the one made with water.

thanks just courious  i nomaly just say olive oil and goats or coconut soap.


----------



## 100%Natural (Jun 16, 2013)

In order to be a true Castile, your one and only oil HAS to be 100% Olive.  The liquid used doesn't matter from what I've read.  It's all about the 100% OO!!


----------



## Lindy (Jun 16, 2013)

You can use whatever adds you want as long, like 100% Natural said, Olive Oil is _*the*_ only oil used.  I make a Goat Milk Castile for babies and it is wonderful plus the Goat Milk add to the lather...


----------



## robtr31 (Jun 17, 2013)

thanks i thought it was just the oil . in a year will let u now how they turn out


----------



## Lucidcat2 (Jun 17, 2013)

I bought a small bottle of Dr Bronner's to use in my soap pump, I am very unimpressed with it. At the time, I DID think I was purchasing a Castile soap (I have been the wiser for a while!) but, the next issue I have with it, is it does seem to go off in the pump. I'm using the lavender scented one & if I fill up the pump fully, I have to throw about half a bottle out because it smells bad before it gets used up. Its a foaming pump thing so you only use a small amount of soap & alot of water. So, I have been only filling the container half full (it's pretty small, only 6 oz - 5 oz water to 1 of soap for a full bottle), which works better. Regardless, when I finally do run out, I'll be looking for another soap to use. The one thing I do like about the Bronner's is that it's very thin, like water, rather than syrupy like alot of (commercial) liquid soaps. But, that's not enough to keep me coming back, especially since it is, imo, completely false advertising to call it "Castile". I have not tried to make my own liquid soap & at this point in time I have no desire. I'm still learning soooo much about soap bars lol.


----------



## VanessaP (Jun 17, 2013)

Lucid, I'm just curious as to why you like the very thin liquid soaps. Is it because its easier to put in a foamer bottle?


----------



## Lindy (Jun 18, 2013)

Lucidcat2 said:


> I bought a small bottle of Dr Bronner's to use in my soap pump, I am very unimpressed with it. At the time, I DID think I was purchasing a Castile soap (I have been the wiser for a while!) but, the next issue I have with it, is it does seem to go off in the pump. I'm using the lavender scented one & if I fill up the pump fully, I have to throw about half a bottle out because it smells bad before it gets used up. Its a foaming pump thing so you only use a small amount of soap & alot of water. So, I have been only filling the container half full (it's pretty small, only 6 oz - 5 oz water to 1 of soap for a full bottle), which works better. Regardless, when I finally do run out, I'll be looking for another soap to use. The one thing I do like about the Bronner's is that it's very thin, like water, rather than syrupy like alot of (commercial) liquid soaps. But, that's not enough to keep me coming back, especially since it is, imo, completely false advertising to call it "Castile". I have not tried to make my own liquid soap & at this point in time I have no desire. I'm still learning soooo much about soap bars lol.



I am always trying to thicken my soap since I don't like it thin... :lolno:


----------



## Lucidcat2 (Jun 18, 2013)

VanessaP said:


> Lucid, I'm just curious as to why you like the very thin liquid soaps. Is it because its easier to put in a foamer bottle?



Yes, I find the pump can get a bit sticky with thicker liquids, or even too much of the thin liquid. For virtually any other purpose, I definitely prefer a thicker liquid though.


----------



## VanessaP (Jun 18, 2013)

Lucidcat2 said:


> I bought a small bottle of Dr Bronner's to use in my soap pump, I am very unimpressed with it. At the time, I DID think I was purchasing a Castile soap (I have been the wiser for a while!) but, the next issue I have with it, is it does seem to go off in the pump. I'm using the lavender scented one & if I fill up the pump fully, I have to throw about half a bottle out because it smells bad before it gets used up. Its a foaming pump thing so you only use a small amount of soap & alot of water. So, I have been only filling the container half full (it's pretty small, only 6 oz - 5 oz water to 1 of soap for a full bottle), which works better. Regardless, when I finally do run out, I'll be looking for another soap to use. The one thing I do like about the Bronner's is that it's very thin, like water, rather than syrupy like alot of (commercial) liquid soaps. But, that's not enough to keep me coming back, especially since it is, imo, completely false advertising to call it "Castile". I have not tried to make my own liquid soap & at this point in time I have no desire. I'm still learning soooo much about soap bars lol.



Oh, as far as the soap turning, Bronner's is (obviously) a very diluted soap to begin with. As you are adding about another 400-500% water to one of your foamer bottles than you are soap, its thinned out even so much more. I suspect that ANY LS diluted THAT much is going to turn, not just Bronner's. You're adding so much more water, so that gives the nasties SO much more water to grow in. If you really want to dilute it down that much, you should think about adding a preservative on your own.


----------



## Lindy (Jun 18, 2013)

Lucidcat a lot of the soap suppliers sell diluted liquid soap and you might be better off with that.


----------



## Lucidcat2 (Jun 20, 2013)

VanessaP said:


> Oh, as far as the soap turning, Bronner's is (obviously) a very diluted soap to begin with. As you are adding about another 400-500% water to one of your foamer bottles than you are soap, its thinned out even so much more. I suspect that ANY LS diluted THAT much is going to turn, not just Bronner's. You're adding so much more water, so that gives the nasties SO much more water to grow in. If you really want to dilute it down that much, you should think about adding a preservative on your own.


I was using dish detergent for a short time, & before that a thicker liquid soap & had not had the problem of the soap going off. So far it has been only with the Bronner's. As I mentioned, the problem I've had with the other liquid soaps has been the pump getting a bit sticky which is why I quit using the others.


----------



## Lucidcat2 (Jun 20, 2013)

Lindy said:


> Lucidcat a lot of the soap suppliers sell diluted liquid soap and you might be better off with that.


Yes, I will be looking for an alternative. I might just melt down some of the bits of my own soap, stick blend them & try that.


----------



## jenneelk (Jul 6, 2013)

So glad I read this.. If always wondered how and the heck Dr. Bronners was Castile. Never made sense to me and thought I had a screw loose for not being able to figure it out.
Shame on them! All those bottles I've bought! (Because I really do like it.) :/


----------

