# How to thicken 3:1 diluted liquid "Castile" soap



## Zink

There are already a bunch of good liquid "Castile" soaps on the market, e.g. Dr Woods and Dr. B's.

What I'm trying to do is to dilute such a soap about 3:1 with water and add allantoin to make a gentler soap to be used as a face wash, and I want it to be thick enough to be used with a normal pump bottle and not separate..

I tried salt, but at that dilution it doesn't help much, I also tried carbomer, which I can just say I don't recommend :crazy: Other options could be Chrotix, Xantham or Gum Arabic


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## FGOriold

If you soap is a true castile of 100% olive oil, it should thicken quite easily with a salt water solution.  My preferred thickening agent is HEC.  Others like HPMC.  I find HEC (hydroxyethyl cellulose) will consistently thicken any formulation and keep the soap clear.


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## engblom

Now I do not know how does soaps are made. It might be that they already have been adding salt while making the soap. If that is the case, additional salt will not help anything. Check if this is the case before trying to add any extra salt!

As someone making real liquid Castile and selling (without salt), I can tell you it is not a difficult thing to make for yourself. All it takes is a bit of patience. It is easy to make a big batch and the ready "vaseline" concentrate can be easily stored in the freezer. Like that you do not need to make it more often than maybe once a year depending on your consumption.

Dr. Bronner is not selling real Castile. His main ingredient is coconut oil, which makes a harsh soap. (At least last time I checked.) A real castile you do not need to dilute a lot to get it mild for your face. I would be worried about fungi and bacteria if I diluted an already diluted soap in the way you do.


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## cmzaha

You can also buy Castile Liquid Soap Base from Bramble Berry and all you have to do is dilute it if you do not want to make your own ls paste. As mentioned above, Bronners is not Castile and I hate that he calls it castile


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## MzMolly65

Are you saying to want to buy a soap similar to Dr. Bonner's and then thicken it? or you want to make liquid Castile and thicken it?

Here's my experience:

I made Castile, 100% OO and KOH, 7% SF, 35% water and did not dilute it or neutralize it.  I let it cure for two weeks before using it but it's getting more and more gentle as it ages.  It's gorgeous on the skin, you feel squeaky clean with no drying.  I have extremely sensitive skin and have had no trouble with this soap at all.  No pimples and my normally tomato red face is no longer red.

This is straight from the crock pot.  After weeks of curing it's become a very see-through gel.


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## Zink

Unlocked a can of worms here using the sacred Castile term  Originally I intended to just make a watered down, thickened version of Dr. Woods not-castile castile soap.

@MzMolly65 What olive oil did you use, specifically? Seems to me that it'd make a difference, some olive oils are very spicy, my assumption would be a refined oil would be gentlest to your skin.

Seems like I might have to make my own, I do like olive oil, but for "blemished" skin I've found hemp seed oil to be even better, so if I could make a soap that has:


Distilled water 
Organic hemp seed oil (seems like 30% is about max)
Organic e.g. Olive oil (if it goes well with hemp seed oil to provide gentle cleansing and moisture.)
Cocamidopropyl betaine (cosurfactant, might not be necessary)
Sodium lactate (for moisture)
Sea salt (thickener)
Hydroxyethylcellulose (or another thickener, ideally ECOcert)
Vitamin E (antioxidant)

Target pH 9-10?
Oils saponified using KOH


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## MzMolly65

Zink said:


> @MzMolly65 What olive oil did you use, specifically?



I used Marco brand pomace.  

Also check out this thread for Moroccan Beldi made with OO .. http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=42736

It can be CP or HP, it's made with KOH but kept in an undiluted paste form rather than diluted down to liquid soap, which is why I think it ended up in the CP forum.


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## Zink

Interesting, so seems like pomace is the cheapest form of olive oil, where the crud left after cold pressing is extracted using solvents and high heat: http://www.oliveoiltimes.com/olive-oil-basics/olive-oil-grades/olive-pomace-oil/6210/2

I wonder how it compares to cold pressed with regards to purity, maybe solvent residue helps it clean better too? Half-joking, hehe.


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## Sabelkat

I just logged on to write assimilation post. I tried making a liquid soap out of a bar that I had previously made. I wanted to thickener it and added xanthan gum (Powered). It's surely did thicken it, but it also topkamp away the foaming ability. Odd?? I supposition it still has the same cleaning abilities? But I would like it to foam. So I guess I have answered one of your questions, but not them all. And added another: what natural thickener is the best?


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## vuladams

*Also new here! How to thicken 3:1 diluted liquid "Castile" soap*

Xanthan gum reduced the foaming properties? Does it foam at all now?


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## cmzaha

I use HEC for thickening all my liquid soap. I have tried salt for thickening 100% Castile LS which I made and did not like the salt method. It seemed to break down over time whereas the hec thickened never thins down for me


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## Susie

Pomace olive oil is used because it is the highest in unsaponifiable oils.  Therefore, it is the most conditioning on the skin.  Not because of any extra chemicals remaining after processing.


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