Gaye Levy
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One of the really fun things I get to do is mess around with DIY cleaners. The inner chemist in me comes out and I play around with different formulas until I get something just right. My bloopers not withstanding, I can usually muddle my way through a recipe and make it work with minor adjustments here and there.
Today I would like to show you how to make your own liquid castile soap for pennies. Well not really pennies but two full quarts of liquid castile soap for less than $1.50. Compare that to Dr. Bronner’s at $14 or $15 dollars per quart and you will see why I am excited.
What is Castile Soap?
Castile soap is wonderful stuff. It is made from 100% plant oils – typically olive oil or coconut oil – and it includes no animal fat and no mysterious chemicals. It’s a true soap, not a chemical detergent, making castile soap completely biodegradable and very earth-friendly. This means it is also skin friendly unlike traditional soaps which can be extremely drying.
fThe big kahuna in castile soaps is Dr. Bronner’s which makes a great product that simply grows on you. It comes in many wonderful fragrances (I like the Rose and the Peppermint) and the liquid version is concentrated so that a little goes a long way. The downside is that at $14 or $15 for 32 ounces, it is expensive. Dr. Bronner’s also makes a bar soap that sells for about $4 to $5 per bar. I will tell you why all of this is important in a moment.
There is another brand of of castile soap that is widely available. Kirk’s Castile Soap has been around since 1839. Here are the ingredients: Coconut Soap, Water, Vegetable Glycerin, Coconut Oil, Natural Fragrance. There is also an unscented version.
Being a relatively new fan of Dr. Bronner’s, and of course wanting a bottle in every single one of the luscious scents, I realized there had to be a better way. Enter Liquid Castile Soap “Wonderful”.
The Master Recipe
This is so easy it is a wee bit embarrassing but stay with me.
Ingredients:
1 bar of castile soap
2 quarts (8 cups) of boiling water (I used filtered water)Equipment:
A large kitchen or vegetable grater
A bowl or pot large enough to hold 2 quartsDirections:
1. Using your kitchen knife, slice and dice the bar of soap into small chunks. Or, if you are so inclined, grate it up with a vegetable grater instead. Castile soap in inherently soft so there is no reason to drag our the food processor or blender to do this.
2. Measure out your boiling water and place it your bowl, pot or do as I did and use a large Pyrex measuring cup.
3. Add the chunks or flakes and walk away. Go do something else. Walk the dog. Catch up on Backdoor Survival. Just do something. When you come back in an hour or so, most if not all of the soap will be dissolved into a nice concentrated liquid. At this point, transfer your liquid castile soap to some mason jars, a squirt bottle or other container and you are ready to go.
Notes:
Within 24 hours, my batches of liquid soap turned gel-like and semi-solid. A quick run under hot water brought them back to liquid form. In a way, this makes sense because coconut oil does not liquefy until it reaches 76 degrees. Given the tremendous cost savings, this was something I could deal with.
I tried both cutting the bar soap into chunks with a knife and grating it with my vegetable grater. I felt that the vegetable grater resulted in a better end product. I believe the soap dissolved more quickly and for some reason the resulting liquid was smoother. I don’t know – hard to describe.
As will all castile soaps, there will not be an abundant amount of sudsing. The suds in most soaps comes from sodium lauryl sulfates, a known irritant that does nothing but make suds. Be aware that you may get a few bubbles with this, but not many. Odd as it seems, it still clean very well and does not feel at all oily even though it is an oil based soap.
Those of you familiar with my Dirt Cheap Soft Soap will notice some similarities although there is no added glycerin in liquid Castile Soap Wonderful. Castile Soap Wonderful has a completely different texture plus it is highly concentrated.
Castile Soap Wonderful
This is the fun part. With a simple dilution and the addition of essential oils, I was able to make up multi-purpose household cleaners just like I do with Dr. Bronner’s. The addition of 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon of essential oils results in such a useful cleaner that I started calling them “You Name It” Wonderful. I now have Tea Tree Wonderful, Lavender Wonderful, Orange Wonderful and Peppermint Wonderful. This is so fun.
After much trial and error, I came up with the following dilution:
3 TBL Liquid Castile Soap
1 quart (4 cups) filtered water
1/8 to 1/4 TSP Essential Oils
Shake everything together in a repurposed bottle or juice jug and use your premade brew to fill individual spray bottles (These spray bottles I purchased at Amazon work great.)
How to Use your Liquid Castile Soap
For the past three weeks I have been keeping a list of how I use my various castile soap wonderfuls. Amazingly, I have I found that a single dilution, poured into a spray bottle, does it all. So far I have not found any reason to use the soap undiluted or in a stronger or weaker dilution.
Household Cleaner: Depending on your mood, pick your favorite version and spray away. I use in on my black granite counters, wood floors, stainless appliances, everything. The Orange Wonderful seems to work best on really greasy things which makes sense because orange essential oil is made from orange peels and we all know what a good solvent orange can be. (By the way, a drop or two of orange essential oil neat – right out of the bottle – works just as good as petroleum based goo gone.)
Window and Mirror Cleaner: For some reason, my castile soap wonderful cleans windows and glass just fine and without leaving a residue while Dr. Bonner’s tended to streak on me.
Washing Hands: Instead of using soap in the pump bottle, spray your hands with a generous amount of Tea Tree Wonderful, rub your hands together and rinse. The tea tree serves as an effective anti-bacterial and sanitizer.
Body wash: Spray your favorite scented wonderful on a washcloth and give yourself a “sponge” type bath. (Does anyone even use that term anymore?) Anyway, for extra moisture, you could add a bit of vitamin E oil or even olive oil to your spray bottle – just make sure you mark the bottle “body wash”. While you are at it, add a few extra drops of essential oil so you smell heavenly.
Facial cleaner/facial wipes: Spray your Lavender Wonderful on to a microfiber cloth or plain old washcloth and use it to clean off every bit of makeup, even mascara. Your face will feel nice and soft afterward.
Toothpaste: I kid you not. Spray some Peppermint (or other) Wonderful onto a toothbrush and brush away. I do prefer regular toothpaste but if there were non available, this would work just fine.
Eyeglass Cleaner: Castile wonderful will make your eyeglasses sparkle. Because you are cleaning with soap, you do not have to worry about ruining your Transitions lenses (never use a vinegar solution on them).
Clean fruits and veggies: Spay and wipe to remove gems and pesticides from non-organic produce.
Doggie Shampoo: I used a combination of Peppermint and Lavender Wonderful for Tucker’s bath this weekend. After wetting him down, I got out the spray bottle and sprayed away. Are you detecting a common theme here?
Clean Your Shoes: Spray and scrub. My 5 year old Clarks sandals came out looking nice and fresh and ready for another summer.
Clean Makeup Brushes: For those of you that wear makeup, spray your brushes every few days then wipe them clean with a microfiber cloth. The bristles stay nice and soft and smell great. No more built up makeup goo.
Dusting Spray: I have been using this spray for three weeks on my wood furniture and most notably my desk which get very grimy. I have also used it on my iPad and laptop screens and almost anything else you can think of.
One thing I did not try (but want to) is making a homemade soft scrub by combining 1 tablespoon liquid Castile soap and 1/3 cup baking soda in to a scrubbing paste. Just thinking about it, it seems to me I could sprinkle some baking soda on my crusty pan or gunky sink and just spray and scrub without making the paste. Even though it only costs pennies, using an undiluted tablespoon seems wasteful. Again, I have not tested this.
I am sure there are lots and lots of other uses – these are just the ones I have tried.
Magic versus Wonderful
In the past I have referred to “Rose Magic” and “Peppermint Magic”. The only difference between Peppermint (or other) Magic and Peppermint (or other) Wonderful is that “Magic” uses Dr. Bronner’s and “Wonderful” uses the DIY liquid soap make with Kirk’s. Same dilution, no difference.
Credit Where Credit Is Due
There are lots of websites that have similar instructions but as you will find, everyone has their own dilution and their own way of doing things. This is my way and it works for me so I have a high degree of confidence that it will work for you too.
The Final Word
Shop around and you might find a deal on Kirk’s bar soap. I initially picked some up at Safeway when I was in the Seattle area but by far, the cheapest place I found online was at drugstore.com. I paid $3.79 for 3 bars and since I also purchased some other products, shipping was free. I am told that some Wal-marts carry Kirk’s at a similar price so it is worth checking locally.
I have now stocked up on Kirk’s and will put some in deep storage. At this price, having the ability to make my own scented liquid castile soap any time I want to sounds like a good proposition. Not only that, I am convinced that being armed with vinegar, castile soap, spray bottles and microfiber cloths, I can clean anything!
Enjoy your next adventure through common sense and thoughtful preparation!
Gaye
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Bargain Bin: Below you will find many of the items mentioned in today’s article. As always, check your prices and for heaven’s sake, don’t get tricked into buying a single bar of of Kirk’s castile soap for $5.
Kirk’s Original Coco Castile Bar Soap
: This is a great price at $3.79 for 3 bars from drugstore.com. Amazon also sells Kirk’s here – Kirk’s Castile Soap Original (3pk) .
Amazon Basics Microfiber Cleaning Cloth, (Pack of 36): I just noticed that Amazon is selling their own brand of Microfiber cloths. They are not as “fuzzy” as the Z-wipes. I have both types. Whatever you choose, they will last for years and will allow you to replace paper towels forever. I color code using green for glass and windows and the other colors for everything else.
NOW Foods Peppermint Oil: I favor peppermint essential oil (okay, I like Lavender essential oil too) so this is what I get. There are many types of essential oils to choose from. Take your pick. One thing you will find is that a little goes a long way.
Soft ‘N Style Clear Spray Bottles I happen to like these smaller bottles and you can not beat the price for a set of 6. Likewise for these Pump Dispensers.
Box-style Hand Grater: As easy as it was to use a kitchen knife, it just felt “better” to grate the bar soap by hand using an old fashioned grater.
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127 Responses to “DIY Liquid Castile Soap “Wonderful””
Thank you much! I may also just start over from scratch. So cheap, why not!
Mine was thin at first, but I did it before going to bed and put a tea towel over it, went to bed, and the next morning it was nice and thick! Thanks for the recipe!!
No it’s the kirks liquid castile soap recipe.
Andria – I am not sure what went wrong but if it were me, I would add more soap flakes and heat it up so the soap melts then see if it thickens. You are the first person to report this and like I said, my liquid castile soap is like a blog it is so thick.
Let me know how it goes.
I made it for the first time and mine is also liquid…like skim milk. I used the 8 cups of boiling water t 1 bar grated of Kirks Castile soap.
Sometimes just waiting a day will firm it up. On the other hand, I would prefer mine to be more liquid.
I do believe the variance has to do with the water and the minerals in it (or lack thereof).
Hi. I am having this same issue and its sat for a week now, not thickening. I started by boiling water for 10 minutes, then measuring it my 8 cups, then added the grated soap. Mixed it up a bit until the flakes dissolved and set it aside. (after giving it a cover). What I have even after a week is just as runny as tap water. Something went terribly wrong, and I fallowed the directions just as written. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Mine is thin also, like milk. It hasn’t been 24 hours yet, but I hadn’t read through these comments so I did stir it several times. If it’s still thin, I’ll try the boiling method. If that doesn’t work, I’ll add some of the other bar. I’d rather it be on the thinner side, but not this thin. I did find the bar soap at Walmart.
No wait, maybe I covered it…
Yes it’s been weeks, and I let it sit in the container for 24 hrs.
Are you referring to the DIY Liquid Castile Soap or the Dirt Cheap Soft Soap?
If it is the Soft Soap, I would add about 2 tbl of additional soap flakes and “cook” it a bit more (3 minutes). The Soft Soap is a bit runny and “snot” like and seems to vary quite a bit from one batch to another. That is probably due to the type of soap used.
The Kirks castile soap does not seem to have that issue – in my experience it stays very thick,
I made this castile soap. It is my first encounter with the stuff apart from seeing bottles of it at the store (only noticing them for the first time AFTER getting into my first homemade cleaner, laundry detergent, and seeing that every other cleaner called for this soap and tee tree oil). I wondered why mine may have turned out watery.
Andria – Has it been 24 hours? It does thicken up after a day or so and becomes much thicker than Dr. Bronner’s.
Mine is still watery after 24 hours and I’m wondering why?
I have been experimenting lately with my soft soap but I believe the same principal applies. Something that has helped is that after the soap melts, set it aside in the pot and do not touch it, stir it, or otherwise disturb it for 24 hours.
I have also had success bringing it (my soft soap) to a full boil for about 5 minutes to thicken things up. The I proceed to set it aside for 24 hours.
What type of water did you use?
Hi Gaye,
I was just wondering if I try to make my own shampoo how it would work in a pump bottle that you get when you buy the big containers of it? Considering it is a semi solid, will it still be able to have the consitancy of regular shampoo? I plan on making my own shampoo, body soft soap, and shampoo for my dog. Any advice? Thank you
Sincerely,
Gabe
Just like Dr. Bronner’s, you will want to dilute your homemade liquid castile soap.
I have been experimenting with a technique that does not touch the soap for 24 hours after making it. Then, after that, I whip it up to a desirable consistency. This has worked really well with my first trial but I need to repeat them to make sure my trial was not a fluke.
Another thing is that I am experimenting adding a bit of kosher salt as an emulsifier. This was worked with my EO and carrier oil combos; I am amazed.
I hope these suggestions are helpful. With enough dilution, you should not have a problem using repurposed pump bottles.
Stick it in the refrigerator. It will solidify!
Thanks for the new recipe. I like the idea of using something for more than just one purpose. Eight years ago when I first heard of laundry soap parties, I thought how great people are discovering what our grandparents did! Then I saw replies from manufacturers stating that creating laundry soap etc required using chemicals which could explode and otherwise injure women trying to do make their own. I have never been so happy to find more and more people who don’t believe what they are being told be marketers and manufacturers. 🙂 My next question…how do we make our own vegetable glycerin?
🙂
This is exactly how I made the shampoo for the beauty shop where I worked in 1941.
My new step mother got me the job right after my fols married so she would know where I was. It was across the street from where she worked. I just. Recently found kirk’s Castile soap and have been using it and rinsing my hair with vinegar. Still works well,
I have always found Kirk’s castile soap too drying for my skin. You are actually rebatching your soap and this works very well. Castile soap originally was made from olive oil and nothing else (except lye to make it into soap). Nowadays, coconut and other vegetables oils are used to increase the sudsing and make it less expensive. Have you tried making soap from scratch? It is easy and cheap and you can make it as mild as you need or just for general purpose. It is a skill that is great for survival and handmade soap is great for barter, too.
I stumbled upon your blog by clicking on threads from other blogs…you know how that goes, lol. Anyway, just wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed reading it. Lots of wonderful advice. I have subscribed and look forward to reading all the tips and common sense ideas you have. Thank you
Emily – I am so glad you stopped by. If you have any questions, be sure to ask.
I’ve used Dr. Bronner’s Soap off and on over the last 30+ years 4 or 5 ways. Thanks for giving me this recipe and more ways to use castle soap. I will look for Kirks brand at Wal-mart. I can tell you that when you use it for washing dishes or clothes in a pan( did this while camping) if you put the soap and water in the pan first and swish your hand around in the pan you get suds and it distributes the soap well for the items you are washing. Happy soap making!!
so once you have made this. how long will it keep and do I need to store in plastic or glass, cool place? THANKS!
Since it is liquefied bar soap, I have no reason to believe it won’t last indefinitely. I store mine in mason jars but I don’t think it really matters. I use re-purposed apple juice jugs a lot. I clean them well with bleach first, though.
thanks much!!
I did thought that liquide castile soap will last indefinitely. I will do an experiment myself.
Thanks!
This is not true. Any additional water added to soap allows for bacterial growth. As a soap maker, that is why we don’t just grind up our hand made bar soaps and add water. Your mixture should be used within a short time period, and favorably stored in the fridge.
This is why’ve you boil the water before using it! 🙂
Yes Dr B’s is very expensive and having a natural liquid soap is very nice and luxurious. I am just lucky that I make my own liquid soap as well as bar soap. I started making bar of soap first for 2 years then I upgrade to liquid soap making. I love it and very good for your skin and environment. So Ladies & Gentlenen we start using more natural than a store bought soap ( actually they’re not soap it’s detergent)