Teach Soap

I apologize if this has been answered somewhere i searched but did not find what I was looking for. I'm having trouble understanding the lauding of liquid castile soap. I read rave reviews about it and I cannot seem to find a body wash recipe anywhere that doesn't use it but I don't see how it can be that great for your skin or hair being so alkaline. Any guidance, explanations, suggestions would be extremely appreciated, thanks in advance!

Any handmade soap will have a higher pH including liquid castile soap. For hair, that depends what type of hair you have. I can't use handmade soap in my hair at all. It makes it feel like straw, even with a vinegar rinse. Try a small batch and see how you like it.

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

Yes, I wouldn't use castile soap for hair.

1) true liquid castile soap is made with olive oil only. Most "castile" soaps on the market are actually what many soapers call "bastille" soaps because they contain other oils besides olive oil.

2) For me, true castile soaps are the only real (non-detergent) soaps I can use. I think I am allergic to lauric and myristic acid (I'm allergic to pretty much all the soaps that have higher lather, like coconut oil or even tallow soaps) they just dry out my skin too much even with a high superfat. And I get a rash after a few days using a coconut based cream.

3) When I take the pH of my castile soaps vs. my recipes containing coconut oil I find that the castile soap has a pH of 8 and the other soap has a pH of 9-10. Of course, pH testing of soap is not very accurate for a couple of different reasons.

4) I think people see the word castile and think it means better or higher quality soap. That's just not true. A lot of that comes from the fact that castile soap is often used as a baby soap. The thought is "if its ok for a baby then it must be great for me!"

Everyone is different, some people are more sensitive to pH and skin dryness while others not so much. When I use my castile soap on my face, it leaves it smooth and helps control my acne but I always have to use a moisturizer afterwards.

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