Castile soap originated in the Castile region of Spain. Initially made using only olive oil, the definition of what qualifies as Castile soap has broadened to include coconut oil as well. However, I make it the traditional way using only olive oil!

Castile soap is a very soft bar that creates a light and thin but stable lather. It leaves a very pure, fresh, clean feeling. Castile soap is my favorite kind of basic soap because it is so gentle. It's gentle enough to use on babies and pets since there's nothing artificial in it.

Since it is a soap made with soft (liquid) oils, it takes longer to cure. This particular batch was left to cure in the molds for 4 days before it was solid enough to pop out. Olive oil soaps also take much longer to reach trace--about 3x longer than it takes for harder oil soaps to trace. It's a longer process than hard oil soaps, but it results in a soft, gentle bar of soap that's hypoallergenic!