Pure Castile (100% Olive Oil) Recipe
BeginnerTraditional Castile soap using only olive oil. Extremely gentle with a creamy, lotion-like lather. Requires extended cure time but produces a luxurious bar.
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The calculator works out the lye and water for your batch size, lye concentration, and superfat. Those amounts are not printed here on purpose: they change with every one of those settings.
Oil blend
| Oil | Percent of oils | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Olive Oil | 100% | Soft oil |
| Superfat | 7% | Oil left unsaponified for mildness |
Percentages are by weight of the total oils. Each oil links to its reference page with SAP value, fatty acid profile, and substitutes.
Predicted bar properties
Predicted from the fatty acid profile of the oils, the same way the calculator scores a recipe. The right-hand figures are the usual cold process ranges; green bars fall inside them.
Reading the numbers
- •Cleansing is 0, below the usual 12 to 22 range. Expect a mild bar with a lower, lotion-like lather rather than big bubbles.
- •Hardness is 17, under the 29 to 54 range. The bar will be soft at unmolding and needs a longer cure to firm up.
- •Conditioning is high at 82. Skin feel is the point of this blend; the trade is a slower trace and longer cure.
- •Iodine is 85. Above 70 the bar is more prone to softness and dreaded orange spots, so use fresh oils and cure it well.
Making it
Slow trace. Unmold after 3-5 days. Cure 6-12 months for best results. Gets harder and milder with age.