You can make your own Castile soap at home with a few basic ingredients. Here’s a simple recipe for liquid Castile soap:

Ingredients:

• 16 oz olive oil (You can also mix in other oils like coconut oil or castor oil, but traditional Castile soap uses only olive oil.)

• 2 oz coconut oil (optional, for extra lather)

• 4 oz lye (sodium hydroxide) (You can find this in hardware stores; it’s a necessary ingredient for the soap-making process called saponification.)

• 10 oz distilled water (for dissolving the lye)

• 20 oz distilled water (to dilute the soap after it’s cooked)

• Essential oils (optional, for fragrance)

Equipment:

• Heatproof containers

• Immersion blender or wooden spoon

• Large slow cooker or stainless steel pot

• Gloves, goggles, and long sleeves (for safety when working with lye)

Instructions:

1. Prepare your workspace:

• Work in a well-ventilated area and wear gloves and goggles when handling lye. Be cautious when mixing lye with water, as it creates heat and fumes.

2. Mix the lye solution:

• Carefully add the 4 oz of lye to 10 oz of distilled water (never the other way around to avoid a dangerous reaction). Stir gently until the lye dissolves, and then set aside to cool.

3. Heat the oils:

• In a slow cooker or pot, add the 16 oz olive oil (and any additional oils like 2 oz coconut oil, if using) and heat on low. Once the oils are warm (around 100°F/38°C), remove them from heat.