Castile Soap Benefits

Castile soap is a natural soap with an olive oil base. It is white in color and can be found as a solid bar and liquid soap. Let me tell you that castile soap is not a modern-day soap. People started using it as early as the 16th century.

This soap got its name 'castile' because it was first made in Castilla region of Spain with local olive oil and it was named "jabon de Castilla". The uniqueness of castile soap lies with the fact that it does not contain any animal fats, which are present in other soaps. The main ingredients are olive oil and some plant ash.

It does not contain any harsh chemicals in the form of detergents, colors or dyes. When Castile soap residue enters the wastewater stream, it does not cause environmental pollution as there are no toxic substances in it. Another advantage of using this soap is that it can produce the same amount of lather in both hard water as well as soft water.

Castile soap is used as a bath soap because of its excellent skin cleansing properties. We all know that oil and water are not miscible with each other. The soap dissolves the dirt on the skin surface, which remains suspended in water and is then washed off.

Basically, olive oil is a rich source of monounsaturated fatty acids. This fatty acid promotes production of prostaglandins in the body, which have a major role in improving skin texture. It has natural moisturizing qualities that hydrate the skin. For all these reasons, this soap is considered as good for dull and dry skin.

Castile soap has a very gentle effect on the skin. Therefore, it can be safely used by people who have sensitive skin or allergy prone skin. It is suitable for people who have dermatological conditions like eczema, rosacea and psoriasis as the soap does not irritate the skin.

A baby's skin is so soft and delicate that you hesitate to use any soap on the skin. As castile soap does not have any strong chemical component, you can use it as a bath soap for the babies without the fear of any harmful effects on their skin.

Castile soap can be included in your daily facial skin care regime. It contains a high amount of antioxidants, which prevent degeneration of skin cells. Thus, it can delay the appearance of wrinkles and other signs of aging on the facial skin. If you have acne prone skin, then using this soap can prevent frequent acne breakouts.

It thoroughly cleanses the dirt and oil accumulated in the skin pores without drying up the skin. Moreover, it does not leave behind any synthetic chemicals that can clog up the pores and contribute towards acne formation. On regular use, the antioxidant properties of Castile soap have proved to be helpful in removal of old acne marks.

Liquid castile soap can be used as a shampoo as well. It removes all dirt and flakes from the scalp. When you use shampoos with harsh chemicals, then the scalp tends to become dry but when you use castile soap, it moisturizes the scalp skin. Those of you who are bothered by dry, itchy scalp should use castile soap in order to get rid of the problem.

Though it is not very popularly used as a toothpaste, it works well in cleaning the teeth. Since it has natural components, it is absolutely safe for using inside the mouth. People avoid using it as a toothpaste mainly because they do not like its flavor. Men can use castile soap as lather for shaving purpose. This will help them get a well moisturized skin after shaving.

Today, castile soaps are available with various recipes where other plant derived oils are added to the soap along with olive oil. This is mainly done to improve its lather. Pure castile soap is more expensive than its other brands that are available in the market. To get maximum , make sure you select the one which has at least 80% of olive oil in it. The higher the olive oil content, lesser are the chances of skin irritation or adverse skin reactions.