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Castile soap is incredibly versatile and a staple item in our house. Eliminating toxins in your diet is hard enough – thankfully, using castile soap is an easy way to eliminate them in your cleaning and body care routines!
Today, I want to show you how easy it is to turn a BAR of soap into a jar of LIQUID soap – but if you’re still curious about castile soap, Emily at Live Renewed has a great article about the many uses of castile soap that I definitely recommend!
Personally, we use castile soap most often in our homemade cleaning products; I use it on my counter tops (mixed with water in a spray bottle, add some tea tree oil and you have an instant, all natural disinfectant spray) and also as the base for my laundry soap (which we adore and I can’t bring myself to use anything else!)
However, the initial cost for a 32oz bottle of Dr. Bronner’s liquid castile soap can take a chunk out of the grocery budget (it’s $12-14 here in northern Indiana). Granted, it lasts forever, and provides over 4 gallons of laundry soap, but none the less, a chunk of change for soap.
I knew there had to be a better way (plus, all the mumbo-jumbo writing on Dr. Bronner’s bottles leads me to wonder about his adventures during the ’60′s…)
I made the switch to Kirk’s Coco Castile.
I was able to purcahse 3-4oz soap bars for $4 at my local grocery store, compared to $5 for ONE-6oz bar of Dr. Bronner’s. Now, the issue was turning my bar soaps into a liquid…which meant I just needed to add water.
Plus, Kirk’s only contains a few, naturally sourced ingredients:
Here’s an incredibly easy way to turn solid castile soap bars into liquid castile soap…
Using a Mason jar (which I highly recommend for this, but any other container capable of holding hot liquid would be fine), measure out approximately 2 3/4 cups of water. Using a tea kettle or a microwave, bring it to a boil. While your water is boiling, remove the paper from the soap bar and place it on a cutting board. (side note: that’s not black mold on my cutting board at the top of this photo. I caught the cutting board on fire. Long story. Everyone’s fine. Not relevant to this post. Just wanted to assure you that it was sanitary. Back to the soap, shall we?)
Using a big scary knife, chop the soap into little pieces (it’s soft and cuts easily)
return the chunks to the Mason jar…
and carefully add in your boiling water. Because Castile soap is, by nature, oil based, it will start to melt immediately.
You may end up with a few stubborn chunks at the bottom of the jar:
Simply let the soap and water mixture set for 15–20 minutes, and the remainder of the soap will melt completely, and voila:
…your castile bar soap is now LIQUID castile soap!
What are your favorite uses for castile soap?
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This post is linked to Whole Foods Wednesday, Penny Pinching Party, {Wow Me} Wednesday, Your Green Resource, Transformation Thursday, A Crafty Soiree, Hookin Up with HoH, Share Your Cup Thursday, the 36th Avenue Party, Adorned from Above Blog Hop, Titus 2 Tuesdays, One Project at a Time, Teach Me Tuesday, Show Me What You Got, Raising Homemakers, Women Living Well, Frugal Days Sustainable Ways
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Virgin Coconut Oil, Gold Label - 5 gallons
Thanks….this sounds soloist much easier than stove top version or the cold water version which requires a week of daily squeezings;)
Ooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! thank you so much for sharing this!!!
Ohhh I should look for that brand of soap! Dr B’s is crazy expensive. Have you tried adding in your own scented oils to the plain? I wonder if you could get some nice peppermint or citrus that way? It would be great if you shared this and any other projects you have at my link party http://www.addhousewife.com/2013/01/pin-inspiration-party-time.html
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Micki – thanks for stopping by!! Yes – I’ve added essential oils and it’s great for counter top sprays, etc. but when I add it to my laundry soap, it loses it’s potency in the wash and doesn’t scent the clothes
I usually add EOs when I put my clothes into the dryer, and that does scent them mildly and it’s *loverly* 
-kelsi (and thanks for the linky info! we’ll check out your site!!!)
I have never heard of this soap. It sound quite marvelous! Thanks for sharing with Share Your Cup.
hugs,
Jann
Jann Olson recently posted..Pink Tea!
I use that brand of bar soap to make homemade laundry detergent, you know the formula — a grated bar of soap, plus washing soda, plus borax, plus water, to make 2 gallons. (I haven’t checked out your laundry soap recipe yet, but the one I use is all over the web, in slightly different variations on what I do.) I have bought Dr. Bronners, but you’re right, it’s so expensive! Thanks for this easy tutorial. (I love your sense of humor, by the way. Burn on the cutting board — sounds like our house. Big scary knife. Chuckle!)
I like your website’s version of the CAPTCHA code. Unlike so many blogs, yours is actually one that I can see. Sometimes I give up on trying to comment because I can’t make out either the visual or audible code!
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Jean – thanks for stopping by! glad you enjoyed it! We love our homemade laundry soap and I can’t bring myself to use anything else! It works so well!! all the best! – kelsi
If you add some tea tree or lavender essentials oils to this liquid, you can use this as shampoo. For conditioner, i use coconut oil.
that’s a great idea – and would smell wonderfully! thanks for the tip!!
Do you have any tips for doing this process with Dr. Bonner’s? I tried it and I am having a hard time getting it all to dissolve. I am kicking myself now because I saw that brand at Meijer and passed it up. Darn it!
Melissa, to be honest, I’ve never tried it with Dr. Bronner’s because I’m too cheap
However, there’s not much difference in ingredients between Bronner’s and Kirks – they’re both still coconut oil based, which means they should both melt. Again, I haven’t tried it, but if it’s just not thoroughly melting, I’d stick it on the stove in a pan on low heat and see if you can’t get it to break apart that way. Also, if it’s not dissolving totally (and it looks more like sediment than big chunks) I wouldn’t worry too much. If you’re using it for the laundry, as long as the pieces aren’t too large, you’ll be fine. Hope that helps. If that doesn’t work, shoot me an email at kelsi (at) cheekybumsmarket (dot) com and we’ll work it out! I’m curious now! 
Hi Melissa–
I actually tried this with Dr. Bronners. The problem is that Bronner’s bar soaps now use palm oil, which is a major solidifier. Basically, you will get a liquigel soap. It still works great in a pump dispensor because of the water, but I actually ended up with around 40oz of SEVERLY MILD peppermint soap. Great for washing hands, as a base for shampoo and body wash, etc. I am going to WalMart tonight, though, to get some Kirk’s. The ingredients seem less…solid…for lack of a better term. Hope that helps. =)
agreed Erin! I’ve tried Dr. Bronner’s with the same results. Kirk’s bars are actually smaller (4 oz vs. Dr. B’s 5 oz) but I feel like they work better. It may be the palm oil in Dr. B’s that makes the difference, but I prefer Kirk’s for laundry and really dirty projects. thanks for the comment!! all the best! – kelsi
I find Kirk’s castille soap at Walmart. I think that 3 bars are $3.97 here in my area. I aslo turn mine into liquid soap and use it for everything! Great stuff!
I made this the other day. Once it was completely cooled it isn’t exactly liquid, or totally solid either…what did I do wrong?
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Hey Kelly – nothing! you did it right! it ends up being a weird, lumpy, gel-like mixture and it will most likely want to separate. If it gets really solid on top and there’s water underneath, then just take a whisk or slotted spoon and mix it back up. Our laundry room gets really cold so mine always separates. You just want to make sure that you don’t have any huge clumps when you put it in with your laundry, but it will be a really weird texture, so don’t worry!
I just tried it with the Kirk’s soap, and the soap chunks haven’t melted at all, even after an hour. I boiled the water in the tea pot and poured it over the soap chunks. I put it in the microwave and heated it to a boil again, and it still hasn’t melted! Any suggestions?
oh no!! I had this happen once, and the reason WHY exactly, still escapes me. However, when I couldn’t get them to melt completely, I waited until the water was cool enough to stick my hand in and I squished them into as tiny of pieces as possible. There were still a few small pieces, but I was able to break them. In my case, i realized that it was because I hadn’t cut the pieces into small enough chunks before I poured in the water. I try to cut it as fine as possible, to avoid this, and I haven’t had problems since. So sorry!
If this doesn’t work for you, or if you keep having trouble, email me at kelsi (at) cheekybumsmarket (dot) com and we’ll get to the bottom of it 
I have been looking into how to turn castile bar soap into liquid castile for weeks now….thanks so much for this. I wanted to make my own foaming hand soap with this but wasn’t sure how. My only question is….how much of the liquid castile should I use in my soap bottle (since the way you converted this to liquid it looks pretty concentrated)I was thinking maybe a tablespoon or 2? What is your theory?? Thanks a bunch!!
Kim, using this method, and with this brand, I’d say right around 1.5-2 Tb in a 4-6 oz container and you should be great!! hope it works well for you – this will definitely cut your costs!!
This is the soap I grew up using and most of my relatives used it to wash their hair with (the bar soap). It lathers good in cold water and really helps your hair. My aunt always used it for her hair and she had the prettiest, shiniest hair I’d seen. I’ve been looking for it for awhile. I have never seen it t Walmart though.
They do have it at Walmart, but it is in a weird spot over in the beauty section. I can’t remember exactly where, but it is there. ( It wasn’t with all the regular soaps.)
I followed the directions to a tee including using the Kirk’s Castile. Mine came out goopy! lol When I made my laundry detergent, it separated and I just shake it up before each use. The entire jar of liquid castile is goopy even after a good stir/shake. I am making my baby wipes using the goop since it will melt in the hot water, but was wondering if yours came out a true liquid? =)
Samantha…hmm…goop? it is a tad slimy, but it should be thoroughly incorporated. it will separate if left by itself in the jar, but shaking it does re-mix it. I don’t personally have this trouble in my laundry detergent, and since I’m not sure what your recipe is, I’m not exactly sure what to tell you!!!! :[ I have had troubles incorporating it before, but it either needed to set longer at the initial making of it, or, my house was cold and so it cooled down too quickly, so I had to reheat it on the stove to get it to break down. The separation is not abnormal, but I’m just not sure about your goops! Were they chunks? I would try reheating it if, when you first make it, it’s not like a true liquid and is different that the pictures that I listed. if that doesn’t work, let me know – or email me at kelsi (at) cheekybumsmarket (dot) com and we’ll get to the bottom of this! – kelsi
To clarify, I did use your laundry detergent recipe which separates, but I just shake it up each time and am good to go. The liquid castile is just a solid jar of thick (clean!) goop (no chunks).
I expected it to be more of like a milky liquid. I will try reheating it and just see how it goes! Thanks for the response!
I made my liquid soap last night, but it is still very watery. Any idea why? I did put it in a plastic bottle with a lid after it had cooled enough. Could that be the problem?
Thanks.
Billie, as long as you used the right ratio/recipe, then it’s totally fine. it will seem very runny and it will NOT be like the consistency of liquid dish soap. if you’d like it to be thicker (depending on what you’re using it for) I’ve heard that you can add vegetable glycerin (which you can find in health/beauty at most large stores) and that will thicken it. it still works fine, but yes, it will be quite thin. hope that helps!
Thanks. We’ll give it a try as is then.
Thank you for posting this recipe. However, what about preventing bacteria growth? I have read many other places that you need some sort of preservative to keep this safe and bacteria free? It would take me a while to use all of this soap, and I don’t want it to become dangerous. Thanks!
Tracey, thanks for asking – that’s a great question. First off, if you think it will take you awhile to get through the entire jar, there are a few things you can do…
- make this in smaller batches. maybe start out with cutting it in half and see if that is enough. it’s quite easy to make, so if you run out too quickly, you can easily make another batch. -sanitize all of your utensils/containers and let the water boil for at least 10 minutes before mixing it with the soap chunks, in order to kill the bacteria. This is a major one, esp if you are wanting to save it for longer periods. (you can also start out with bottled, distilled water, which I use when preparing homemade remedies and anything I need to store for long periods.) -add in 10-20 drops of tea tree oil once it cools. This is naturally anti-bacterial and kills mold, so it will double or triple the shelf life, plus it’s great for using then on hands and dishes, as it will also help disinfect whatever you clean! Honestly, I wouldn’t worry too much about it. I’ve never actually heard of this being a problem. I’m not saying it couldn’t happen, but I’ve never had an issue with it molding or going bad. Let me know if you have trouble with it, or if anyone else has had this issue, please comment. I’d love to hear others’ experiences!!! – kelsi
Great! Thanks, Kelsi!
Can you use this as a dish soap?
Cora – you definitely can, but it might be weird to get used to it at first, because it doesn’t foam or bubble! it’s still an excellent de-greaser and there’s no reason that you can’t – just know that it will play tricks with your mind because there won’t be bubbles!! It’s also concentrated, so you won’t need very much. If you try it let me know how it goes. I’m still partial to bubbles when it comes to my dishes, so I am still looking for a good homemade recipe. – kelsi