How to Increase the Viscosity of Liquid Castile Soap
Castile soap is a natural soap made of vegetable oil (traditionally olive oil) rather than synthetic substances. Since it lacks the chemical ingredients often found in conventional soaps, castile soap is not only better for skin but also better for the environment as it is much more biodegradable. Those who prefer to lessen their carbon footprint use castile soap for skin and hair care as well as household cleaning (surface cleaner, laundry, dish soap). Liquid castile soap is thin and runny, but you can thicken it if you desire. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- 1 cup liquid castile soap (scented or unscented)
- 1/2 cup common table salt
- Measuring cup
- Mixing bowl
- Spoon or other stirring utensil
- Bottle or pump
- Funnel (optional)
- Paper towels or dish towel (optional)
Instructions
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1
Use a measuring cup to measure 1 cup (8 oz.) of the liquid castile soap of your choice, then pour the soap into the mixing bowl.
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2
Use the measuring cup to measure 1/2 cup (4 oz.) of common table salt. Add the salt to the mixing bowl with the castile soap.
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3
Stir the liquid castile soap and the common table salt with a spoon or other stirring utensil to combine the ingredients. The castile soap mixture will begin to thicken.
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4
Carefully pour the thickened mixture into a clean bottle or pump dispenser, using a funnel if desired.
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5
Use thickened castile soap mixture as desired.
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Tips & Warnings
1/2 cup of common table salt will greatly increase viscosity of the liquid castile soap, but if after adding 1/2 cup salt, the castile soap is still not as thick as you want, add a teaspoonful more common table salt at a time and stir into the mixture until the desired thickness is achieved. Take your time and thoroughly combine the salt and castile soap, since this will ensure proper thickening and give you a smooth, textured soap after the salt dissolves. A fork works well in place of a spoon for combining ingredients. Keep paper towels or dish towels on hand for minor spills.
References
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Comments
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Would xanthan gum work to thicken castile soap?
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I tried the salt thing too but I guess I used to much but then I smooched it all together and actually made a bar of soap from the liquid soap. I remember reading somewhere that is how the solid soaps are made. Although I have not yet tried it I heard dissolving the salt into hot water first and then mixing it works.
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Paulo Bessa
Feb 02, 2011
I too also has this problem. Adding salt to castille soap results in a milky solution that does not lather anymore. The same thing happens if I add an acid like lemon juice into it. So, I am using guar gum to thicken it rather than the salt (this way keeps the yellow colour and lathers well). -
glynn19
Jul 05, 2010
I tried the table salt process with a liquid castile soap made from organic olive, coconut, palm kernel oils from a manufacturer and got an oatmeal-like texture. So, I then started over and used arrowroot powder and added 1/2 tsp to my 8 oz. of liquid soap at a time. I blended with an immersion (stick) blender briefly and continued to add the arrowroot powder in increments until the soap was the consistency I was heading for. I may be that the formulation of the liquid soap I used was just incompatible with the salt method. So if it happened to me, I wanted to share an alternative to the salt method.
