Got back a couple of weeks ago from Barcelona. I picked up some Saffron spice and was inspired to make Castile soap. The origins of Castile Soap can be traced back to The Levant where Aleppo soap makers have been making olive and laurel oil based hard soaps for millennia. It is commonly believed that the Crusaders brought Aleppo soap back to Europe with them in the 11th century. Following the Crusades, production of this soap was extended to the whole Mediterranean area. The first European soap-making factories were created by the Muslims in the 12th century in Spain (Alicante, Malaga, Carthagene and Castile) and in Italy (Naples, Savone, Genoa, Bologna and Venice) and then, in the middle of the 15th century, in Marseille France, giving birth to Marseille soap. Jabon de Castilla or Castile soap originated in Spain, and was named after a region of modern day Spain known then as the Kingdom of Castilla due to the amount of castles that had been built there to reconquer the area back from the Moors Importations of “Castile soap” through Antwerp appear in the London port books of 1567–68 (Dietz 1972), though the Oxford English Dictionary has no references to “Castile soap” earlier than 1616. At that time, soap making in northern Europe focused on the use of animal fats, whereas in Spain the abundance of olive oil lead to a pure olive oil soap that became known as Castile soap. Due to its incredible moisturizing properties, this soap became a luxury commodity in the rest of Europe, being a favorite amongst royalty and noblemen. The infamous Louis the fourteenth of France became so hooked that he ordered French soap makers to make the switch to olive oil, and this tradition continues to this day- commonly known as Savon de Marseille. Many soaps are sold with the castile label even though some have very little olive oil in their formulations, a true castile soap should have 100% olive oil, and preferably extra virgin olive oil. A pure olive oil soap is unlike other soaps in that it doesnt produce an abundant fluffy lather, but rather a creamy, small bubbled lather that leaves the skin extremely moisturized and is suitable for extremely sensitive skin, babies, and small children. Olive oil is naturally rich in Oleic acid, containing between 60-80%, which means that an olive oil is a natural moisturizer. This soap helps the skin to stay moisturized and helps it to naturally regenerate, even helping to heal damaged skin. Saucy Suds Castile Soap is made from 100% Olive Oil. Some of the bars are topped with Saffron. This is a bathing bar of true royalty! Will post pics soon.
Posted on: Mon, 03 Mar 2014 23:58:30 +0000
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