As more and more people are looking for natural alternatives to household products, a few new types of soap have suddenly become popular. A lot of soap shops and natural product forums toss around the word castile bar soap, but not many people know what, exactly, it is. Its fancy name has very practical origins: the soap was originally created and used in Castile, Spain, which doesn’t reveal much about the soap itself. Its undisclosed ingredients are really what account for the popularity. Derived from olive oil, castile bar soap is one of the healthiest soaps available, and it’s surprisingly effective at combating grease with a notoriously greasy product.
Using oil to fight oil seems like an absurd strategy, but in fact this Spanish soap has many properties that don’t just clean: they enrich skin. Rather than exacerbate the grease, the olive oil in castile bar soap removes the existing layers of grimy oil while leaving a protective layer to retain moisture. It’s especially good for people with eczema since it prevents skin from developing rough inflammation.
Moreover, because olive oil has natural antioxidant properties, it can be absorbed into the bloodstream through the pores. Some people just like it for its rich scent and soft feel, but castile soap does more than smell good and moisturize. Useful as a preventative ingredient against certain cancers and heart disease, washing away dirt with a bar of olive oil soap is a healthy, smart, and natural alternative to big name soap brands.
