What the Heck is Castile?

Castile Soap, the first question everyone asks is "What is this?", with their faces scrunched up as if I just gave them a bottle of pee. To be fair, I had the same reaction the first time someone handed it to me to use. Where I work it is not uncommon for people to bring in their own home remedies, or shampoos they bought somewhere else because they think our shampoos are too harsh. A lot of the time these things are no better for their dogs than our shampoos, so I was apprehensive to try castile soap when my client brought it in, but it actually worked amazingly well. Just goes to show you not to be too much of a snob I guess ( Well, I AM the shampoodle after all. >_> ) With a sigh I started washing the dog in lavender scented castile soap and was was pleasantly surprised when it lathered up very nicely, the smell was strong but not all too overpowering. The Lavender Castile Soap did not leave the coat feeling dry or greasy, both the dog and my own hands were left feeling so very very soft!

When the client came to pick up her dog I told her how much I enjoyed the shampoo. With a smile she said "You should try the peppermint, it really clears the sinuses" . Of course I did, and man was she right!  Word of advice, don't get it in you eyes!

But I digress, back to the original question at hand; What is it?  Castile soap is soap that uses olive oil and other essential oils as a base instead of animal fats like traditional soaps. It is usually organic and contains very simple ingredients. I have only used one brand so far, Doctor Bronner's, which is by far the most popular ( at least in Maine. ) . It comes in many different scents ( Almond, unscented, Lavender, Peppermint, Citrus, Eucalyptus, Rose, and Tea Tree )  and in liquid form it can be diluted 1 part shampoo to 18 parts water, son one small bottle will get you a lot of baths! The only problem I have with it is during the rinse.   It doesn't rinse out 'hard' , comes out as easily as any other shampoo, but when it rinses it feels harsh, like it is stripping the fur. Frankly it feels gross. But do not despair! Once it is all rinsed the coat  feels salon soft.

Doctor Bronner's Castile Soap is made from all fair trade certified ingredients. Some of the ingredients listed are Water, Organic Coconut Oil, Organic Olive Oil*, Organic Hemp Oil, Organic Jojoba Oil.

 A 16oz of Dr. Bronner's will cost you 10.99 + S&H , a gallon $63.99 + S&H.

The Bottom Line.

It's a shampoo  you can test on yourself before your dog, so try it!

**The Shampoodle**

A second opinion.

The Shampoodle talked such a big game about Dr. Bronner's Castile Soap, that I too had to try it! I tried the peppermint version she mentioned. The peppermint smell was SO VERY STRONG in the bath, great if you have a cold I imagine! It was a little strong for me, and I worried that it would be too offensive to Spike's sensitive proboscis. Frankly, he didn't seem to mind though. 

I did panic a little when it came time to rinse, as you rinse the castile soap out it really feels like you've done damage to the coat. If you've ever bleached your hair to the point of 'frying' it, you know the feeling I'm talking about.  It is very misleading though!  I have used a lot of different product, shampoos, creme rinses, hot oil treatments, leave ins, etc. etc. on dogs, and NOTHING has left a dog's coat feeling this impossibly soft!  It truely felt unreal, like my poodle's coat had been transformed into a chinchilla's .  

The peppermint smell faded almost instantly out of the bath, the pleasant soapy smell remained though for a few days, and reappeared every time Spike got wet. For my dog, that is a lot! He swims almost every day, it was very pleasing indeed!

The Bottom Line. 

Try it, you will be pleased! Buy a 2oz bottle for $3.19 (+S&H ) and give it a shot! If you are just bathing your own dog, this is a good value for the quality you are receiving. If you are a professional groomer looking for your general every day shampoo then the price seems a little steep, BUT in a market that values holistic, organic, fair trade  alternatives for every day life I would say that this is a good get. 

oO Bubblecollie Oo