Castile Soap

Castile soap is the plainest bar there is: olive oil, and the lye that turns it into soap. Nothing else goes in, not even a scent, so it smells faintly of clean olive oil. The maker describes a soft, lotion-like lather, and says it grows richer the longer the bar is left to age. The name comes from Castile in Spain, where olive oil soap has been made for centuries.

Elamoore Natural Soaps makes its bars by the cold process method in small batches, and sells them from a stall inside Origins Market in Busselton, Western Australia. This one is left to harden for six weeks before it goes on sale, and the maker dates each batch on the product page.

Keep one by the kitchen sink, or pack it for a week away when you want one bar for everything.

Good to know

• Cold process soap made with olive oil and lye
• Unscented
• Cut by hand, at least 100g; unpackaged or with an ingredients label
• Made by Elamoore Natural Soaps, Busselton, Western Australia