Dr. Bronner’s Castile Soap and vinegar can clean an entire house. They are effective, versatile, biodegradable and non-toxic. But the sole point of this post is to emphasize that these two should not be mixed directly. This is true for the Castile Soap and any acid – any vinegar or lemon juice.
Since there have been several recommendations in online recipes and on TV to mix these two together, I want to address this topic. It’s not a dangerous combination, but it’s definitely moving in the wrong direction as far as getting things clean.
Here’s why.
In great part it’s due to the fact that vinegar is an acid and the Castile Soap is a base. They will directly react with each other and cancel each other out. So, instead of getting the best of both (the scum cutting ability of the vinegar and the dirt transporting ability of the soap), you’ll be getting the worst of something entirely new. The vinegar “unsaponifies” the soap, by which I mean that the vinegar takes the soap and reduces it back out to its original oils. So you end up with an oily, curdled, whitish mess. And this would be all over whatever it was you were trying to clean – your laundry or counters or dishes or whatever.
Check out this zoomed in picture of Dr. Bronner’s Peppermint Castile Soap mixed directly with distilled white vinegar:
It doesn’t matter what else is in the solution, or in what order you combine them. If you end up with the soap and the vinegar in the same container, this reaction will occur. The only exception to this is if you buffer the soap with baking soda, which is another alkali. You’ll see this in my recipe for GIY Soft Scrub. In this case, vinegar reacts more readily with baking soda, and that reaction will take place first. For the Soft Scrub, it serves the purpose of creating that lovely, vertical clinging foam. If there is still unreacted vinegar, it will then react with the soap, which is why the ratios are important to maintain.
The mom in me has to point out that if you have kids who wonder about the purpose of science class in “the real world,” you can show them this little reaction. Of course, drinking milk and orange juice at the same time will also point out why you should know your acids from your bases.
So, for cleaning, there is a better way. Use the soap to clean and the vinegar as a rinse agent.
One common complaint with using the Castile Soap, especially on hard or shiny surfaces is that it leaves a film behind. This film is caused by the soap reacting with minerals in the water. It is not actually soap itself left behind, but rather certain salts. When this builds up on sinks and tubs, we call this soap scum. Vinegar is a great way to cut this. So after you’ve handwashed your dishes with Castile Soap and rinsed them, dip them in a sink of vinegar water. Or after you’ve wiped down the sinks and tubs with soapy water, rinse, and then spray with a vinegar solution (about 1 cup vinegar/quart water).
I’ll give more time to windows later (one of the things I actually really enjoy cleaning), but briefly, for dirty exterior windows, spray them with my Castile Soap solution, wipe them with a chamois, then spray them with vinegar and squeegee. Works great! Better than Windex.
Also, on the hair, if you do not have our Citrus Hair Rinse, but just want to use vinegar or lemon juice, rinse the soap out of your hair first. Then apply the vinegar or lemon juice.
So Dr. Bronner’s Castile Soap and vinegar are a fabulous one, two punch. One after the other. Not at the same time.
Help! I did what I wasn’t supposed to do and mixed Castile Soap and vinegar. How do I clean it up?
The best way to remedy this is to re-wash the surface with the recommended dilution of Sal Suds or Castile Soap (If handy, Sal Suds is slightly better at grabbing the oils). In the case of laundry, wash the load with the recommended amount of Sal Suds or Castile, and with an added 1/2 (120 mL) cup baking soda (¼ cup [60 mL] in HE) and a pre-soak or pre-wash cycle.
As a sidenote: As a synthetic detergent, Sal Suds has a completely different chemical makeup than a true soap such as Castile Soap. While vinegar doesn’t cause it to unsaponify, adding even a small amount of vinegar to Sal Suds significantly reduces its cleaning and degreasing power.
Further reading
- What Can You Mix with Dr. Bronner’s Sal Suds?
- What Can You Mix with Castile Soap?
- Sal Suds Dilution Cheat Sheet
- Dilutions Cheat Sheet for Dr. Bronner’s Liquid Castile Soap
This use and many more are in my book, Soap & Soul: A Practical Guide to Minding Your Home, Your Body, and Your Spirit with Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps, available now in hardback on DrBronner.com or at your favorite bookseller, and as an eBook and audiobook (read by me!) from wherever you download or listen.
[…] and castile soap (many recipes suggest doing this. Check out this post from Lisa Bronner on why) or check out recommended products from the Environmental Working Group (I usually make my own, for […]
Ice made a dish washing solution solution with Dr Bromberg Castile Soap and essential oil. My clear plastic tumblers and my stainless steel sink now have a white film. Why is this and how do I remove the film? I did not use vinegar.
Hi Rosemary – This is from the soap reacting with minerals in hard water. It is one area where true soaps do not shine, literally. I also have hard water, and so I use the Dr. Bronner’s Sal Suds biodegradable cleaner, which is a non-toxic detergent. Detergents don’t react with hard water.
Hi Rosemary and Lisa! I too am going through this… Now I have an idea on why. Were you able to remove the film? If so how? I turned all my little ones toy story cups into a splotchy mess and he’s so upset and won’t drink from his cups! Any info would be appreciated.
Hi everyone! I have a particular problem that may or may not be related to mixing ACV and Dr. Bronner’s. I was hoping someone might have some insight into my situation. So, what I did:
1. treat my hair overnight with tea tree oil (diluted 1/20 in H20)
2. next day, add dry shampoo (cornstarch basically) to help absorb some of the oils
3. hop directly in the shower, and rinse out hair as thoroughly as possible
4. lather up with Dr Bronners, rinse thoroughly
5. pour 1/10 diluted ACV on hair, [CATASTROPHE], rinse
6. be sad
Basically as soon as the ACV hit my hair it was like I had poured rubbing alcohol on it. And ALL the oils were gone from my hair. My hands even had that rough dried-out feeling you get if you pour alcohol directly on your skin. After my hair dried it was brittle, dry, and I could hear strands break when I ran my fingers through it. Prior to any of this, it had been super soft and bouncy. Up until the point that I poured ACV on it, everything seemed normal. I rinse with the ACV regularly and this has never happened before – so I assume it must have reacted with something.
If anyone knows what happened here, please let me know. I obviously don’t want to make the same mistake again! THANKS IN ADVANCE!!!
Thanks!?
What about vinegar & baking soda?
Hi Judi – Those two also react with each other, but can have some benefit. Two places I’ve found this combo to be helpful are in deodorizing sinks and in a homemade soft scrub.
Time for true confessions, folks. It is February 9, 2017, and I have missed several months of comments for the simple reasons that things went a little crazy around here. I very much apologize. I am tackling them now for the sake of those faithful and new readers who might actually read them all. I am going to start with the most recent. Bear with me.
I’m looking to make my own dish soap and I’m wondering if your liquid castille soap can be mixed with borax for extra viscosity, or would I be better off using a vegetable glycerin? I’ve been successful adding glycerin for body wash. I read somewhere to add salt into Sal Suds, but I see its out of stock on your website. Would salt thicken the soap?
Hi Aimee – I caution you against Borax for a mixture that will come into contact with your hands. Borax is irritating to the skin. Although I have never tried it myself, I have heard that adding glycerin would thicken the soap. Salt would thicken the Sal Suds, but it might make it more corrosive, so be careful on certain metals with that. However, if you’re talking about for your body, salt scrubs are quite popular and making your own by combining salt with the Castile might be fantastic. I think I’ll look into that myself.
Lisa – I make my own laundry soap using baking soda, washing soda, and Dr. Bronner’s Castile Soap. If I use vinegar in my rinse water will it cause problems my laundry? Also is Castile Soap safe for septic systems?
Hi Gayle – In this case, any leftover baking soda is going to react with the vinegar before any leftover soap has a chance to. I think you can still use the vinegar in the rinse water here. Yes, the Castile is safe for septic systems. I have septic myself.
Thanks so much for easing my concerns
Hello all!
I came across this blog post while trying to solve a curdling issue I’ve been having!
A friend and I both make anti bac foaming handwash worth Brommers castile liquid, ACV, olive oil and essential oils. It makes a lovely hand wash but mine started curdling. However, my friends’ did not. Initially i thought it was the olive oil clogging up the pump but i tried it with just water, brommer and ACV and watched it curdle as soon as the vinegar hit it.
However, my friend doesn’t have any curdling at all!
Does anyone have any recommendations for ratios etc where I might be able to keep ACV in the equation for the antibacterial property but so that I’m not wasting Brommer when the pump starts clogging from the curdling?
Did u ever receive a response because I would like to know as well.
Hi Suze and Munashe – I’m so sorry I missed this question a while back! A couple thoughts here – it is key to know exactly what both Suze and your friend combined. Perhaps you could watch them make their solution and see what’s difference. The reaction between the soap and the vinegar is unavoidable UNLESS there is another alkaline substance that reacts with the vinegar first – such as alkaline water or baking soda. Regardless, the vinegar is going to react with something here, be neutralized and no longer be available as vinegar. Adding olive oil to the soap is also not going to benefit the user, other than the feel of having a creamier soap. It does not make the soap more moisturizing. This is because soap’s purpose and talent is attaching to oil, so it is going to attach to the olive oil in the mixture, and the olive oil will not be available to moisturize hands. This also reduces the amount of soap available for cleaning because some of it is busy attaching to the olive oil.
Lastly, though, vinegar is not a reliable antibacterial agent. I know it has been used for generations for cleaning, and it is effective for degreasing or window washing. But the long held understanding that normal household vinegar is antibacterial does not hold up. This study found that vinegar at a concentration of 10% with 1.5% citric acid is reliable, but normal household vinegar is around 5% acidity, and that’s only if you use it straight. You would have to find a concentrated cleaning vinegar at 10% dilution to get this impact, and it would not be gentle on your skin. Another study found that vinegar inactivated only 2 of 9 tested microorganisms. Soap and water alone work effectively at cleaning hands without any additional antibacterial agents. You can use the Castile soap in a foaming pump at a dilution of 1:3. I hope that simplifies things!
I have tried mixing my Doter essential oils with Dr Bonner’s unscented soap and the oils clog up at the top and do not mix. What am I doing wrong?
Thanks,
Renee
Hi. I read some people’s reviews of Dr. Bronner’s Baby Unscented Liquid Soap that said they didn’t need to use any kind of acidic rinse afterwards. Is an acidic type of rinse always necessary? Also, would there be any difference between using the Baby Unscented liquid soap, and using the Baby Unscented Bar soap as a shampoo bar? Is one better than the other as shampoo?
For the past two weeks I have been washing my face with the unscented baby formula. After cleansing, I use a apple cider vinegar, water, and essential oils combo to tone by face, followed by a moisturizer. Is this okay to do?
Thank you for this information.. I am just trying dr. Beginners to wash my clothes and I was wondering what the vinegar did..
[…] (I used to use Lemon oil for its grease cutting properties but have since learned it may be reducing the effectiveness of the cleaner. Acids and Castile soap essentially cancel each other out – read more about it here) […]
[…] (I used to use Lemon oil for its grease cutting properties but have since learned it may be reducing the effectiveness of the cleaner. Acids and Castile soap essentially cancel each other out – read more about it here) […]
Hi
I just made a batch of liquid laundry detergent and added Lemon Essential oil for scent. Will it react with the castile soap and make a mess of my laundry?
[…] Sources: (1) http://www.care2.com/greenliving/23-ingenious-uses-for-white-vinegar.html (2) http://www.care2.com/greenliving/8-ways-not-to-use-vinegar.html (3) https://www.lisabronner.com/a-word-of-caution-about-vinegar-and-castile-soap/ […]
There are indeed many people mixing Castile soap and vinegar and even when they are warned about it, will say that they do it all the time and it works for them. Sometimes science can’t be seen with the naked eye but you’d think they’d at least notice the clumpy consistency. After reading several articles both for and against mixing these two ingredients I’d say this was the most helpful because it did the best with explaining why and even had a picture.
I’m confused. The MSDS (Section 9) for Sal Suds says it’s incompatible with strong acids. But here you note it’s OK to mix vinegar/acetic acid with Sal Suds. Thank you.
[…] sadly not to be. The vinegar separates the soap and oils making it unusable. Read more about it HERE. Mixing vinegar and baking soda is a science experiment and creates an explosive reaction. Be […]
Thanks for the article. It helps explain my experience too with combining lemon juice with the soap in the hope of getting something more on the acidic side. The results were, needless to say, disappointing.
I followed your link to the Citrus Hair Rinse and I noticed the potassium hydroxide in the ingredients and the note that none remains after the oils are saponified. It looks like there’s some liquid soap in the Citrus Hair Rinse, or am I misinterpreting the ingredients.? If there is, how does this work without the curdling and separating problems since lemon juice is the first ingredient?
Hi Dave – Very impressive! In all my years of answering customer questions, no one has ever asked me about that. You are absolutely right. We use soap to formulate the Hair Rinse and it’s not an accident. We utilize this reaction of the acidic lemon juice with the soap because in this way it holds in solution (emulsifies) the lemon juice along with the healthful oils without separation. So, we saponify and then unsaponify the soap. Just another one of the crazy things we do at Dr. Bronner’s.
Gotcha–thanks for the clarification! Clearly you have more success with that than I did with my little home experiment. 🙂
Very much agree with what Lisa has said here. I have an all-purpose cleaner recipe that I use and the recipe calls for using a little bit of liquid castile soap. I tried Dr. Bronner’s in the past, but ended up with an oily film on the top of the cleaner. I now use regular dishwashing detergent in the recipe, which works out much better.
[…] So I’m not purchasing Dawn anymore. I looked around and remembered the castile soap by Dr. Bonner’s I’d been using for body wash and cleaning. I did a bit of research and found that a lot of people had been dissatisfied with the result, using it as dish soap. I also noticed that these people had recommended using the soap with lemon or vinegar. That’s an issue because castile soap is a basic and combining it with an acid will neutralize it and you’ll be left with a less effective cleaner (From Lisa Bronner). […]
I have very hard water and a copper sink. So when I wash dishes with diluted castile, my dishes have a greasy film on them. I cannot rinse them in vinegar because acids destroy the patina on my sink…..so my question is, is the film on my dishes safe for us to eat from and safe to drink from the glasses?
Hi Jaci – The hard water film is safe. It’s just unsightly. If you want to give our Sal Suds a try, it was specifically formulated to work flawlessly in hard water situations. It’s very clean rinsing. No vinegar needed.
[…] clear. Castile Soap: many recipes online mix castile soap with vinegar…do not do this! Why? check this out I use castle soap (Dr. Bronners) for dishes and hand/body washing. Bathrooms: I keep a container […]
Hi. I just did this and googled it because I didn’t know what happened. I made face cleaning clothes and used the same tbsp for the soap, and then the vinegar directly after! The face wash has water, dr. Bronners soap, vinegar, witch hazel, and tea tree oil in it. It feels like it cleaned my face. Should I toss it and if so what can I use in place of the vinegar.
Hi Jesse – Depending on your ratios, you might have had some soap left in it or some vinegar or the mechanical action of the liquid and cloth may have cleaned your face. All that to say, the soap and vinegar combo is not helping this solution, although the cloths might have worked despite them, but not as well as they would work without them. I’d leave the vinegar out of this combo and it should be just fine.
I have used 1/4 cup of liquid soap and 1/2 cup of white distilled vinegar in my laundry and cold water with great success. I don’t have it premixed, I just add them separately to the water in the machine and my clothes are really clean. I’ve been so pleased with it, that I’m surprised to read this. Am I doing something wrong?
Hi Aimee – The agitation of the machine and the water goes a long way to lifting dirt from clothes. Take this combination you’ve mentioned and combine it in a bowl, and then but something greasy on your hands like olive oil. Try washing it off with the solution. I think you’ll find that your hands remain greasy. The same would be true for grease on your clothes.
I know you do not recommend mixing vinegar with Castile Soap. Is there any small amount of Vinegar that may be added to Castile Soap that will not affect the sponification?
There is a claim: (see Note: & PLUS:)
1 cup (235 gm) baking soda
3 tbsp (45 ml) castile soap
1 tbsp (15 ml) white vinegar
Directions:
Mix your baking soda, castile soap, and white vinegar in your container. (I like to add the vinegar last, so I can see everything bubble up!) Then add your essential oils and stir. (Or mix it up with your fingers!)
Note: Using too much vinegar with castile soap can “unsaponify” the soap, but using the small amount in this recipe is fine.
PLUS: Good News! The small amount of vinegar used in the recipe is not enough to affect the saponification of the Castile Soap.
Is this claim true? Will this small amount of Vinegar NOT affect the saponification of Casrile Soap?
Hi Mrs. T – This is an interesting one because it is basically a race. Which will react faster with the vinegar:the baking soda or the soap? From my observations of doing this, it looks like it does react faster with the baking soda, so give it a go. I was already predisposed to think it might because Karen Logan, in her excellent book “Clean House, Clean Planet” has a soft scrub recipe that includes this combo, and she’s never missed in any of her recipes. Thanks for bringing this up!
[…] vinegar is an acid and the castile soap is a base they will essentially cancel each other out. The vinegar ‘unsaponifies’ the soap – reducing it back to its original oils. You’ll be […]
Great post! Does mixing with lemon essential oil have the same effects?
Hi Grizzy – No, using lemon essential oil would not have the same effect since it is not an acid. That would be a nice additional scent!
[…] & body wash. Scott uses it for shampoo. And of course there’s the famous debate over the 18-in-1 soap and vinegar combination. Should you or should you not combine the two? Generally castille soap curdles when […]
[…] … Vinegar is an acid and the castile soap is a base. They will directly react with each other and cancel each other out. So, instead of getting the best of both (the scum cutting ability of the vinegar and the dirt transporting ability of the soap), you’ll be getting the worst of something entirely new. The vinegar “unsaponifies” the soap, by which I mean that the vinegar takes the soap and reduces it back out to its original oils. So you end up with an oily, curdled, whitish mess. And this would be all over whatever it was you were trying to clean – your laundry or counters or dishes or whatever. – Lisa Bronner […]
Question– I make my own liquid soap with coconut oil and potassium hydroxide, and then use it in a recipe I have for liquid laundry detergent, which includes vinegar. Would this be true for other liquid soaps, or just olive oil-based liquid soaps?
Hi Jami – I’ve only tried this with our soap, but the theory would be the same. I would imagine vinegar would “unsaponify” your soap as well. You can try it out by taking some ofyour soap and adding a bit of vinegar. See if it forms those clumps.
Just jumped over here from the Kitchn where a similar discussion is going on!
This is the exact result I had when mixing the two today. So basically I “cleaned” my shower today for nothing bc they cancel each out. ??
Wish I had read this before I made my mix!
Hi Laura – Bummer! I know that’s frustrating. Don’t give up!
Hi Lisa, thanks for the reply! My hubby used it to shave with this evening, he really liked it and his skin was nice and soft afterwards. I must add that it smells great: My hair rinse is: Fresh Rosemary & Sage simmered in water, strained and when cool added ACV, few drops of Ylang Ylang to negate the smell of vinegar. I’m storing it in the fridge as not sure what the shelf life will be!
Hi Jennifer – That Hair Rinse sounds great! And how fantastic to have finally found a use for the unsaponified soap! If you look through comments above, that has been a very common quandary.
You don’t need to worry about the smell of the vinegar because it will disappear as your hair dries.
Hi, I was just trying to reduce the ph of my Dr Bronners Rose with my ACV hair rinse mix. I put equal parts together, checked the ph (which had not lowered) and all of a sudden the mix changed to a lovely smooth cream! Has this got any use like shaving cream for my hubby? I have since read that you can’t alter the ph of Bronners! Although I love using Bronners for cleaning house and body, I have read that ph of skin and hair is more acidic, so not sure if I should be using it to wash with?
Hi Jennifer – You basically have the original oils that are used in the soap: coconut, olive, palm, hemp, jojoba. Since I regularly shave with coconut oil, I don’t see why not! You may have just solved this quandary for others who have ended up in a similar situation. Let me know how it goes if you try shaving with that concoction.
[…] you shouldn’t be mixing. Such as vinegar and castile soap. There is a is a great article HERE about why you shouldn’t do it. Needless to say, there is no one cleaner fits all for […]
Good article! I would think Dr. Bronner’s liquid soap already has a slight ph “neutralizer” in it with the citric acid they add so I wouldn’t think a straight vinegar (very acidic) rinse would be necessary with it generally. It would depend I’m sure, but it couldn’t hurt to try I guess. Now for some homemade bar soap shampoos, which tend to have high ph like homemade bar soaps, I would probably try an apple cider vinegar rinse (4.25) instead of a straight vinegar rinse (2.4) at first. I’m sure it would depend on the water type, hair build up for shampoo bars, etc. though.
Hi Rowe – You’re right on with the citric acid. Each batch of soap is tested and the right amount of citric acid is added to bring the pH down.
Great info! Thx:)
Hi Lisa, I wanted to know have you ever mixed your Dr. Bronners peppermint pure castle soap with Aritha & Shikakai Indian powder? Or can it be done? Thanks Toni
I wanted to know have you ever mixed your Dr. Bronners peppermint pure castle soap with Aritha & Shikakai Indian powder? Or can it be done? Thanks Toni
I have no problem with mixing these. If you do it in the right order they don’t react and the soap doesn’t curdle. I end up with a very clean, steak free, cleaner.
I’d love hear another way, Andrea! Can you share the order you mix the ingredients? Perhaps you’re using baking soda which reacts with the vinegar before the soap hits it?
All the best,
Lisa
[…] A Word Of Caution About Vinegar And Castile Soap […]
[…] Taken from Lisa Bronner’s Blog on why not to mix vinegar with castile soap (or baking soda)….In great part it’s due to the fact that vinegar is an acid and the castile soap is a base. They will directly react with each other and cancel each other out. So, instead of getting the best of both (the scum cutting ability of the vinegar and the dirt transporting ability of the soap), you’ll be getting the worst of something entirely new. The vinegar “unsaponifies” the soap, by which I mean that the vinegar takes the soap and reduces it back out to its original oils. So you end up with an oily, curdled, whitish mess. And this would be all over whatever it was you were trying to clean – your laundry or counters or dishes or whatever. Read the rest here. […]
This is great, thanks. I don’t clean with the two as a unit, but did suspect something was happening when I’d feel a residue on my skin in the shower. Thanks for this. Didn’t realize you had a blog, but you’ve definitely got a new reader now. 😉
Hi Lisa,
Great post! I was doing the exact same mistake, which I have fixed already.
Thank you very much for writing about it!
Hi Lisa, I’ve recently begun making my own body wash using castile soap in combination with a few other ingredients. I decided today that adding apple cider vinegar would probably do a good thing, however, it immediately curdled. Having already added most of the other ingredients, I tried to salvage the body wash by removing the curdles. Do you think it’ll have an effect on my skin if I use it? If so, how will it affect my skin?
Thanks!
Hi! I just did the same thing! In hopes of creating a ph balanced body wash since in the past I’ve tried using bonner’s by itself and my skin went nuts. I usually use those foaming pumps and mix a small amount of soap with water, say may a 1:10 soap to water ratio. Great for hands but thats it. So know I have this curtled mixture of soap, water, aloe and acv in my pump bottle. I tried it and it still foams when I pump it! And when I washed my hand with it, it was actually kind of nice! The coconut oil used to make the castile soap actually gave a nice layer of moisture, but not a greasy one! So, I will let this sit over night and see what it is like in the morning! I may need to shake it every time I use it, but we may be onto something here! My only worry now is that is is safe. I’ll try to let u know what happens!
There’s no way to re-saponify the soap once it’s been un-saponified. Did either of you find something that worked?
Hi i am having hard water and due to this i am getting skin problems. one of my friend recommend me to use castilie soap. but i dont know does castilie soap leaves any residue behind on my skin after showering with hard water.
if anyone have any suggestion or any helping idea pls let me know i will be really grateful for it.
thanks
I’m not connected with this company, I’m just a consumer. I have very sensitive skin and after trying a lot of soaps, both natural and commercial, I found one that this bar soap is so mild that I can even use it on my face. It doesn’t dry out the skin. The soap I use is Vermont Soapwork’s Organic Unscented with Cocoa Butter and Oatmeal Bar Soap. I does not leave a residue on the skin and it also works as wonderful shampoo bar that gives my hair body and leaves my hair shinny. Hope this helps you.
Cynthia, I’m really interested in the Vermont Soapwork’s Organic Unscented with Cocoa Butter and Oatmeal Bar Soap you mentioned. But I looked it up and it seems expensive. Do you use it for your all over body shower soap as well as for your hair? I’m wondering how long a bar would last using it like that.
When you use it as a shampoo bar, do you have to use any kind of acidic rinse afterward?
Thanks! 🙂
Hi Lisa! I love your blog. I have been using diluted Dr. Bronner’s peppermint soap on travertine floor to deter pests since most don’t fancy peppermint oil. Will this cause any problems with a travertine floor?
Thanks Lisa!
[…] Castile soap is basic while vinegar is acidic. When you combine the two you get a reaction that breaks down or unsaponifies the Castile soap, tuning it back out to its original oils. The mixture looks like a white, curdled […]