Why We Make Castile-Style Soap with Beer: A Traditional, Skin-Loving Upgrade

loribellini5
6 days ago
3 min read

Healthy Skin Starts with What You Put On It

At For Your Glory Soap, we believe great soap should do more than just cleanse—it should support healthy skin without harsh chemicals. That belief is why we handcraft our soaps using traditional cold-process, Castile-style methods, and why we sometimes take those traditions one step further—by making soap with real beer.

Yes, beer.

When used properly, beer adds real benefits to handcrafted soap, especially when combined with olive-oil-rich Castile-style recipes and long curing times.

What Is Beer Soap?

Beer soap is made by replacing some or all of the water in a cold-process soap recipe with properly prepared, alcohol-free beer. The beer is fully degassed and gently heated to remove alcohol before being used—leaving behind the natural sugars, vitamins, and minerals that benefit your skin.

This isn’t novelty soap. It’s time-honored, functional soapmaking.

The Benefits of Beer in Castile-Style Cold-Process Soap

1. Naturally Creamier Lather

Beer contains natural sugars that help create a richer, silkier lather. This is especially valuable in Castile-style soaps, which are known for their gentleness but take time to develop luxurious foam.

The result:

Creamy bubbles
Improved glide
A smoother feel on the skin

Perfect for body cleansing—and exceptional for shaving.

2. Skin-Nourishing Vitamins & Minerals

Beer naturally contains:

B vitamins
Amino acids
Minerals like magnesium and potassium

When combined with cold-process soapmaking and retained natural glycerin, these components contribute to a bar that feels conditioning, balanced, and skin-friendly.

3. A Better Alternative to Chemical Shaving Creams

Many commercial shaving creams contain:

Propellants
Synthetic detergents
Artificial thickeners
Harsh preservatives

A handcrafted beer Castile-style soap offers a clean, natural alternative, producing a creamy lather without toxic additives. It’s one of the reasons we personally gave up shaving cream cans more than 18 years ago.

4. Traditional Soapmaking, Elevated

Our beer soaps are:

Cold processed
Olive-oil dominant (Castile-style)
Long cured
Naturally high in glycerin

Beer doesn’t replace tradition—it enhances it, improving lather while preserving the gentle nature Castile soap is known for.

What Does Beer Soap Smell Like?

On its own, beer soap has a mild, earthy aroma that naturally softens and fades during the curing process. To create a balanced and inviting scent, we thoughtfully pair our beer soap with pure essential oils that complement—never overpower—the bar.

This blend features sweet orange, pine, and lavender essential oils, creating a scent that is:

Bright and uplifting
Clean and lightly herbal
Grounded with soft, woodsy notes

We also incorporate tussah silk fibers, which dissolve into the soap during the cold-process method and help enhance the bar’s naturally smooth, creamy lather—adding a subtle touch of luxury without compromising our Castile-style integrity.

The result is a handcrafted beer soap that smells fresh, natural, and timeless, with a lather that feels as good as it smells.