The Australian Olive Oil Soap

Every August, the return of the AGHA Gift Fair brings back memories of an important milestone.

In August 2018, I stood behind a small stand at AGHA and introduced The Australian Olive Oil Soap.

Eight years later, TheAOOS is still small, still family-run and still making soap one batch at a time.

The journey has not been perfectly straight. After my husband passed away in 2020, there were years when simply continuing felt difficult.

But somehow, one batch at a time, we did.

Today, we are quietly celebrating:

Ten years of soapmaking.
Eight years of The Australian Olive Oil Soap.

Still learning. Still making. Still believing in what one beautifully simple bar of olive oil soap can become. 🫒

Read our story via the link in bio.

Handmade can be beautifully precise, too.

The Air & The Land of Australia
A thoughtful gift, inspired by nature.

A few years ago, say four to five years, I made a batch of Castile soap with olive oil, goat milk, and rolled oats.

The soap firmed up more quickly than expected and did not cut into the neat, attractive bars I had hoped for. Rather than waste it, I shaved it into smaller pieces, softened and worked it by hand, then rolled it into soap balls.

At first, I found the old-fashioned shape rather charming.

In reality, they were a little awkward to use. They worked well for handwashing, but I did not reach for them very often.

So they remained with me.

And they continued ageing.

Today, around four years later, I took one out and tried it on my hair.

Rolling a soap ball over wet hair was not especially elegant, and there was very little lather. But as soon as I rinsed, I could already feel how smooth my hair was. It felt almost as though I had used conditioner, even though I had used only the soap.

That smooth feeling remained after drying.

I should be honest that this was my personal experience. I have used handmade soap bars on my hair for many years, and I have learnt what works best for my scalp, hair and washing routine. Someone beginning with a soap-based shampoo may have a very different experience.

Still, this little four-year-old soap ball reminded me why we continue ageing selected Castile soaps for 365 days.

A Castile bar may be cured and usable after several weeks. But pure olive oil soap may continue to dry, harden, and develop long after that early cure.

Not everything valuable needs to happen quickly.

Sometimes time becomes part of the craft.

I have shared the full story in our latest journal article:

Cured in Weeks, Aged for Years
What a Four-Year-Old Castile Soap Taught Me About Time

Read it through The Castile Guide on our website.

Cured in Weeks, Aged for Years Discover what happened when I washed my hair with a four-year-old Castile soap ball, and why olive oil soap can continue developing long after its early cure.

I often find myself asking small, slightly silly questions.

Today’s one was this:

If handmade soap is already so smooth, why do some soaps get triple-milled?

The answer is that both can be good, but they are made for slightly different purposes.

A handmade bar is usually made from scratch, poured into moulds, cut, and then slowly cured. Its smoothness, hardness and gentle feel develop naturally through formulation, craftsmanship and time.
Oils + sodium hydroxide → poured into moulds → cut → slowly cured

Triple-milled soap also begins as soap, but it is then processed further. It is dried, refined and milled several times to create a bar that is more uniform, dense and polished in appearance.
Oils + sodium hydroxide → soap base → dried soap noodles → milled three times → compressed into bars

So triple milling is not necessarily “better” — it is simply a different process.

One is shaped by time and curing.
The other is shaped by machinery and refinement.

I think that is what makes soapmaking so interesting. Two bars may both cleanse beautifully, yet carry very different stories in the way they were made.

Sometimes a simple question opens the door to a deeper appreciation of the craft.

If you use soap, have you ever noticed the difference between a handmade bar and a triple-milled one?
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Castile isn't for everyone.

Most handmade soaps are ready after 4 to 8 weeks.

Traditional Castile is different.

Made with 100% olive oil, it takes a full 365 days to become the gentle, creamy soap it was always meant to be.

We don't wait because we enjoy waiting.

We wait because Castile does.

It asks for patience.

It won't produce mountains of foam.
It won't smell like perfume.
It won't try to be everything to everyone.

Instead, it quietly becomes milder, creamier, and more beautiful with time.

That's why Castile isn't for everyone.

But if your skin truly needs a simple, traditional soap...

it's hard to go back.
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New to Castile?

Our Castile Avocado is a wonderful place to begin.

Made with olive oil, fresh avocado, and cocoa butter, it creates a richer, creamier lather than traditional 100% olive oil Castile, making the transition easier for first-time Castile users.

The added cocoa butter brings a little extra richness, making the transition into the world of Castile a little gentler, especially if you'd like to use one simple bar for your hair, face, and body.

Our favourite Castile for winter.

Every batch begins with carefully prepared lye water, slowly blended with Australian olive oil and a handful of thoughtfully chosen ingredients.

For our botanical soaps, certified organic essential oils are added at just the right moment, bringing each bar its own quiet character.

The fresh soap is then gently poured into traditional wooden moulds, where the real transformation begins.

They sleep for 12 hours.

They wake up to be cut, stamped, and trimmed.

Then they go back to sleep for another 375 days.

Good things take time. So does good Castile soap.

The Australian Olive Oil Soap Australian olive oil soap, slow-cured and handmade in small batches.
Gentle cleansing for sensitive skin, dry skin & quiet daily rituals.

This isn’t a sprint. It’s a soap marathon.
Before the pour, there is weighing. Before the cut, there is patience. Before each finished bar, there are many quiet steps nobody sees.
Handmade soap takes time, and that’s exactly the point.

The Air & The Land of Australia

I’m very proud to introduce this collection of two soaps inspired by the Australian landscape.

The Air is made with eucalyptus and kunzea, with a fresh, uplifting scent that reminds me of quiet mornings beneath the gum trees.

The Land blends cypress and kunzea, creating a warm, woody and grounding scent inspired by the earth, trees and natural beauty of Australia.

Both soaps are handcrafted with Australian olive oil and presented together in a gift box, made for simple, everyday moments of care.

This collection reflects the kind of products I have always wanted to make: simple, thoughtful and close to nature.

Through The Air and The Land, I hope to share a little of the feeling of Australia with people wherever they are.

Made slowly and thoughtfully in Australia.

Amy
The Australian Olive Oil Soap

Inspired by quiet mornings walking beneath eucalyptus trees.

The air is cool. The leaves are still damp from the night. Birds are beginning to wake.

I can’t bring everyone on my morning hikes, but I can share a little of the air.

We are proud to introduce our new scent:

🌿 THE AIR
Eucalyptus + Kunzea

Fresh, clean and uplifting, inspired by the Australian bush after rain.

Part of our new Air & Land of Australia Collection.

Sometimes the best ideas don’t come from a workshop or a business plan.

Sometimes they come from a quiet walk among the trees.

Amy
The Australian Olive Oil Soap

[www.theaustralianoliveoilsoap.com.au](http://www.theaustralianoliveoilsoap.com.au)