Dr. Bronner’s Castile Soap

 

Emily already briefly touched on Dr. Bronner’s 18-in-1 liquid castile soap, but it’s such a staple in our house that I felt like it deserved its own dedicated post.  I know this product is about as new and exciting in the natural cosmetics world as boiled cabbage, but there’s a reason it’s so mainstream…it’s incredible!  It’s just a laundry list of awesomeness: all-natural, certified fair trade, not tested on animals, certified organic, 100% post consumer recycled bottles.  Take a look at this exceptional list of ingredients:

INGREDIENTS: Water, Saponified Organic Coconut*, Organic Palm* and Organic Olive* Oils (w/Retained Glycerin), Organic Hemp Oil, Organic Jojoba Oil, Essential Oils**, Citric Acid, Vitamin E

Plus, to appease the junkies like us, it comes in 8 scents (including a baby mild unscented version for the ultra-sensitive types).  The favorites in our household are the eucalyptus and citrus scents.  The citrus has an effervescent smell that’s identical to Sprite–it’s really refreshing!  I’ve also tried the bar soaps, which are equally delightful.  There are simply no complaints about this product.  Even the label, jam-packed with craziness, makes for fun shower time reading.  What an endearing company with such a rich family history.  When deciding which scent to try, I might make a suggestion: the peppermint scent does have a tendency to make your sensitive parts a bit tingly…which, if you’re in to that kind of thing, go for it!  Just thought it was worth mentioning…

If you haven’t tried out this product for yourself, I’m not sure what you’re waiting for.  Soap, whether you prefer the bar or liquid, just doesn’t get any better or more natural than this.  Plus, I use this product not only for shower time, but also as my main household cleaning product.  For mopping the floors I put several tablespoons of my favorite scent into a bucket and fill with water–makes for a wonderfully scented house when you’re done mopping.  I also occasionally get creative with my mopping by using the unscented liquid soap, and adding a few drops of various essential oils to make my own custom scent.  Hey, whatever you can do to make mopping a slightly exciting task, right?  In addition to floor cleanser, the liquid soap makes the best tub scrub too.  I add a few tablespoons of baking soda with a few squirts of soap, and it’s the best natural bathroom cleanser you can find, not to mention the cheapest!

There are so many uses for this “18-in-1″ product, the list goes on and on.  However, a couple uses that I’ve tried haven’t been as successful, such as shampoo.  It left my hair a little lacking in the volume department (which if you’re from anywhere close to the proximity of the Mason-Dixon, you know that “the bigger the hair, the closer to God.”  Whether my hometown of Indiana is close to the Mason-Dixon is debateable, but sometimes I feel there’s a Southern woman hiding deep down inside of me just itchin’ to get out).  Another no-no on the suggested uses list, as I mentioned in the comments section of Emily’s post–whatever you do, do NOT attempt the suggested toothpaste use!  Oh sweet baby J, it was wretched!!!!!! 

If this isn’t already a staple product in your household (and it should be!), I encourage you to go drop about $12 on an economy size bottle, and try it out for yourself.  I don’t think you’ll have one complaint–that is, as long as you don’t try it as toothpaste.

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