Dr. Bronner’s - One Soap, 18 Amazing Uses!

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Imagine having one bottle, or bar, of soap, and being able to use it for washing your face, hands, body and hair. Then imagine that this same soap could be used to wash the dishes, do the laundry, mop the floor and clean the dog.

No more cluttered bathroom shelves or cleaning cupboards. No more having to buy a dozen different plastic bottles and wondering how to dispose of them.

Sounds amazing, right?

Well, this wondrous soap does exist! And it’s called Dr. Bronner’s Pure Castile Soap. Available in a bar or as a liquid, this soap is free from any harsh ingredients, is eco-friendly, suitable for use by vegans and bears the animal cruelty free Leaping Bunny certification.

 

The History of Dr. Bronner’s Castile Soap

Dr. Bronner’s is a family owned business and has been since its first beginnings over 150 years ago.

The family have German-Jewish roots and began making soap in 1858. Their humble beginnings remained so, with a small but loyal following, until third generation Bronner soap maker Emanuel Bronner took their trade to America in 1929. But it wasn’t until the 1960’s that the Bronner’s Pure Castile Soaps became well known and soon became an iconic brand.

Emanuel worked tirelessly to associate the soaps with purity and quality, but also to associate the brand with unity and an acceptance of all religions and ethnicities. This all resonated with the young people of the free love vibe in the 60’s who helped spread the popularity of the brand.

And that work continues today with the Dr. Bronner’s ‘All-One’ message and there are now dozens of different scented bar and liquid soaps along with lotions and balms.

 

Soap for Everyone! Dr. Bronner’s All-One Mission

The Dr. Bronner’s company work, and live, by six all-inclusive, All-One rules:

1. Work hard and grow a profitable business in order to help others
2. Do right by customers by using only the purest, organic and Fairtrade ingredients
3. Treat employees like family, be kind, reward and support healthy living
4. Be fair to suppliers, treat them fairly and respect their land and communities
5. Treat the earth like home and use, reuse and recycle its gifts humbly and mindfully
6. Give back to the community, enrich the world and push for positive change

The company is now also listed as a B Corp. This means that it’s a for-profit company that is required to meet “rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability and transparency and be committed to modelling an ethical and progressive approach to business”.

Products that are kind to us, kind to the people that produce them and kind to the planet? We love them!

 

What is Dr. Bronner’s Castile Soap?

Pure Castile Soap is made from 100% vegetable oils, with absolutely no animal fats or synthetic detergents. If you buy a Dr. Bronner’s soap, you’re guaranteed to be buying an eco-friendly product. When it washes away into the waterways, it doesn’t cause ecological damage to the earth or ecosystems.

And despite not containing chemical foaming agents such as Sodium Lauryl Sulphate (SLS) they still foam up into a satisfying sud. In fact, more satisfying than other, chemical based, soaps! This is due to the rich coconut oil, which also moisturises as it cleanses.

Whether you go for the liquid soap version, or the more traditional bar, the ingredients are just the same and just as friendly. The only difference is the ingredient added to saponify (turn an oil into a soap using an alkaline substance) the liquid or bar - potassium hydroxide for the liquid soap and sodium hydroxide for the bar. These might sound like scary chemical ingredients, but they’re perfectly safe in the minute concentrations they’re used in natural soap making.

All of the delicious smelling essential oils, coconut oil and palm kernel oils in Dr. Bronner’s Pure Castile Soaps are responsibly sourced from sustainable and organic plantations. No chemical fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides are used and none of the crops, including the palm oil crops, contribute to deforestation.

 

18 Amazing Uses, Plus More!

Incredible, but true, Dr. Bronner’s Pure Castile Soaps can be used safely all over the body, including on the youngest (although take care not to get it in their eyes), and furriest, members of the family, and all around the home. Here’s the official Dr. Bronner’s list of uses:

1. Face wash - rub a few drops between wet palms and apply to a wet face
2. Body wash - apply a few drops to a wet sponge, lather up and apply in the shower or bath
3. Hair wash - either rub a few drops between wet palms and apply to wet hair, or mix a few more drops in a cup of warm water and rub into wet hair. Its best followed by an acid based, such as citrus, conditioner which helps to naturally detangle the hair.
4. In the bath - add as much as you like to hot water. It won’t bubble up at this dilution but it will smell glorious!
5. Shaving - add more drops to wet hands than you would to wash your face with. This creates a perfect solution when applied to wet skin for the razor to safely glide over, without causing any nicks.
6. Toothpaste - not strictly a ‘paste’ and will taste like soap, but one drop directly onto a toothbrush makes an unusual but effective whole mouth cleanser.
7. Foot bath - soothe the day away with a few drops in a tub of warm water.
8. Congestion clearer - add a few drops to a bowl of hot water then breath in the steam with a towel covering your head and the bowl. The peppermint Castile Soap is ideal!
9. Washing up - make up a solution with a ratio of one part soap to ten parts water then add to a sponge or pot brush as normal. It will last a few weeks so keep this in mind when deciding how much to make up.
10. Laundry - add a glug to the drawer of your washing machine along with a smaller glug of vinegar to the rinse cycle.
11. Mopping floors - add a splash to a bucket of hot water, mop and rinse thoroughly.
12. Multi-purpose cleaning - add a few drops of soap and a drop or two of tea tree oil to a spray bottle and top up with cold water. Use it to clean and disinfect all surfaces around the home. It’ll stay fresh for a few weeks.
13. Cleaning windows - use the same multi-purpose spray as above and follow with a rinse with a half water, half vinegar solution for a streak free finish. .
14. Toilet cleaner - use one part soap to four parts water plus a few drops of tea tree oil in a spray bottle and spray around the toilet bowl. Follow with a vigorous scrub with some neat baking soda on a scrubbing brush and leave for ten minutes before flushing.
15. Fruit and veg wash - plunge fresh produce into a bowl of cold water containing one drop of soap and then rinse thoroughly.
16. Dog wash - massage as much undiluted soap into wet dog hair as it takes! Then rinse clear.
17. Bug spray for plants - add a tablespoon sized amount to a 250mls water in a spray bottle and add half a teaspoon of cayenne pepper or cinnamon. Spray liberally onto plants to keep bugs at bay or to deal with a bug infestation.
18. House ant spray - add a quarter of a cup of soap to 250mls water in a spray bottle and spray around doorways. This works best with the tea tree soap and shouldn’t be used on plants, as this dilution is too strong and will burn delicate leaves and petals.

 

Dilute, Dilute!

Most of the ideas above make use of the liquid soap only, but obviously for hand or body washing, the bar soap can just be used as normal. Or, you could try shaving or grating it, adding it to boiling water and using the solution as a washing up liquid, laundry soap or any other use!

The above is just a guide. If you live in an area with particularly hard water, you might need to add more soap. Or if your washing load (or dog, or child) is very dirty, you’ll probably need to add more too.

The original Dr. Bronner’s labels famously carried the expression,

 “Dilute! Dilute! OK! But by how much?”

And now, you know!

Get creative and Dr. Bronner’s soaps pretty much anywhere you’d use a cleansing agent. We love using it as a multi-purpose spray to wipe over the kids toys and high chairs and as a simple, one bottle solution to travelling light.

 

Pure Castile Soap is Effective and it Smells Delicious!

There are so many differently scented Dr. Bronner’s soaps that it’s near on impossible not to find one you like. There’s classics such as peppermint, lavender and eucalyptus and more modern versions such as green tea and sandalwood and jasmine. There’s also an unscented version, ideal for babies and super sensitive skins.

The liquid version comes in a 100% recycled materials bottle that can then be recycled again. The bar is wrapped in paper.

So if you’re looking for simple ways to make your home kinder and greener, Dr. Bronner’s multi purpose soaps are ideal.