Dr. Bronner's Soap

Dr. Bronner's Soap is a cleaning and bathing staple in our house. Dr. Bronner's comes in a liquid and in a bar. The liquid is much more economical; however, the bars are easier to use in the shower and bath.

The soap is a "castile soap." Explanation from Dr. Bronner's website: "In earlier centuries, an all-vegetable based soap was made in the Castile region of Spain from local olive oil. By the turn of this century, "Castile" had come to mean any vegetable oil-based soap, versus animal (tallow) fat-based soap. "Pure-Castile" is now also your guarantee that what you are using is a real ecological and simple soap, not a complex blend of detergents with a higher ecological impact due to the waste stream during manufacture and slower biodegradability."

I wrote in my "Cleaning Closet" post how I use it for my all purpose spray, and in a foaming hand pump but there are many, many more uses. From the side of the bottle:

1. Always dilute for Shave-Shampoo-Massage-Dental Soap-Bath!
2. Peppermint is nature's own unsurpassed fragrant Deodorant!
3. A drop is best Mint Toothpaste; brushes Dentures Clean!
4. A dash in water is the ideal Breath Freshener & Mouth Wash!
5. Peppermint Oil Soap for Dispensers, Uniforms, Baby, Beach!
6. Dilute for ideal After Shave, Body Rub, Foot Bath, Douche.
7. Hot Towel-Massage the entire body, always towards your heart.
8. Pets, silk, wool & body tingles head to toe - keeps cool!
9. 3 dashes in water rinse most Sprays Off fruit & vegetables!
10. 1/4 oz in qt H2O is Pest Spray! Dash, no rash Diaper-Soap!

Current ways our family uses it (though this list is always growing):

Baby Mild Scent:

- Wash my 3 babies! A few drops on her wash cloth does the job of washing the whole body. To wash the kids hair wet their hair, put a few drops of soap in your wet hands, lather, rub into their hair, put a dry washcloth over their eyes to catch wayward streams of water, and rinse. (Look for a future post on why "tear free" is not good!)
- Wash my produce
- Wash dishes
- Homemade baby wipes. I put 1/2-1 teaspoon of Baby Mild in a small spray bottle, and spray our cloth wipes. Easy and gets the job done!

Lavender:

- Foaming Hand Pump. Fill an old foaming hand pump with water, add 1 teaspoon (or a generous dash) of Dr. Bronner's, put top on, and shake. This is very cost effective and very good!
- Mop the floor. Place 1/8 cup in a gallon of water and get the job done.
- All Purpose Spray. Fill 28 oz spray bottle with water, add 1 tablespoon of Dr. B's, a few drops of tea tree oil (optional), put lid on and shake. Lavender has natural anti-bacterial properties, and since I'm a true kitchen germ freak (okay, I'm paranoid) I add tea tree oil. You can also add baking soda, vinegar, or peppermint essential oil to the mix.
- Liquefy Scouring Powder. I put baking soda in a glass bowl, and add enough Dr. B's to make a paste. This is my scrub for the showers, sinks, or tough stains and I love it!
- Body Soap. Squirt a small bit on a loofah and wash. It's lovely!

Peppermint:

- Body Wash. In the summer this can't be beat - very cooling! (Just be careful how much you use)
- Body Mist. On hot Texas days putting a 1/2 a teaspoon in a body spray bottle will keep your skin feeling cool
- Brush Teeth. 1-2 VERY small drops gets the job done.
- Foot Bath. I place 1 teaspoon in my foot bath/massager, and it feels so good!

I buy our Dr. Bronner's from Vitacost and will split the cost of shipping with friends, or I wait until Sprouts (a local grocery store) puts it on sale. Many Targets and Krogers are now carrying Dr. B's as well, and in a pinch Kroger has the best non-sale prices. I don't pay more than $10 for the 32 oz bottle, and for all of these uses I only have to purchase 3 bottles a year. If you can commit to one scent you can also buy it by the gallon.

I'm always looking for new ways to use Dr. Bronner's so please feel free to share any ideas you may have!