The Magic Soap

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Every now and then I write about an all-natural cleaning or beauty product that I’ve been lovin’ lately.  And lately, I cannot get enough of Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps.

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The first time I saw this product on the shelves, I assumed it was a body wash.  I liked the short, all-natural, and mainly organic ingredient list, so I snapped it up.  I tried Peppermint, Lavender, Tea Tree, and Eucalyptus.  And after using the different scents in the shower for several months, I realized what I really liked about D. Bronner’s was how concentrated it was – the big bottle is a little pricey, but it lasts forever.

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And then we ran out of dish soap.

 

There was a huge sink of dirty pots to be washed, so I figured I’d give Dr. Bronner’s a try – after all, the label claims it’s an “18-in-1” formula with multiple uses.  And it worked WONDERFULLY for dishes.  Since then, I’ve discovered loads of other ways to use this magic soap:

 

  • As face wash
  • As a shampoo
  • To clean the floors (heavily diluted)
  • For laundry – I pour in about 1/4 cup
  • To scrub the walls of the shower
  • As shaving cream

 

I’m sure there’s many, many more ways to use the soap.  I hear you can even use it as TOOTHPASTE, but I haven’t tried that yet.  It’s kind of been a revelation – we’ve been trained to think we need 10 different cleaning products for 10 different jobs, but maybe one high-quality soap does the trick.

 

Are you a fan of Dr. Bronner’s?  Oh, and if you’re wondering about the weird label, Wikipedia has an interesting explanation about the origins of Bronner’s quirky ramblings.

 

And of course – Happy Thanksgiving!  I hope my fellow Americans enjoy a wonderful Thanksgiving.  I’ll be taking the day off to celebrate with family; catch you on Friday.

{ 58 comments }

 

  • katie @ KatieDid November 23, 2011, 6:49 pm

    I have just been using it these past few days in fact, as the friend I’m visiting uses it and I have to say I love it as a body wash but had no idea it could be used for anything else! I love the idea of having just one single shower product- would make traveling so much easier as well!

  • Jill @ Just Focus Well November 23, 2011, 6:50 pm

    I don’t think I have ever seen that soap, but I am all about a truly “all purpose” cleaner. Thanks for sharing and have a happy Thanksgiving!

  • Alisa November 23, 2011, 6:53 pm

    There’s a movie on netflix about him. Dr. Bronner was crazy (as in, in an insane asylum crazy), but he does make good soap!

    • Caitlin November 23, 2011, 6:54 pm

      His story is rather interesting, huh? His family died in the Holocaust 🙁

  • chelsey @ clean eating chelsey November 23, 2011, 6:55 pm

    I have not used any of his soaps, but it sounds awesome!

  • Tami November 23, 2011, 6:56 pm

    If you buy it by the gallon it’s cheaper, you might find a place that will refill your bottles…we use the peppermint and tea tree soaps and we love them

    Imhave Reid to use it as toothpaste but it was nasty, I use it for just about everything else though

    And you should watch the movie..he was a bit of an odd guy!

    • Stephanie C November 24, 2011, 12:57 am

      Whole Foods has a station usually in the Vitamins/Tea section where you can get a refill!

  • Kristina November 23, 2011, 6:57 pm

    yep, that stuff is THE BOMB. we love it and use it for a lot! some stores have refills, you save your bottles and fill em up, cheaper!

    you should watch the documentary about it, Dr Bronners Magic Soap Box:

    http://www.drbronner.com/dr_bronners_magic_soap_box_movie.html

    it’s fun. 😀

    Happy Thanksgiving to you all! XO

  • Lisa November 23, 2011, 6:59 pm

    I’ve been using Dr. Bronner’s for years! I LOVE the peppermint soap. It’s the best. The label is super weird. There’s also a documentary about Dr. Bronner.

  • kathleen @ the daily crumb November 23, 2011, 7:13 pm

    i have never seen any of these soaps.. but they look awesome, thanks for sharing!!

    happy thanksgiving!

  • peach November 23, 2011, 7:17 pm

    i call this this miracle soap. it is the BEST thing to take camping. it’s funny for me to see it so mainstream now, my mom used it when i was a kid and everyone thought it was so weird.

  • Mama Pea November 23, 2011, 7:18 pm

    Happy Thanksgiving, Caitlin!

  • AmandaonMaui November 23, 2011, 7:22 pm

    It is really useful for at the gym. You only need to carry one small bottle. You can use it in your hair, on your body, on your face, etc.

  • Kate November 23, 2011, 7:30 pm

    I LOVE Dr Bronner’s… I’ve been using it for a couple of years now and have gotten a few friends hooked too! Right now, I have the peppermint, almond and lavender ones in my shower (I like a little variety in the morning). Peppermint’s probably my favorite, but they’re all great!

  • Averie @ Love Veggies and Yoga November 23, 2011, 7:31 pm

    I love Dr. B’s soaps! I love the scents and the versatility. And yes, one of those bottles lasts…forever. From hands to face, body, floors, the kitchen counter, you name it, I love it and use it!

  • Miri November 23, 2011, 7:35 pm

    I love Dr. Bronner! I’ve heard that there’s a household version of Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soap called Sal Suds. I haven’t tried it yet though.

    • Stephanie C November 24, 2011, 12:58 am

      I’ve used this for my laundry detergent and it’s pretty effective, but I didn’t see any difference in comparison to other detergents.

  • Kristen (inspiredbydooce) November 23, 2011, 7:40 pm

    I’m a huge fan of Dr. Bronner’s- I usually use the tea tree scented stuff for around the house and have been thinking that peppermint will be the next one I buy.

    Happy American Thanksgiving to you! (to me it is just another Thursday on which I wish I had some pie)

  • Courtney @ The Petite AthlEAT November 23, 2011, 7:43 pm

    I have never tried the stuff, but my sister and my dad SWEAR by it.

  • Robin November 23, 2011, 7:44 pm

    I love Dr. Bronner’s! I hear the baby line is great too. You might want to look into it for baby HTP!

  • Brooke @ sweats & sweets November 23, 2011, 7:52 pm

    That is like the perfect all purpose!

  • Ashley November 23, 2011, 7:54 pm

    I love Dr. Bronner’s as well! My favorite scent is almond, but for cleaning I think Eucalyptus is good as it is good as an anti-bacterial.

  • Erin November 23, 2011, 8:08 pm

    My parents always used Dr. Bronner’s when I was a kid so I’ve always used it too – it’s also completely biodegradable which is a great bonus. You can make pretty much any kind of cleaner out of it!

  • Judy November 23, 2011, 8:35 pm

    I used to use Bronner’s back when I was all organic all the time — about 25 years ago – I used it for laundry and dishes, and never realized I could have been washing me and Katie too! Loved it for wool diaper covers (I used cotton non disposable diapers).

  • Amanda November 23, 2011, 8:53 pm

    I love that soap! I’ve only tried the peppermint, which is so refreshing and super minty. It’s great as a body wash, but I can’t use it in my hair. I gave it a try and it made my hair feel like straw. Maybe because I have highlights? Not sure, but it took a lot of conditioner to make it feel “normal” again.

  • Katie @ Peace Love and Oats November 23, 2011, 9:02 pm

    lol that brings a whole new meaning to “all purpose cleaner”!!!

  • Samantha November 23, 2011, 9:04 pm

    I got a diva cup a while ago, and diva wash because I didn’t want to take any chances with soap that would mess up the cup. I noticed that the diva wash smells really nice and makes my hands feel soft. When I ran out of face wash I used a little bit, just to get me by until I bought more. It is THE BEST facewash I’ve ever used. It sounds so weird that I use it, but really it’s just gentle, good-smelling soap. My mom even used it and said it was really great face wash.

  • Deva @ Deva by Definition November 23, 2011, 9:06 pm

    His history is so heart-wrenching. The holocaust was absolutely horrible.

  • Kaitlyn November 23, 2011, 9:26 pm

    We love this soap in our house! It is great for baby’s baths too. I always wondered about the sayings on the bottle. Thanks for pointing me to the ever helpful Wikipedia page.

  • zoe (and the beatles) November 23, 2011, 9:43 pm

    i love dr. bronners!!! i use the rose scented bar for my face. it the best face wash i’ve ever used! i have really sensitive skin and i never break out when i use it. i use the liquid lavender scented soap in the shower, too, and it always leaves the house smelling all kinds of good 🙂

  • Crystal V November 23, 2011, 9:51 pm

    We LOVE Dr. Bronners! The peppermint makes the best stuff to use in the shower (makes your bit parts tingly and fresh, lol). When we bring a new bottle home, we refill all of our soap pumps too. 1/4 Dr. Bronners and 3/4 water makes for super cheap and super awesome hand soap!

    • Crystal V November 23, 2011, 9:53 pm

      Also, when I’m bored and feeling super hippie-ish, I’ll grate the bars of his soap and make homemade laundry detergent. The lavender makes the yummiest smelling clothes =P

  • Lacey @ Lake Life November 23, 2011, 9:58 pm

    I’d be a little freaked out to use the same ingredients I would use (heavily diluted) on my floors but full strength on my skin!

    • Stephanie C November 24, 2011, 1:00 am

      To me, it seems like the difference is because you don’t want a sudsy floor like you may want a sudsy body!

  • Alayna @ Thyme Bombe November 23, 2011, 10:08 pm

    I love it as a body wash but find that it’s too drying for me as a shampoo or as a face wash. Had no idea you could use it as dishwashing liquid, I’ll definitely try that.

  • Kelly H. (Shiny Happy Vegan) November 23, 2011, 10:11 pm

    I love castile soap too, but I use the Whole Foods brand because it doesn’t use palm oil. I avoid products with palm oil, like Dr. Bronner’s, because it is horribly destructive to wild habitats and the harvesting of it will likely cause the orangutan to go extinct by 2025. Check out the WF brand next time you buy! 🙂

    • Malorie November 23, 2011, 10:56 pm

      I don’t see palm oil on the ingredient list of the soap I have. Is it only used in certain Dr. Bronner’s soap?

      • Stephanie C November 24, 2011, 1:01 am

        Don’t see it in mine either!

        • Kelly H. (Shiny Happy Vegan) November 25, 2011, 12:34 am

          Hmm, it does seem to be in only certain soaps (looked it up again after your comments). The main ingredient page on their website still has palm oil listed, but doesn’t say which soap it’s in, and then if you look up the castille ingredients it’s not listed. Maybe it has been removed from the castile soap? If so, yay!

  • Malorie November 23, 2011, 10:30 pm

    I started using the tea tree as face wash a couple months ago when I found out I was pregnant. I thought the tea tree would help with my acne. I didn’t even think of using it for anything else though. Such a good idea! I didn’t read the label until my husband asked me about. Kinda weird but I like weird stuff like that… Now he calls it my jesus soap 🙂

  • Ashley C November 23, 2011, 10:31 pm

    I love this stuff. I have a nice stockpile when the local store clearenced it all down to 0.99 for the smaller bottles and 1.99 for the larger bottles. I keep a bottle in the kitchen, shower and laundry room. Although I didn’t have any luck using it on dishes, They still felt oily.
    Love this stuff!

  • marian @ marianWrites November 23, 2011, 10:34 pm

    LOVE dr. bronners. I use the rose hemp kind as body wash and I can’t get enough. So good to know you can use it as laundry detergent! That will come in handy next time I run out 🙂 happy thanksgiving!

  • Sara November 23, 2011, 11:34 pm

    I heard about Dr. Bonners from the blog of a guy who basically lives a round-the-world nomad lifestyle. Everything he owns fits in a large backpack, so he uses the soap (the unscented liquid kind) as body wash, shampoo, toothpaste, and detergent for hand-washing his clothes. I’ve actually considered getting the unscented kind as an alternative to the DivaWash (which I don’t like the scent of)…has anyone here used it for that?

    And if you’re going for the bar soap version, the rose scent is divine!

  • Lisa November 24, 2011, 12:18 am

    We love it! We even went all in and started buying the giant sizes and use it to fill up our small bottles. I also love giving it as a teacher gift.

  • Tally November 24, 2011, 1:08 am

    Am I the only one who doesn’t like the soap?
    1) I’m not used to using a liquid rather than a shower gel in the shower. I don’t know how much to put on my loofah.
    2) I don’t like the smell (I bought lavender).
    3) I have eczema on my arms and the soap makes it burn! It really hurts. No other shower gel irritates my skin like that.

  • Nathalie November 24, 2011, 6:34 am

    I’ve had a large bottle of the Lemon Soap in my cupboard for months and have not yet used it… time to open it and try out its many uses 🙂 The label is indeed…quirky and a bit weird. I’ve never ever spent so much time reading a label 😉

  • JaimeFNP November 24, 2011, 7:41 am

    LOVE the almond scented one (smells like heaven). I am never without it! Happy Thanksgiving, Caitlin! 🙂

  • Chelsea @ One Healthy Munchkin November 24, 2011, 7:53 am

    I’ve never heard of that soap before, but that’s awesome that it can be used in so many ways! I have a cupboard full of cleaners for a million different uses, so it would be nice to have something like this that’s more multipurpose!

  • Sammy November 24, 2011, 8:35 am

    I use the lavender one as my body wash. I love that it gets all the residue from my lotion and deoderant OFF. I ran out once and used some Ivory body wash (which used to be my favorite) and I felt like I couldn’t rinse it all off and that my skin felt slippery. I went right out and bought a new bottle of Dr. B’s and have never looked back. I started using it to clean my bathroom as well, and it works like a dream.

  • Elisabeth November 24, 2011, 10:38 am

    Happy Thanksgiving, Caitlin and family! (and BabyHTP!) 🙂

  • Fran@ Broken Cookies Don't Count November 24, 2011, 10:59 am

    Happy Thanksgiving! I have seen Dr. Bonner’s in ages. Guess I should look for it again!

  • Amber K November 24, 2011, 12:27 pm

    I have never heard of this before, it sounds like exactly what I need! A clean, hypoallergenic cleaner. You always have the best info!

  • Annette @ EnjoyYourHealthyLife November 24, 2011, 1:45 pm

    happy Thanksgiving to YOU too!!! Have fun with the fam 🙂

  • Joy @ The Joy Vey November 24, 2011, 9:14 pm

    Happy Thanksgiving! Hope you had/are having a wonderful day!

  • Hayley @ Oat Couture November 25, 2011, 3:34 am

    Thats really cool that it can be used for so many things! I have recently started using Korres all natural products but I am always up for trying new ones, especially ones so versatile!! Happy thanksgiving!

  • penny November 25, 2011, 8:34 pm

    I love Dr. B’s! I started using it when camping because its so safe you can use it to wash up in a stream that is also a drinking water source. Now I use it to wash the kid’s table so he can eat off of it safely. And you can use it with the steam cleaner for the floor. Its a terrible shampoo for my hair.
    The bottle is a little slice of crazy though.

  • Whitney November 29, 2011, 7:06 pm

    I used to get weirded out by my dad’s Dr. Bronner’s as a kid. I thought “he’s washing his hair with soap not shampoo?!” But I’ve started using the Lavender one in the past few years – especially love it for travel.

    Now I want to check out his documentary…..

  • Lauren @ HugsKissesNDishes November 29, 2011, 7:15 pm

    The peppermint one is a bit too much for me, especially if you use it in the shower…if you know what I mean. haha I am in love with the lavender one, and it is great for camping!

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