5 things you didn’t know you could use Dr Bronner’s Castile Soap for…

You’ve surely by now on your travels, heard of Dr. Bronner’s Pure Castile Soap? Perhaps you’d recognise their gorgeous gradient style packaging on shelves (see the pic above). Dr Bronner’s is a pioneering company, a 5th generation soap making company and a powerful change agent with the amount of good their do to drive a progressive agenda forward, whether it be legalising hemp for cosmetics, demanding a $15 minimum wage or creating the Regenerative Agriculture certification in partnership with Rodale Institute and Patagonia.

The company and its famous Castile soap range were most notable for becoming one of the first body care brands to formulate with hemp seed oil in 1999 and to certify its soaps, lotions, balms, and other personal care products under the USDA National Organic Program in 2003. Since then, they’ve grown globally and their packaging is some of the most recognisable in the natural body care market. You can listen to past episodes with Lisa Bronner on the Bronner story – Ep #2 – or with Vice President Gero Leson on the logistics and supply chain and their mission to constantly ensure that everyone wins and grows, all up the chain. You can also listen to my most recent chat with CEO David Bronner about the game-changing company on episode #173 of the Low Tox Life podcast, here.

Now, If you’ve completed the Go Low Tox program (kicking off in just 10 days!) or read my book, Low tox Life, you would know that Dr. Bronner’s Pure Castile Soap is an absolute staple not only in my cleaning cupboards but in my bathroom, handbag and suitcase – It’s true! I absolutely love the Sandalwood and Cedar flavour. (yep I think I just referred to a soap as a flavour! Please don’t eat it! 😉 

When travelling I use it as a soap to wash plates in hotel rooms, an easy stop-gap shampoo instead of those mini endocrine-chemical-laden hotel options, as a body wash and as a natural hand wash/sanitiser when travelling on planes or using public restrooms. With their little travel-sized option, I literally just pop a couple in my handbag, in my little man’s school bag, and I even have one in the glove compartment of the car if a bat or bird poops on it. It’s an easy, versatile and super affordable swap anyone can make.

So aside from the obvious, what other wacky ways can we use this magic mixture?!  Here’s five that might swing you over the line and convince you to give it a go!

1.Toothpaste

If you’re caught in a bind and you’ve forgotten to pack the toothpaste, or even if you just can’t stand the thought of regular foaming toothpaste in your mouth, the Dr. Bronner’s Castile Soap can actually also be used instead. Just add 1 drop to your toothbrush and away you go. Hot tip.. opt for the less floral and more refreshing scents like Peppermint for a nicer after taste. See? There’s one you CAN put in your mouth! 

2.Toilet Cleaner

From toothpaste to toilet cleaner, surely not! … Yep, this stuff is super versatile – one large bottle can cover nearly every cleaning requirement on the body and around the home. To clean your toilet bowl with the castile soap, dilute it with water in a spray bottle of a ratio about 1:4, then spray into your toilet bowl and sprinkle baking soda onto your scrubbing brush. Scrub your toilet and leave to sit for 10 minutes before flushing away any residue. Et Voila! Good as new.

3.Fruit & Veggie Wash

If you’re unable to buy organic produce, or even if you’re looking to clean up some fruit and veg from the market, Dr Bronner’s Castile soap can be used to give your fruit and veg a nice clean. You only need about a ¼ tsp in a bowl of water (The Baby Unscented Flavour is probably the best for this). Dunk your produce and swish. Then rinse in clear water before setting aside to dry.

4.Dog Shampoo

The simplicity that makes Dr.Bronner’s Pure-Castile Soap so great for our bodies, also makes it great for dogs! low tox doggy shampoo can be expensive and hard to buy off the shelf so switching to a soap that you already have on hand makes it super easy. Here’s a great little how-to video on giving your pups an effective clean with Dr Bronner’s. Don’t use peppermint on doggies, they don’t like it!

5.Makeup Brush Cleaner

Cleaning make-up brushes typically falls to the end of our to-do list, if at all. It’s not until we whip out a multi-coloured brush that hasn’t been cleaned in months that we think, “geez, I better give that a wash”. The good news is that rather than buying some overpriced ‘makeup brush cleaning solution’ you can just use a few drops of the Pure Castile Soap diluted in water (the lavender is nice for this) and give them a good clean. The solution is powerful enough to cut through dried liquid foundation crud, but still gentle enough not to cause the bristles on your beloved brushes to fall out. Plus a face free from bacteria-coated brushes is always a win, right?!

So just like that, five super easy ways to utilise your single purchase of Dr Bronner’s Castile Soap. If you want 18 other clever ideas you can check out their Dilutions Cheat Sheet. But what about the plastic, aren’t we trying to cut plastic? Yes, we are, and the beauty of their packaging is that it’s all post-consumer PET so they’re prolonging the life of the plastic and afterwards you can pop in your recycling bin! 

Do you love Dr Bronner’s Castille soap? How do you use it? I’d love to hear below. 

Low Tox. Happy bodies. Happy Planet.