One Mighty Soap – 18 Uses!

Anyone that’s ever used Dr. Bronner’s Pure Castile Liquid Soap has probably never gone back. The pure-castile soap was invented by Emanuel Bronner, an eccentric German-Jewish soap maker, who used the soap as a vehicle to spread his “we are all one or none” worldview (that is conveniently printed in tiny lettering on the label of every bottle).

Though Emanuel Bronner passed away in 1997, Dr. Bronner’s continues his legacy by making products entirely from plant-based materials – 90% of which are organic, and 70% of which are fair trade certified. That’s to say that this stuff is safe to use anywhere.

Dr. Bronner’s Pure-Castile Liquid Soaps are made with organic oils, and can be used on your face, body, hair, laundry, pets, dishes and many more! There are no synthetic preservatives, detergents or foaming agents – none! They are available in nine lovely scents– Lavender, Baby Mild, Citrus, Eucalyptus, Rose, Peppermint, Tea Tree, Almond and Green Tea. The ‘18-in-1’ soap’s uses are listed below:

1. Face: 2-3 drops on wet hands, applied to wet face⠀
2. Body: one small squirt on a wet washcloth, applied to a wet body⠀
3. Hair: A couple drops for close cropped hair or up to ½ Tbsp. (7.5 mL) for long hair, either worked directly into very wet hair or prediluted in a cup of water. Follow with Dr. Bronner’s Citrus Organic Hair Rinse or diluted apple cider vinegar.
4. Bath: Depends upon water amount, but roughly 2 tbsp. soap in an average sized tub. (Doesn’t bubble, but still cleans)
5. Shaving: Face – 10 drops; Underarms – 3 drops; Legs – ½ tsp; Work to a lather in wet hands and then apply to area
6. Teeth: 1 drop on a toothbrush (yes, it tastes like soap)
7. Foot Bath: 1½ tsp. in a small tub of hot water⠀
8. Clearing Congestion: 1 Tbsp. in a bowl of steamy hot water. Breathe in mist with a towel draped over the head
9. Dishes (handwashing): Pre-dilute 1:10 with water. Squirt on a scrub brush and scrub dishes
10. Laundry: 1/3—1/2 c. of soap for a large load in a normal washer. Add ½ c. vinegar to the rinse cycle. Use half of these amounts for HE
11. Mopping (Wood, Laminate & Stone Flooring): ½ c. of soap in 3 gallons of hot water. Dunk mop (microfiber, preferably) and wring thoroughly. On wood and laminate, avoid excess water and mop up wet areas
12. All-purpose cleaning: ¼ c. soap in a quart of water in a spray bottle. Add ¼ tsp. tea tree essential oil if desired
13. Windows: 1 Tbsp. soap in a quart of water in a spray bottle. Follow up with pure club soda, or half vinegar/half water
14. Toilet: Predilute 1:4 with water in a squirt bottle. Add ¼ tsp. tea tree oil. Empty toilet, squirt bowl thoroughly, sprinkle baking soda on the brush, scrub bowl, let sit 10 minutes, turn water on, flush
15. Fruit and Veggie Rinse: 1 dash (approx. ¼ tsp.) in a bowl of water. Dunk produce and swish. Rinse in clear water
16. Pet care: Amount varies widely depending on size, hair type & length, and overall dirtiness. Wet dog thoroughly, then starts to work in castile soap up & down their body until you have a good lather. Really massage it in down to the skin. Your dog will thank you for it. Rinse
17. Plant spray for bugs: 1 tbsp. in a quart of water. Optional: add ½ tsp. cayenne pepper or cinnamon
18. 18. Ant spray (not on plants): ¼ c. tea tree soap in a quart of water (this concentration will burn plants)

Dilute! Dilute! OK! But how much? None of these soap dilutions are meant to be exact amounts. If what you’re cleaning is really dirty or your water is really hard, then you may want to use more than the specified amount.

That said, these Pure-Castile Liquid Soap dilutions should get you started. You will notice that for some applications, we recommend pre-diluting the soap—which usually involved combining the soap with water in a separate container. For other applications, the soap is diluted directly by the water in the shower or faucet. It’s a matter of personal preference.