The Many Uses of Dr Bronner's Castile Soap

New to the Nourished Life shelves is the famous Dr. Bronner's Castile Soap and not just because it's all natural, fair trade and smells amazing, this soap does everything except your taxes! Read on to find out just what makes this natural soap so amazing and how you can use it for everything from cleaning your body to doing your dishes!

Pure castile soap means any vegetable oil-based soap (i.e not animal fat or tallow based!) that is not a made of a complex blend of detergents and chemicals that can be damaging to not only your body, but the environment. Dr. Bronner’s Castile Soap is made with natural plant derived vitamin E and citric acid to maintain freshness, certified organic essential oils and organic jojoba and hemp oils for a smooth lather. They do not contain any parabens, SLSs, chelating agents, dyes, whiteners or synthetic fragrances.

Dr. Bronner's soaps are known for their 18 uses but here is Nourished Life's Top 10 tried and tested:

1. Natural Body Wash: Not only will this soap effectively clean your body and leave you smelling delicious (cherry blossom is our fav!) but it won't dry out or irritate your skin whilst still giving a great lather. Plus a little goes a long way so it lasts forever.

2. Shampoo: Yes you read that right! The Dr Bronner's liquid soap is a great shampoo and removes excess oils but be sure to use an extra nourishing natural conditioner after as it can get a little tangled.

3. Mild Face Wash: Because these soaps are made with 100% organic vegetable oils and coconut oil they're absolutely fine to use as a face wash too. Put two to three drops on wet hands, and wash your face as normal. If you have sensitive skin, try a patch test first, especially if you are using one of the scented ones.

PHOTO1_right 4. Bath Oil: Although these natural soaps do lather a lot and can provide a lot of bubbles, in a hot bath, these are best used as an oil. We love using the lavender liquid soap for a relaxing night time soak.

5. Shaving Cream: There is no reason to buy expensive shaving cream! Men and women can simply work the soap into a lather, shave and you're done! You'll need about 10 drops for your face, three drops for underarms, and a tablespoon for legs. As mentioned, these soaps are extremely mild and will not leave your skin dry or irritated.

6. Cleaning Dishes: Dr. Bronner’s recommends diluting the soap 1:10 with water, and then squirting the diluted mix onto a scrub brush. This only works when hand washing dishes, and not in a dishwasher.

7. Clearing Congestion: When you’re sinuses are congested, put one tablespoon of Dr. Bronner’s into a bowl of steaming hot water and drape a towel over your head. We recommend using the peppermint scented.

PHOTO2_right 8. Baby Wash: Use the mild unscented baby soap for kids, not only because it's all natural, but it is especially gentle on young, delicate skin. This is also the best soap for those with extremely sensitive or reactive skin.

9. Wash your clothes: Use 1/3 ’ 1/2 cup of soap for a large load in a normal washing machine. Most people also recommend combining with a cup of baking soda or natural washing powder and diluting with water. This is another great option for people with sensitive skin and who react with chemical laundry powders.

10. Cleaning Your House: Clean you floors, windows, bench tops with this magic soap! Lisa Bronner herself has some fabulous and super simple DIY recipes for different cleaning solutions using Dr. Bronner's castile soap.

Or get creative and make up some of your own uses for this wonder soap! Have you discovered any other uses? Please let us know!