Dr Bronners use ?

[Chip]

I've had a large bottle of Dr Bronners stored in my gear for, oh, I don't know...quite a while. I always take some camping and will clean dishes with it, but never used much as a "little dab will do ya". Anyway, since it was there and I was out of shampoo and soap, I decided to start using it in the morning shower... ...WOW ! Better than a cup of coffee ! I always new it had a bit of a kick, but...the uninitiated should tread lightly.

I was wondering if anyone uses this stuff everyday, only camping or have no idea what Dr Bronners is. Thanks.

 

[DrewKnight]

I said "Same bottle since the Beatles", though that's not entirely true. Somewhere in our combined 20+ year old household, I certain that we have both my quart bottle and my wife's, both bought back in the mid-eighties... but it would be unreasonable to say that I could lay hands on it or have used it for any of the 1001 purposes listed on the label any time recently.

That said, I still remember the first time I used it to take a shower at a friend's house, and the impact it had on me when I stepped out into the streets of Brooklyn minutes later... a cool breeze turned into an icy tornado on my nether parts. Since I was about 19 at the time, I was instantly sold.

 

[Jay H]

You're supposed to dilute it. I use it as a shampoo and soap but can't say I've ever tried to brush my teeth with it... It does seem to dry out the hair a bit but then again, I'm not exactly that concerned with my hair.....

Jay

 

[marty]

I tried it and then my wife got some Tom's of Maine organic/biodegradable shampoo, which lathered up better and gave me a cleaner overall feeling. Tom's works great on dishes, hair and general cleansing. Never tried it for toothpaste.

I used the remaining Doc Bronner to shampoo our dog. Worked fine for that purpose.

 

[MattC]

Use it every day at home, in the shower and for handwashing. My housemates and I buy the large bottles to refill the smaller ones, and we usually do dilute. I find it lasts a long time and is worth every penny and more. Great stuff.

Matt

 

[Chip]

...and the impact it had on me when I stepped out into the streets of Brooklyn minutes later... a cool breeze turned into an icy tornado on my nether parts. Since I was about 19 at the time, I was instantly sold.

That's hillarious. I let my wife use some when we were dating and she nearly freaked out on me; she thought it was laced with something !

Interestingly this punk rocker was accused of the same thing !

 

[Chip]

I find it lasts a long time and is worth every penny and more. Great stuff.

Matt

good for the environment too ! certified organic, biodegradable and Fair Trade...(amazingly it's still a great way to start the day.)

 

[sleeping bear]

good for the environment too ! certified organic, biodegradable and Fair Trade...(amazingly it's still a great way to start the day.)

Even better for the environment when you buy the peppermint bars- no plastic.

Used to take the liquid stuff into the woods but once didn't get it all rinsed out when washing a pair of shorts and it made them smell FUNKY (funkier than before washing). Now I don't bother with soap in the woods (substitute warm water, hand sanitizer, and an occasional wet wipe).

 

[MichaelJ]

Every day. Keeps me alive, boo-yeah! Though I do think it attracts bugs...

NB: can be found cheaper at Trader Joe's than at Whole Foods.

 

[kmorgan]

Huh? Never heard of this stuff...

 

[Dugan]

It's good stuff but there are other castille soaps out there that are just as good that are much better priced than Dr Bronner's.

 

[Pete_Hickey]

For the past few weeks, I've been using it to eliminate slugs from my peppers and basil. There's something the same thing can be a shampoo, soap, toothpaste, AND kill slugs!

As a mathematician, it makes me think of transitivity, and its implications.

 

[Jay H]

Yeah, but is there something that can remove peppers and basil from slugs???

Save the Slugs! Just say no to Dr. Bronners!

Jay

 

[Rick]

I voted for the Ed sullivan date, though the first time I trried it was really in the 80's. Carried that damn mint bottle with me for the better part of 7 years, using it as sparingly as possible for anytihng that I couldn't just use plain water on (I was too cheap to throw it out).

Then I found Almond Bronnner around the early to mid-90's. Carried that for another 4-5 years before I realized I just cannot stand the stuff and threw it out. Now I smell it and I get queasy.

No Dr. Bronner's for me. No Sir!!!

 

[Paradox]

In soft water it only takes a few drops to get a lather. The original stuff was a standard "Castile soap" made by cooking up a vegetable fat with soda ash or pot ash. The procedure is ancient. Dr. Bronners then added alot of peppermint oil to give it its "zing" on sensitive skin areas. Many years ago I tried using it as a toothpaste, (just once ) and found it to be no different than rubbing a bar of Ivory into my teeth along with a strong dose of pepperment. The problem with any soap which is a salt of a carboxylic acid (aside from the taste) is that in hard water (water containing calcium or magnesium salts) the stuff forms an insoluable "soap scum" with calcium and magnesium ions which is no longer available for cleaning, hence needing more soap.

Since learning about soaps and detergents I have prefered using a sodium lauryl sulfate detergent found in something like Dawn for just about every cleaning application except brushing my teeth. I usually grab some toothpaste from the office.

 

[DougPaul]

Since learning about soaps and detergents I have prefered using a sodium lauryl sulfate detergent found in something like Dawn for just about every cleaning application except brushing my teeth. I usually grab some toothpaste from the office.

Talk to salt water sailors to find about cleaners that will even work in sea water... I recall that Prell shampoo (ammonium laureth sulfate + ammonium lauryl sulfate) works, and, according to a web reference, Dawn will too.

Doug

 

[Paradox]

I recall buying the stuff while still in high school. My camping friends and I were intrigued by the incredible amount of information on the label. The tiny print, described at length how our lives, spirits, and productivity would be lifted to heretofore unimagined heights by the use of this soap. I'd advise getting some solely for the good fun of reading the label.

Alas, if the label promised that I would not be living paycheck to paycheck, I might buy some more.

 

[Chip]

Since learning about soaps and detergents I have prefered using a sodium lauryl sulfate detergent found in something like Dawn for just about every cleaning application except brushing my teeth.

Plus Dawn apparently kills fleas and discourages ants !

I guess it's all biodegradable, but I'm more concerned when camping, especially on Lake George, that we're using something that will degrade quickly.

I'm a bit surprised by the number of hikers who don't seem to be familiar with Bronners.

 

[Paradox]

I guess it's all biodegradable, but I'm more concerned when camping, especially on Lake George, that we're using something that will degrade quickly.

Detergents caused a great deal of Lake Erie's problems in the 1950''s and 60's. Phosphate was added to detergents and soaps which would increase their cleaning power in the hard water taken from the Great Lakes. Unfortunately, the phosphate IS biodegradable by algea which found phosphate to be a terrific fertilizer. The algea would bloom like crazy, go through its life cycle, and then die off in late July of every year. It would come loose from the lake bottom and drift toward the lakeshore in a rotting, strinky, brown muck that would extend out into the lake 300' and more. The decomposition of the algea would consume the oxygen needed by the fish and this would cause the fish to die, drift in, and contribute to the aroma of the unpleasant scene.

There was another factor. At the time detergent manufacturers were involved in a "Suds War". A competition for the hearts, minds, and soles of millions of housewives newly addicted to the new daytime "soap operas". A detergent that could produce a large volume of suds was equated with cleaner clothes (not true) and hence, another way to fight the Red Menace (maybe true). The longer lasting "tougher" foams found their way into effluent streams and caused a nasty looking, brown foam that hung out at the base of Niagara Falls and in every breaking wave on a Great Lake shoreline.

As a kid, I spent my summers at my grandmothers summer place 20 miles West of Buffalo, NY on the Canadian shore. I'll never forget the appearance and smell of the whole scene. Phosphate detergents and branched hydrocarbon chains were legislated against in the early 70's and Lake Erie cleaned up dramatically in less than 5 years. Amazing turn around. I'll never forget my 8th grade science teacher ranting against the legislation, claiming that he was going to go out of state to get his laundry soap. Honest to God, he blamed the communists.