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Firstly, Dr. Bronner’s is celebrating their 60th anniversary! They’ve been making soap for a really long time, which means it must be good. I first learned of Dr. Bronner’s Magic soap some time ago, but I’m a bit embarrassed to say that I hadn’t actually tried it unitl recently. I think that in talking with friends and family that Dr. Bronner’s is most notable for their soap making, but they do offer lines of other products including hair care and cleansers. Some benefits of the soap touted on the website include:
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Fortunately for me, my local Target had a temporary price reduction on all of the soaps and I took this as a sign that I needed to finally purchase this soap. I chose the lavender for a few reasons, but mostly because I love the smell. Dr. Bronner’s website has the following description:
DESCRIPTION:
A relaxing fragrance for tired and stressed-out souls lavender calms the nerves and soothes the body. Perfect just before bedtime or to start your day out with a tranquil peace of mind. All oils and essential oils are certified organic to the National Organic Standards Program. Packaged in 100% post-consumer recycled plastic bottles.INGREDIENTS:
Water, Organic Coconut Oil*, Potassium Hydroxide**, Lavandin Extract, Organic Olive Oil*, Organic Hemp Oil, Organic Jojoba Oil, Organic Lavender Oil, Citric Acid, Tocopherol
* CERTIFIED FAIR TRADE INGREDIENTS
** None remains after saponifying oils into soap and glycerin
This soap is Fair Trade, organic and not tested on animals, and packaged in 100% recycled plastic bottles, so I can feel good about buying it. More importantly the ingredients are proven to be good to your skin. Now let’s take a look at the ingredients individually:
The ingredient second to water is organic coconut oil. According to the website Organic Facts:
Hair Care: Coconut oil is one of the best natural nutrition for hair. It helps in healthy growth of hair providing them a shiny complexion. Regular massage of the head with coconut oil ensures that your scalp is free of dandruff, lice, and lice eggs, even if your scalp is dry. Coconut oil is extensively used in the Indian sub-continent for hair care. It is an excellent conditioner and helps in the re-growth of damaged hair. It also provides the essential proteins required for nourishing damaged hair. It is therefore used as hair care oil and used in manufacturing various conditioners, and dandruff relief creams. Coconut oil is normally applied topically for hair care.
Skin Care: Coconut oil is excellent massage oil for the skin as well. It acts as an effective moisturizer on all types of skins including dry skin. The benefit of coconut oil on the skin is comparable to that of mineral oil. Further, unlike mineral oil, there is no chance of having any adverse side effects on the skin with the application of coconut oil. Coconut oil therefore is a safe solution for preventing dryness and flaking of skin. It also delays wrinkles, and sagging of skin which normally become prominent with age. Coconut oil also helps in treating various skin problems including psoriasis, dermatitis, eczema and other skin infections. Therefore coconut oil forms the basic ingredient of various body care products such as soaps, lotions, creams, etc., used for skin care.
Infections: Coconut oil is very effective against a variety of infections due to its antifungal, antiviral, and antibacterial properties. According to the Coconut Research Center, coconut oil kills viruses that cause influenza, measles, hepatitis, herpes, SARS, etc. It also kills bacteria that cause ulcers, throat infections, urinary tract infections, pneumonia, and gonorrhea, etc. Coconut oil is also effective on fungi and yeast that cause candidiasis, ringworm, athlete’s foot, thrush, diaper rash, etc.
All of that information sounds good and I had no idea that coconut oil could be so useful. The next ingredient is used in making soaps and is essentially lye. It dissolves in water, which is why it is marked with a double asterisk and the note that explains that it is used to make the soap, but disappears once mixed in. The next ingredient present that is of significance is Lavandin Extract. What is lavandin extract exactly? Well, according to Snowdrift Farm:
Soapmakers love lavandin oil, and it is grown as a major commercial crop throughout Europe, though its origins are in France. Lavandin is an hybrid — a cross between Lavender officianalis and Lavender aspic or spike lavender. This cross-breeding provides the plant with the stamina needed to grow abundantly at lower elevations.
Most of the gorgeous deep blue and purple flowers seen in travel photos of the French countryside and attributed to growing lavender in France — is actually lavandin. Lavender grows well only at elevations of 1800 feet or greater. The heartier lavandin can grow at 1000 feet elevation and upwards. Snowdrift Farm imports our lavandin oil directly from the grower, near Grasse (France).
So, what’s the difference for you, the handcrafter? For starters, there are structural differences between the plants. Lavandin produces a 3-pronged flower-head, while true lavender gives a single “spike”. Scent-wise, the lavandin contains far more camphor, making it a “louder”, far less subtle note than true lavender. We prefer true lavender, such as Bulgarian lavender in perfumes, but do not discount lavandin when it comes to soaps and body care products. Lavandin has the capability of sticking around longer in soaps and lotions because of its chemical composition, making it the perfect oil for these applications. For more information about Lavandin, we recommend Julia Lawless’, “The Encyclopedia of Essential Oils.”
Further, according to Victoria Anisman-Reiner in her article titled, “Lavandin Not the Same as Lavender” she indicates that it is important to note that Lavandin extract does not have the same health benefits as lavender. However, lavandin extract is frequently used in soap, shampoo and cosmetics because the scent lasts longer and, “Lavandin is known to be highly antiseptic, antifungal, and antibacterial…Both lavandin and lavender are non-toxic, non-irritating and non-sensitizing to the skin”. Lavender oil is used in smaller quanitites in the soap though, so we’ll just go ahead and cover those benefits now. The benefits and uses of lavender oil are many and varied, so I’ll return once again to Organic Facts for the details on this essential oil. You can read the details provided in the article by clicking on the link above, but here is a quick summary of the benefits:
- pain relief: muscle aches and join pain
- nervous system: calming scent that helps with stress, migraine headaches, anxiety, depression nervous tension, emotional stress and increases mental activity.
- respiratory disorders: colds, asthma, flu, infections of the throat and respiratory tract.
- skin care: lavender has been used to treat a plethora of skin conditions including acne, psoriasis, eczema, sunburn, wounds and more.
I’ve covered the benefits of olive oil previously and it has done wonders for my skin. Used alone it wasn’t sufficient to keep my face clear, but it’s super for removing eye makeup and moisturizing the under eye area. All of the oils used in Dr. Bronner’s soap are non-comedgenic and health benefits that range from moisturizing to antiseptic. They are mild and unlikely to cause skin reactions.
I have some seriously sensitive skin, so sensitive that I can’t even use products with witch hazel becuase I have an allergic reaction ending in contact dermatitis, which is an extremly rare reaction to the herb. I’ve been using it for about two weeks now in the shower as a bath wash. My skin is clear, smooth and not oily at all. Given the good response that I’ve had to date I decided to expand my use of it to my hair and face. I washed my hair with it and it suddenly felt very, very weird. I can’t describe it exactly but it was like my hair felt heavy and didn’t separate easily. I’m not sure what would have happened had I washed with just the soap, but I immediately followed with my regular shampoo and conditioner to no ill effect. Phew, that was a close one! If I had read the FAQ’s section of Dr. Bronner’s website prior to washing my hair with the soap I would have read the following:
Can I shampoo and condition my hair organically?
1) Shampoo with your favorite Dr. Bronner’s soap. True soaps clean hair well but can leave a tangly look & feel; however…
2) Rinsing with our new Organic Shikakai Conditioning Rinse results in spectacular look and feel! Just stir 1- 2 capfuls of this rinse into a cup of water, close eyes and slowly pour while massaging into hair. Keep hand combing hair until hair feels entirely sleek (~30 seconds). Rinse out well. Repeat if necessary in extra hard water conditions or with longer hair.
3) After drying lightly with a towel, massage in Dr. Bronner’s new USDA Organic Leave-In Conditioning Crème for added silkiness and softness.
I’ll experiment with that on a weekend, but not before work. I did wash my notoriously sensitive, acne-prone, combination to oily skin with it though. So far, so good. My face doesn’t feel oily, but it does feel very soft and smooth. It didn’t sting, tingle or feel weird in any way. I’m recovering from the witch hazel experiment, so I didn’t want to feel anything at all. I’ll report back on how my face handles the transition, but at the first hint of breakout I will jump ship! So, while it isn’t likely that I’ll be doing all 18 suggested uses for the soap (listed in the FAQ’s and below), so far as a body wash it’s pretty excellent. It’s good for the environment and feels good on my skin; no complaints there so I feel as if it is money well spent and mission accomplished. I’ll continue to use Dr. Bronner’s and if I am feeling advertous enough to employ my soap for different uses other than skin care, I’ll be sure to report back.
The 18 Uses for Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soap:
Dr. Bronner recorded the “18 in 1 uses” on his label, which we have left mostly intact since his passing in 1997; however, people have told us many, many more uses for it than that. Here is his version. A more paraphrased one follows.
Dr. Bronner’s version:
- Always dilute for Shave-Shampoo-Massage-Dental Soap-Bath!
- Peppermint is nature’s own unsurpassed fragrant Deodorant!
- A drop is best Mint Toothpaste; brushes Dentures Clean!
- A dash in water is the ideal Breath Freshener & Mouth Wash!
- Peppermint Oil Soap for Dispensers, Uniforms, Baby, Beach!
- Dilute for ideal After Shave, Body Rub, Foot Bath, Douche.
- Hot Towel-Massage the entire body, always towards your heart.
- Pets, silk, wool & body tingles head to toe – keeps cool!
- 3 dashes in water rinse most Sprays Off fruit & vegetables!
- 1/4 oz in qt H2O is Pest Spray! Dash, no rash Diaper-Soap!
Paraphrased:
- For everyday body-washing: Get wet and pour soap full-strength onto hands-washcloth-loofah. Lather up, scrub down, rinse off, and tingle fresh & clean.
- For other uses, dilute from one part soap into 40 parts water for light cleaning, to cutting it in half or using it full strength for heavy-duty grease-cutting jobs.
- For shampoo, though we now recommend our new Shikakai soaps for this, many people are fond of using it as such. The method of application is to wet hair and scalp very thoroughly, squirt some soap into hands and work into a lather. Wash hair, then rinse well. Afterwards use our new citrus hair rinse and leave-in conditioners as directed.
- For the laundry, use 1/4 cup to 1/3 cup for one regular load; adjust as needed depending on hardness of water. I’ve been told that adding a dash of baking soda makes it even better.
- For toothbrushing, apply a drop or two of Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soap to a wet toothbrush. Brush as you normally would, rinsing accordingly. Be careful about using more than a couple drops of soap, as you might start foaming at the mouth. Many people with sensitive or softer teeth like to use our soap as a toothpaste because it lacks abrasives.
6 Comments
As a licensed esthetician I feel I should tell you that you are completely incorrect about Dr. Bronner's. Not that it is a bad product per se, but coconut oil is highly comedogenic meaning that it will 100% cause acne. Not only that but it is also classified as a skin irritant for most people very often causing dermatitis. You should really get the whole story before you put posts like this out there because other people who don't know any better will read this and believe it just because it's on the internet. If you don't believe me just ask any esthetician, dermatologist, or the skindeep website where all cosmetic ingredients are categorized.
Thanks so much for your comment, I always welcome arguments from both sides of the story and I hope that readers will read your warning regarding the use of coconut oil. I generally write my articles based on my own personal experience. While my personal experienc with Dr. Bronner's has been good, I hope others will read your recommended sources before trying for themselves. To all readers: If you want to try it in a small size before committing to the larger bottles of Dr. Bronner's you can purchase small trial size bottles from Target. I personally have used both the lavender hemp and the peppermint and found them to be effective and soothing as a body wash. I did not however like how it felt on my hair (too drying) and given my facial sensitivity have discontinued using the product as a face wash.
Whitney,
I, too, am an Aesthetician, have been for more than 10 years. I normally do not respond to random blog comments but you really seemed to shoot this article down without fully understanding the term "Comedogenicity". Having worked along side a dermatologist and plastic surgeon, I must tell you that are are not completely accurate.
Starting from the beginning; comedogenicity simply refers to the "chance" that an ingredient/s will cause your pores to clog. It is rated on a scale from 0-5; the lower # indicating that it is "less likely" that the ingredient, used alone, will clog your pores. Just because a product is comedogenic does not mean that it will "100% cause acne", that assumption is incorrect on your part. Most skin types will tolerate that ingredient in their product just fine. However, those people who have a real problem with clogged pores or problematic skin are simply more "at risk" by using that ingredient.
Fortunately, all products undergo human testing (volunteers, of course), where they apply the product on their skin and then are inspected under a microscope to evaluate the product's comedogenic & irritation level. Instead of spazzing out over a comedogenic ingredient, more importantly look to see if the product, as a whole, passed comedogenic testing.
In agreement with you, coconut oil is a level 4 on the comedogenicity scale, which is high, but it does NOT mean that it is bad for your skin. To reiterate what I stated above, just because it is comedogenic does not mean it will give you acne or clog your pores. Coconut oil can be very nourishing and healing to skin. I recommend that individuals who want to use coconut oil or ANY oil or ANY product on their skin, do a spot test to check for any sensitivities.
Nice article, Icouldsewdothat, and best of luck to everyone.
i used jojoba oil on my oily acneic face and it is good for unblocking blackheads*”*
I use coconut oil every day as a moisturizer and have had No ill effects.
What a meaningful and intuitive post you have created there, very well defined and well described providing helpful info on the subject. Tweeted to my 2100 followers.