Friday 8 March 2013

REVIEW | DR. BRONNER'S CASTILE SOAP

Happy Friday everyone! Guess what's special today? KIWEE BLOG DAY!

Dr. Bronner's Unscented Magic Soap

Product Description: Our unscented baby contains no fragrance so is great for people who have allergies or sensitive skin. Of course it is great for babies as well. 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**, Organic Olive Oil*, Organic Hemp Oil, Organic Jojoba Oil, Citric Acide, Tocopherol

*Certified Fair Trade Ingredients
** None remains after saponifying oils into soap and glycerin

EWG's Skin Deep - Cosmetic Safety Database Rating: 1 (not bad not bad)

My thoughts: Yes, yes. A review on the Dr. Bronner's soap that everyone knows of. However, even though there are tons of information and reviews on Dr. Bronner's soap, I still want to share my experience with you guys.

I stumbled upon Dr. Bronner's website, one day, as I was searching for organic and natural product. And let me tell you...I ran away from the site. (WHAT?!). The website I saw was totally different from the one it is now. The one I saw was unorganized, and all messy. It even showed a video on how the Dr. Bronner's soaps were made. After looking at the first minute of that video, a thought came into my mind "How can natural soaps have lather? This is definitely not a natural/organic soap!" *close the video, close the website*. There goes my first experience with Dr. Bronner's. 

How stupid was I back then? Now I lived an extra year of my life without Dr. Bronner's soap! How disappointing. 

Unlike what I originally thought, natural/organic soaps do lather. And they lather so well! I would use this soap to wash my hands, clothes, body, brushes, etc. I couldn't really take pictures of me washing my hands with this soap as... my hands were too busy... washing...


But this is the amount I used to wash one of my brush. 


And this is how well it lathered! Science is miracle eh? 

Isn't it amazing? I really can't emphasize on how good this soap is. It cleanses my brushes really well (as well as hands + body + etc) and super clean. And as you can see, I only need a really tiny amount for this to lather. Even though it's unscented, there's still a pleasant soap smell after using it. 

Of course, with every product, there is always something that, us consumers, we don't like (Ah, aren't we just so hard to satisfy). 

It is very drying. Not super drying...but pretty drying (mostly on the body). You can really feel that "squeaky clean" feeling after cleansing with this. And if you are washing your brushes with it, definitely rinse very VERY well with water after. The first time I washed my brush with Dr. Bronner's, I didn't know there were still soap left on my brush. To the touch, it felt like there was no more soap. I really rinsed for a long time. However, when my brush dried, there were some parts that were hard because the soap had dried there...Don't worry! Nothing wrong will happen with the brush. Just rinse it again, and your brush will be back to normal.

Before ending, I want to talk about the two ingredients that I've put in bold. According to the EWG's database, those two ingredients are rated 2. That's why there's a rating of 1 for this soap. Those two ingredients are both banned from Canada's Prohibited and Restricted Cosmetics Ingredients. Which is very weird because this soap is sold everywhere in Canada. First, Citric Acide has a rating of 2 due to the fact that if it's used alone in its full strength, it would cause damage. More information can be found at Chemical of the Day. Second, I'm not very sure why Organic Hemp Oil also has a rating of 2. Maybe because the oil has some presence of THC (which is Tetrahydrocannabinol, a chemical found in weed). Hmm....I will definitely update this if I get more information on it. But don't worry too much. Nothing wrong with this soap. It is so mild and soft that it would be great for babies too (well...that's why it's called "unscented baby-mild...")! Will definitely repurchase! ;) In my holy grail list!

  • Cost: $ 9.50 or more (prices varies depending on where purchased).
  • Size: 16 oz. (more sizes are available).
  • Acquired: Bought with my own money.
  • Where to buy: This is available in a lot of health stores as well as iHerb, Vitacost, LuckyVitamin, Dr. Bronner's, and many many more.

I would have really loved that it has a pump or a different packaging as I find myself wasting a lot of product when pouring it out (I have my own container, but it would have been more convenient xD).

Also, there are different scents for this soap, but I chose the unscented one as I heard essential oils are photosensitive, which means sensitive to sunlight. This can cause rashes or burns when applied on the skin. So if you are planning to use this on your body, or skin, an unscented one would be good. For cleaning brushes, or other things, scented one will be nice to have.

Have you ever tried their soaps before? Other recommendations? Which one is your favorite?

Have a nice day <3!
xoxo,
Kiwee




10 comments:

  1. I love this for washing my brushes, the almond scent is lovely. x

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  2. I made laundry detergent with the bar soap and a few other things, and it is the best detergent I've ever used.

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  3. @Ana goes green...Yes! Me too! They wash the brushes so clean! I'd love to try more scents for them! Will keep an eye on the almond scent! ^.^ Thank you for the comment!

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  4. @shookanucaDo you have a post on how you made it? Would love to check it out! Thanks for the comment <3!

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  5. I love this soap on anything else but my body, haha. I mix it with vinegar and some essential oils and wash my clothes with it when I'm too lazy to go and buy the normal detergent

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  6. I like Dr Bronner's I'm using it for washing brushes and my hands.

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  7. @Eco Beauty ViviOh! That's a good idea! I just use it as it is for washing my clothes! I should try this vinegar + essential oil mix! Thanks for the info + comment <3!

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  8. The unscented one is my favourite! I have used it for bathing, showering, washing brushes & as a replacement for laundry detergent! I like to add tea-tree oil to it for washing. I agree with you, it creates much more of a lather than you would expect it to for a natural liquid soap.

    It didn't work for washing dishes or washing my hair though lol. I'm still trying to find all the uses!! xx

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  9. Hi Kiwee
    Firstly, lovely to read your blog enjoying the benefits of organic and natural skin care products. :)

    As a hemp seed oil and cosmetic ingredient expert, qualified clinical aromatherapist and EWG Champion skin care manufacturer, I thought Id help out with some inside info that may be useful to you and your readers...

    Hemp Seed Oil is one of the finest skin and body care oils known to man. It contains the perfect ratio of Essential Fatty Acids to maintain a healthy body when taken internally and when applied directly to the skin, making it ideal for use by those with skin sensitivities such as eczema.
    Hemp Seed Oil used in cosmetics must be tested to be sure that it contains no more than trace amounts of THC. It is not possible to get 'high' from drinking or applying Hemp Seed Oil purchased from reputable suppliers.
    Hemp Seed Oil comes from a sister plant to the one which produces illegal cannabis, but the strains are very different.

    The reasoning behind the EWG Hazard 2 rating, is indeed baffling but may have a great deal to do with the fact they EWG are based in your neighboring country USA which has extreme difficulties understanding the difference between hemp and cannabis plants...but that's a whole other story! Not a problem with EWG more the US govnt unfortunately.

    Citric Acid is a food safe product. A tiny amount of citric acid is added to real soap to balance the pH to a more skin safe level. Genuine soap is a very alkaline product, the higher the alkalinity the harsher it is on the skin. So to balance this, a tiny amount of citric acid can be used to bring the pH down to a more or less neutral position.

    As for Essential Oils in skin care, photo-sensitivity is caused by citrus oils on the whole, and not all essential oils.
    When Essential Oil is added to a skin care product it is diluted by the product and not often added at a level higher than 2% volume of product.
    Essential Oils when used for product aroma is not the same as the concentrated use of essential oil when used for therapeutic massage oil application. The smell can be enjoyed in the product but the body does not absorb anywhere near the levels used during a session with a qualified aromatherapist.

    I have no affiliation with Dr Bronner's Soaps at all...But I do have a passion for helping others understand the sometimes confusing ingredients lists when it comes to all skin care products, natural and otherwise.

    I hope you continue discovering the beauty of healthier skin care products for your skin and and I look forward to enjoying more of your fantastic posts...keep on keeping on. :D
    Namaste, Hx

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  10. @Indica MamaWow. This is some very valuable information. I know a lot of people have been confused about the essential oils, as well as myself, and this really helped clarify it. The Hemp Oil was also quite confusing. I tried looking for information about it, but didn't find much. I was a little bit confused there. Thank you so much for sharing these information with me along with the readers.

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