The Crazy World of Dr. Bronner and his MAGIC Soap

I wouldn't consider myself a film buff, but I do love movies in all shapes and styles. A few weekends ago I found myself staring at my daunting Netflix queue not know what to watch. I settled with Dr. Bronner's Magic Soapbox and found myself inspired by what I saw. I was familiar with Dr. Bronner's castile soap growing up in Encinitas, Ca., a paradise for all things eco-friendly, but didn't know much about the infamous soap maker and counter-culture icon. The film chronicles the life of the eccentric Doctor who went from losing both parents and a wife in the holocaust, to becoming a mental patient on the LAM, to setting up a revolutionary eco-friendly soap making business in Escondido, Ca. at the height of the hippy movement.

Before all of the eco-hype of the green movement, this little old german dude was making sustainable, eco-friendly, organic castile soaps. Not only does the company deliver an awesome product, the head honchos cap their salaries at 5 times the lowest worker's wage, and donate most of the proceeds to local charities like the Boys and Girls Club. This isn't your average soap either, this stuff is concentrated, lathers like nobody's business, and can literally be used for almost all of your cleaning needs.

I must admit, I live for this stuff and use it for everything! I dig the fact that I can use one product, and one package, for almost all of my cleaning and personal care needs. I love the act of cleaning but I was always hesitant to use multiple commercial cleansers who smell harsh and are so unnatural. I use the peppermint soap diluted in water to clean my floors and counters. I love the way it leaves everything smelling fresh and clean afterwards. I recently made up a batch of natural laundry detergent using it as a base and love it. Not only is it cost effective, more importantly, I know exactly what is in it. It feels good knowing that I am reducing the amount of toxic products and wasteful packaging I contribute to the landfill.

On the personal care front, I mostly use the soap as an invigorating body and face wash to wake me up at 4am before work and the soap ROCKS as a shave gel. My partner uses it to wash his hair, but I find it a little too drying for my curls. I have even tried it as a toothpaste when I ran out a few days ago, and oh my, never again! It left the worst soap taste in my mouth throughout the day. Don't even bother trying that!

Dr. Bronner's Castile soaps also come in bar form which i would recommend when traveling or camping to save valuable space since it replaces many other personal care products (laundry detergent, shampoo, shave gel, ect...). I definitely recommend everyone try it out!