Dr Bronner's Magic Soap!

remember a few months ago I was writing about a pretty red dispenser that I bought, but smelt really bad when I poured in the hand soap?

I googled and the only explanation I could find was that the fragrance in the hand soap reacts with the metal, causing the bad smell - so I decided to put the red pump aside until I found some more natural soaps.....and....I DID!:):)

It's Dr Bronner's Magic Soap - seems to be widely known in the US, though not so common in Singapore (though I've been seeing it pop up at NTUC Finest, Watsons and mostly organic or health stores).

[caption id="attachment_936" align="aligncenter" width="371"] dr bronner magic soap[/caption]

what appealed to me was that

1. NO NASTY CHEMICALS

It's going to take too long and you probably be bored by the time I go through each ingredient....so what I linked the nasty stuff in red (possible links to cancer, fertility issues, etc), the neutral stuff in green.  The links in blue - well, it's not bad or good on its own - it depends what goes into it.   Read the articles using your discretion.  And if you are interested, you can further investigate and decide what works for you!

i) Dr Bronner's Tea Tree Liquid Soap 

INGREDIENTS: Water, Organic Coconut Oil*, Potassium Hydroxide**, Organic Olive Oil*, Tea Tree Extract, Organic Hemp Oil, Organic Jojoba Oil, Citric Acid, Tocopherol * CERTIFIED FAIR TRADE INGREDIENTS ** None remains after saponifying oils into soap and glycerin

I like that their ingredients are easy to read and understand.  Personally I have a good experience with using Hemp Oil based products for my eczema.   I think it's not available in Singapore in its pure form cos' it falls under the cannibis family  even though THC - the drug is not present in concentrations that induces a 'high'.  at least that's what I read.  I'm just happy to find out that hemp seed oil heals my skin!:)

 

ii) Dettol handwash for sensitive skin

(and I can't believe i've been using it for many many many years! OMG....now I'm on a crusade to encourage my family to switch away!)

[caption id="attachment_916" align="aligncenter" width="592"] dettol hand wash for sensitive skin[/caption]

INGREDIENTS:Aqua, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Glycerin, Sodium Choloride, Salicylic Acid, Parfum, Chloroxylenol, Tetrasodium EDTA, Citric Acid, Sodium benzoate, Polyquaternium-7, Sodium Hydroxide, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylparaben, Mthylisothiazolinone, Propylparaben, CI 42090

 

iii) Follow Me handwash 

[caption id="attachment_917" align="aligncenter" width="410"] Follow Me handwash[/caption]

okay, I'm too lazy to type out the ingredients - just want to highlight another ingredient you might want to keep a look out for Triclosan.

2. ECONOMICAL 

Another reason why I like Dr Bronner's is that it is fairly economical though it depends also on

i) how you use it

• The soap is really concentrated - a single drop is all i need to wash my hands and it foams quite a bit already. So for my hand soap dispenser - I dilute one part soap to 5 parts water... and it's cheaper than the commercial nasty hand soaps!


• You can use it for laundry - and I haven't done a calculation, but it does seem a bit ex for laundry since we need quite a bit more when washing clothes.  I didn't try it for laundry - cos' I read from forums that it discolors your clothes over time....so you may wanna do more research on this area.


• You can use it for mopping your floor - I figured this can be cheaper than the normal floor cleaners cos' you need only a little to wash.  I use the Sal Suds version, and I use only a quick squirt - nothing more else you will need to spend a lot more time mopping the floor cos' it's really foamy!   Please note - I used it only on my tiled floor - not on parquet nor waxed surfaces.

ii) where you buy it from

So far, the places I've seen it in Singapore

• NTUC Finest: SGD 29.90 - SGD 33.80 (32 fl oz) / SGD 10.90 - SGD 11.90 (8 fl oz)


• Four Seasons:  SGD32.95 (32 fl oz)


• Watsons: no idea.  I think it was similarly priced with NTUC Finest.

For me, I buy online, and it's USD 15.29 (32 fl oz) - of course gotta factor in currency conversion and shipping, but generally 20% - 30% cheaper.   Especially if you are buying a lot either for ourself or for your family!

3. MULTI PURPOSE USE

as a hand soap, as a body soap, as a shampoo (husband uses it to wash his hair - diluted of course!  I tried but it's too drying for me), floor cleaner (I use their Sal Suds version cos' it's cheaper), window cleaner, furniture cleaner, etc. but so far - I've used it mainly for my hand wash, and for husband's shampoo.

[caption id="attachment_947" align="aligncenter" width="186"] Dr Bronner's Magic Soap - I used the lavender soap and dilute 1 part soap to 8 parts water and it's the husband's shampoo! I don't use it cos' it's too dry for me, and instead use SuKin. Will write a review about it in future.[/caption]

Of course, any another other brand works as well - just remember to check the list of ingredients!

Here's to a healthier lifestyle for all of us!

Meanwhile.....wishing you a wonderful and fulfilling 2013!!!