Pure-Castile Liquid Soap (Peppermint, 4 ounce) - Made with Organic Oils, 18-in-1 Uses: Face, Body, Hair, Laundry, Pets and Dishes, Concentrated, Vegan, Non-GMO

I remember this stuff from my childhood. I've heard it referred to as "hippy soap". I remember the "peppermint tingle". However, it wasn't until 3 months ago that I actually bought my own. I decided to replace my chemical-laden hygiene products with safer ones - relying on the Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep database to guide me to a better place. There were quite a few items that needed to be investigated...I was looking for a price I could afford, high reviews, and low scores on EWG's Skin Deep. So I found body wash, soap, shampoo, dish rinse, laundry detergent, toothpaste...and then I found Dr. Bronners...one product to handle all those tasks. It sure made things easier!Just think about how all of those products are going on your skin at some point...and then being absorbed...multiple times a day, every day, for years...the bombardment of toxic chemicals is crazy and once you start thinking about it you realize how ridiculous our culture has become with no oversight whatsoever.Dr. Bronner's carries "Champion Status" at the Environmental Working Group's website that ranks products based on their danger/toxicity. This means they have signed a pledge to use only the safest ingredients in all their products. On a scale of 0-10 (0 being the safest), this product scores a 1. I think if you averaged the scores of all the products I have replaced with it, you'd get about a 5.I now buy it by the gallon and have just purchased my second one (3 months later). Do the math and I think my girlfriend and I will go through about 4 gallons a year with all the uses mentioned here.DILUTE DILUTE DILUTEBody Wash: The standard dilution here of about 20% soap to 80% water works fine. You can adjust to your liking/lather preferences. I had been using a Dial foaming hand soap in all my rooms and I've emptied those, cleaned them real good, and converted them to Dr. Bronner's foaming dispensers. I love the results. It foams up real good and the lather is good. If you want more, just up the strength (reduce dilution) a little bit. You may find this leaves a little "tingle" in certain spots that will be extra-noticeable with cold water/air - you may enjoy this or not...either way it's certainly not a big deal and you do get used to it. The other thing to get used to is that you won't have that slimy feeling on your skin that we've probably learned to associate with being clean. That's just the chemicals on your body...Hand Soap: Using the same dilution (20/80) and re-purposed foaming bottles, I keep this in all bathrooms as hand soap. Not much to say here and people compliment me on the smell of my soap...even if they wonder what the heck it is!Dish Rinse: Once again I go with about 20/80 in a squirt bottle in my kitchen. You'll be surprised how well it cleans. When you start seeing the bubbles/lather reduce, squirt a little more and keep going. Remember you're never going to get that insane never-ending foam/lather without the harsh chemicals, but you'll be surprised with how well it does on its own. I do find that if I wash something and don't rinse it off fairly quickly it leaves behind a little "oil slick" that is most noticeable on metallic items...but it's organic and safe...and if you just run your sponge over it real quick and rinse, it's gone. Not a problem at all.Floor Cleaner: Here I dilute it down to like 5% soap, 95% water. It doesn't leave any residue and cleans up nicely - the smell is good too...and it's nice to know I'm not just filling the air with chemical fragrances than can linger in my home for days.Shampoo: I keep some in a bottle at full strength and pour about a teaspoon in my hand, rub together a little, then put it in my hair and clean as usual...you probably need more if you don't have short guy hair like me. I might try to dilute this to 50% only because at full strength it likes to clog the little opening of the bottle with dried soap. It cleans my hair well and I follow it up with Dr. Bronner - Organic Shikakai Conditioner Hair Rinse, 8 fl oz liquid. My girlfriend's hair did not appreciate this method as much as mine did and so I've switcher her over to Yes to Cucumbers (or Yes to Carrots) shampoo and conditioner which is great as well!Laundry Detergent: I keep a gallon in my laundry room and put about 1/3 cup for an average large load. I adjust up or down depending on the size. I augment it with some baking soda which is really cheap. At ~$50 per gallon this is more expensive than your typical Tide chemical gallon but once you factor in that you don't really need (or I don't, at least) fabric softener, the price difference is not as large. If you wash with the chemicals you have them on your skin all day long...every time you sweat they're soaking into your skin...no thanks.Toothpaste: this is the only other time I use the product at full strength - and I may well dilute it a little soon. I like about 3 drops on my wet toothbrush. I know what you're thinking "eww, soap in my mouth?!" I'm not sure how the other scents would work but with peppermint, I had no problem with it. With just the three drops, it foams up quickly and feels and tastes clean. Brush as normal but one warning: don't take forever. Peppermint oil, especially at full strength, can burn your skin a little if left on too long. I find that if I brush for about 1 minute it's not a problem at all. Two minutes and my mouth is a little burnt - but it's not the end of the world and heals overnight. This is why I am considering going with a 1:1 ratio of soap to water and using like 6-10 drops. UPDATE: I have been combining equal parts extra virgin coconut oil and baking soda + Dr. Bronner's (for the peppermint/cleaning) as a homemade toothpaste and it's working well!

When I first heard of Dr. Bronner's Castile Liquid Soap... I thought this has got to be too good to be true. But, I did more and more research and decided to try it. Besides, anything that is all natural can't be that bad right? WOW! That is my reaction to this amazing liquid soap. I am an amputee. I have to be extremely careful about the types of soaps and things I use on my liner and my skin. It is inside this silicone liner all day and it leaves my skin raw and very painful sometimes. I used this soon after I got it and it didn't burn the way all the other soaps did. I didn't break out and it took the smell out of my liner. I know that sounds horrible, but if there are any amputees out there, then they know exactly what I am talking about. I also washed my face with it and my prosthetic leg...my hair...the bathroom counter, the rubber foot on my prosthetic leg...the toilet, the floor in the bathroom and the hall...I did the shower...AMAZING!!! All of that and I only used maybe a teaspoon of this stuff!!!! If that...I mean it was two or three drops for my face and I do mean drops....and it was about 4 for the counter. I used more to wash me and the floor. Because this one was citrus, I loved the lemony-orangey smell I got out of it immediately. And when I later smelled my skin, I just smelled soap and water clean...this was hours later.Do yourself a favor....throw out everything you are currently using...buy a bottle of this...at the rate I am using it, I will not even be through with this bottle in a year, maybe two. And I am one of those people who uses too much of everything. I want to be clean and I want everything else to be clean too! I moisturized my skin with sweet almond oil mixed with a little coconut oil...wow! I just can't tell you enough good things about this soap. I am going to try washing my clothing with it next and my dishes...who knows what else...maybe the dog too. I will update in a month and let y'all know how this is going...I am OCD when it comes to clean...so I want to see how much of this I really use in a month's time if it is the only thing I am using.One side note:if you use this to wash your hair, make sure you use a good conditioner after....something with NO silicone or dimethicone in it. It will just make your hair hard to work with...but if you use something without those two things, you will be amazed at how your hair will love you back....I have wavy, red, colored hair...very, very thick. It is always frizzy and dry. I did a hot oil treatment before cleansing with this soap. I used coconut oil and sweet almond oil and a little shea butter. I left that in for a day and then went and washed it that evening. I only used a little sweet almond oil in it when I got out of the shower and I shampooed twice...there is not a lot of lather...amazingly soft and shiny...my hair was gorgeous. I have never gotten so many compliments before...ok. I will update later on this...but right now, I am happy and give two enthusiastic thumbs up. ;)