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Bar Soap Dilutions Cheat Sheet

Bar Soap Dilutions Cheat Sheet

Like the forgotten middle child, the Dr. Bronner’s Pure-Castile Bar Soap has languished without a usage cheat sheet for years while the Pure-Castile Liquid Soap and Sal Suds Biodegradable Cleaner hoarded the attention. No more.

Bar soap aficionados, this one’s for you!

Whether you champion the bar soap because of cost, packaging, travel convenience or availability, this Bar Soap Cheat Sheet will help you use the bar soap for almost every purpose as the Pure-Castile Liquid Soap.

Using the bar soap for household cleaning takes a few extra steps. However, I know there are those of you out there whose priorities will gladly swap the extra time.

The main reason I’ve delayed on this cheat sheet is because some of the uses, such as the All-Purpose Spray, require that the soap be liquid. Liquifying bar soap is difficult. That bar wants to stay a bar, which in most circumstances is good. You want your bar of soap to stay solid from first unwrap to final sliver. Who wants a mushy mess on their shower shelf?

The entire time I was trying to liquify the bar, I felt that the bar was fighting back.

The bar soap is not directly a solid version of the liquid soap. They’re very close, as you can read about in my Liquid vs. Bar post, but those few differences, which are designed to make the bar soap hard, make the bar soap very difficult to liquify. It doesn’t melt. (Word to the wise: don’t microwave bar soap.) It doesn’t dissolve readily. However, dissolve it I finally did.

What I produced I have named “soap cream.” It is a white, foamy, thick gel, which thickens further the longer it sits. This liquified bar soap is not the same as the Dr. Bronner’s Liquid Castile Soap. However, it is still soap, cleans well, and disperses in warm water so that it can be diluted for all manner of household applications.

Because the water needed to dissolve the bar soap also dilutes the preservation system, this soap cream will not have the same shelf life as either the bar soap or the liquid soap. After about three weeks, the soap cream thickened so much anyways that it was nearly solid again. I recommend making only as much as you’d use in a couple weeks.

Making Soap Cream

You’d laugh at my first attempt, wherein I plopped a whole bar of soap in a cup of water, just to see what would happen. Hey, if that worked, why make it more complicated? It didn’t work. Here’s what did:

If you have 24 hours:

Dice a bar of soap into ½” cubes. Soak this in 4 cups (960 mL) of water (distilled or reverse osmosis preferred) for at least a day. (In one practice-run, I hit a busy life stretch and let it sit in water for three days. It still worked.) Diced soap in water looks a lot like tofu.

Bar Soap Dilutions Cheat Sheet

Put the mixture in your blender on low for about 30 seconds or until the soap is fully blended. Do not turn the blender on higher as this will whip excess air into the mixture and increase the volume beyond the capacity of your blender. If you think this process might be too big for your blender, blend half the soap/water at a time. This made 10 – 11 cups of soap cream. Soap Cream looks like beaten, foamy egg whites. Store in air-tight containers. I used mason jars.

If you need it NOW:

This takes more effort on your part, but gets to the end faster with no soak time. Grate a bar of soap on a medium to fine kitchen grater. Combine this with 4 cups (960 mL) warm (not steamy) water in the blender. Blend on low for 30 seconds to a minute.

It is important that the water not be too hot because steam will cause the bubbles in the foam to swell and the volume of your soap cream will increase uncontrollably. When you open your blender, it will continue to grow and pour out all over your counter and down your cabinets and on to your floor. Ask me how I know.

Bar Soap Dilutions Cheat Sheet

Other forms of Bar Soap mentioned on the Cheat Sheet

Solid Bar Soap

Some of the purposes on the Bar Soap Cheat Sheet simply use the whole bar. You can rub your washcloth or your toothbrush or your dish brush directly on the bar of soap. I do recommend sectioning off a piece of soap to dedicate for toothbrushing.

Grated Bar Soap

A few usages call for grated bar soap. Use the medium to fine side of a four-sided kitchen grater. Take care not to grate your fingers. I did try using the grating attachment on my food processor. This did not go well. (Cue wide eyes, running footsteps, hiding cats. It was loud and not healthy for my grating attachment.) Keep grated bar soap in an air-tight container. One bar makes about 3 cups (720 mL) of grated bar soap. Grated bar soap looks like cheese.

Bar Soap Dilutions Cheat Sheet

A few other notes before you get started

If you follow my math listed elsewhere about the soap content of the bar (95%) vs. the liquid (67%), and compare the dilutions of the Bar Cheat Sheet vs. the Liquid Cheat Sheet, the numbers will not match up. I don’t yet have an explanation for that, but I tested these all, and these dilutions are what work best.

All of these are my recommendations from my own experiments using the Dr. Bronner’s Castile Bar. The ratios can easily be adjusted to suit your needs. If you have another recipe or way of doing something, please share it in the comments below. I’m always learning.

Bar Soap Dilutions Cheat Sheet

Body Uses

Hands-Face-Body: Lather Pure-Castile Bar Soap on wet hands or washcloth. 

Makeup Removal: Wet face and lather bar soap on to hands. Massage into skin. Rinse. 

Hair: Rub wet bar soap into very wet hair. Lather and rinse. Follow with Dr. Bronner’s Citrus Organic Hair Rinse or diluted apple cider vinegar. 

Bath: Add 4 Tbsp. (60 mL) grated bar soap or ½ c. (120 mL) soap cream to running warm bath water. (Doesn’t bubble, but still cleans.) 

Shaving: Lather bar on area to create creamy foam. Or, cut to fit as a shaving cake in bottom of shaving cup. Whip up lather with wet shaving brush. 

Teeth: Cut a portion of bar to dedicate to toothbrushing. Swipe toothbrush on bar and brush to teeth. Rinse. 

Foot Bath: Add 1 Tbsp. (15 mL) grated bar soap in a small tub of very warmwater. Swish to dissolve. 

Household Uses

Dishes (Handwashing): Best—Rub dishcloth or brush on bar soap. Or, add 2 Tbsp. (30 mL) grated bar soap or ¼ c. (60 mL) soap cream to about 1 ½ gallons (6 L) very warm running water. Swish to dissolve. 

Laundry: Recommended in hot and warm water only. Not recommended for HE. Use Dr. Bronner’s Liquid Castile or Sal Suds in cold water and HE.

  • Grated bar soap: In a food processor, combine one grated bar of soap with 4 c. (960 mL) baking soda. Pulse to blend. Use ¼-⅓ c. (60-80 mL) per large load.
  • Soap Cream: Use ½ c. (120 mL) for a large load. Add ½ c. (120mL) baking soda to wash cycle.
  • For either method, add 1 c. (240 mL) vinegar to the rinse cycle. 

Handwashing Delicates: In 1 gallon (4L) cold water, lather bar soap with hands until the water is slightly soapy. Swish garment gently. Let soak 10 minutes. Swish again. Rinse with clean water. Gently press out excess water with a towel. Hang or lay flat to dry. 

Mopping (Wood, Laminate, Vinyl, Stone & Tile): Add 1 Tbsp. (15 mL) grated bar soap or ¼ c. (60 mL) soap cream to1 gallon (4 L) hot water. Dunk mop and wring thoroughly. On wood and laminate, avoid excess water.  

All-Purpose Cleaning Spray: Dissolve ½ c. (120 mL) soap cream in 3 ½ c. (840 mL) warm water. Whisk to blend. For extra antimicrobial, add ¼ tsp. (1.25 mL) tea tree essential oil. 

Windows: Dissolve 1 tsp. (5 mL) soap cream in 1 quart (1 L) warm water in a spray bottle. Spray window and squeegee. Follow with spray of club soda or vinegar/water. Wipe dry. 

Toilets: Spray toilet bowl thoroughly with All-Purpose Spray (above) with optional ¼ tsp. (1.25 mL) tea tree oil added. Sprinkle baking soda on toilet brush, scrub bowl, let sit 10 minutes, flush. 

OTHER USES: 

Fruit & Veggie Wash: Lather bar soap with hands into a bowl of water. Dunk produce and swish. Rinse in clear water.  

Dog Washing: Wet dog thoroughly. Massage bar in fur to create good lather. Rinse thoroughly. As with people, avoid soap in eyes and water in ears. 

Cleaning Makeup Brushes: Wet makeup brush thoroughly. Lather soap in hands and massage gently through bristles for 10+ seconds. Rinse and air dry. 

Ant Spray (Not on plants): Dissolve ½ c. (120 mL) soap cream in 3 ½ c. (840 mL) of water. 

Further reading

This dilution and many more are in my book, Soap & Soul: A Practical Guide to Minding Your Home, Your Body, and Your Spirit with Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps, available now in hardback on DrBronner.com or at your favorite bookseller, and as an eBook and audiobook (read by me!) from wherever you download or listen.  

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Bar Soap Cheat Sheet

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Cheryl Burgoyne says:

Love these idea’s! It feels good to get back to basics. My Mom and all the older relatives always used Castile Soap for tons of things along with vinegar. Does it matter which scent you use for any of these uses?

Lisa Bronner says:

Hi Cheryl – While there is a lot of research behind the benefits of various essential oils, I generally use whichever scent sounds best to me in the moment, or whichever is handiest. Generally it is the soap base that is doing the work in the situation.

Mai says:

Hi, thank you for all the great info! Can diluted bar soap be used on indoor plants for pests as well? I see a recipe on the liquid soap cheat sheet for this, but not on the bar soap cheat sheet. Is there any reason for that? Thank you!

Lisa Bronner says:

Hi Mai – My only hesitation for using diluted bar soap on plants is that it has salt in it (sodium chloride) which acts as a hardening agent. However, this could be a problem for plants. I haven’t tried it myself for this reason.

Gregg says:

Thanks for the great articles, especially the hints about what didn’t work. :^)

For grating soap my Salad Shooter has worked great for years. You just have to slice the bar at least once so it will fit in the chute.

Lisa Bronner says:

Ha! I never would have thought of that! Thanks for the tip, Gregg!

Gregg says:

I should also have mentioned that when you go to wash the grater and parts, they’re already pre-soaped!

Tania Mindel says:

Thanks for all this! So if I make the soap cream as per recipe above – and wanted to have it as hand or body wash, would I need to further dilute it?

Lisa Bronner says:

Hi Tania – You could dilute it further, or just use a little bit. You could put the soap cream in a container and just scoop out a teaspoonful or so. Up to you!

Josphine says:

Making the powder laundry detergent I don’t need to put borax with the baking soda

Lisa Bronner says:

Hi Josphine- I choose not to use Borax because it’s a skin irritant and any left of fabrics could be problematic. It would also wear down fabrics more quickly than a gentler option. Baking soda also whitens and brightens clothes but is more gentle on fabrics.

Wu Yanni says:

Can I use the all purpose soap spray on windows? The ratio seems a bit different.

Lisa Bronner says:

Hi Wu- I sometimes find the All-Purpose Spray to leave behind too many suds for windows so prefer the lighter dilution, but there’s no harm in using the stronger All-Purpose Spray.

Elisabeth says:

Why is the bar laundry detergent recipe NOT recommended for HE washers? Is it because these washers have trays that are intended for liquid detergent?

I made up some of the bar detergent and scooped it right in with my clothes, bypassing the tray. The clothes came out feeling great… I hope I’m not killing my machine.

Thanks!

Lisa Bronner says:

Hi Elisabeth – Because an HE machine uses less water than a traditional machine, the concern is that the water content isn’t high enough to thoroughly dissolve and rinse out the grated bar soap. It doesn’t sound like that’s been an issue for you though.

Lisa Bronner says:

Hi Sharon- Thanks for commenting and sharing your feedback! I’d love to learn more about what would be helpful. Downloadable/printable PDFs of Cheat Sheets and such are located on the right-hand side of related posts (or at the bottom of the article on mobile). Would you like to see that ability streamlined? Or perhaps a button to print the articles would be a good thing?

Kathryn says:

You said that grating with a food processor did not work for you, and you used a hand grater,but in the cheat sheet that is not what you recomended.
As a result there may be some food processors that will be meeting an early grave.

Lisa Bronner says:

Hi Kathryn – I believe I see where the confusion lies. For laundry, I recommend: In a food processor, combine one grated bar of soap with 4 c. (960 mL) baking soda. Pulse to blend. Use ¼-⅓ c. (60-80 mL) per large load.

The bar soap should be already grated prior to adding it to the processor with the baking soda. Thank you for pointing that out!

Bead says:

Thank you for this luxiourious recipe! We always have a left over small little oval from our Dr. Bronner soap bars that we save. Right now I have about as much to make up the content for this recipe. In the past I have placed them in a glass container (lined lightly with olive oil) and into my steamer, cool it then have a…presto(!) ..new bar! AND this idea is great; we really look forward to trying it. THANK YOU so much!

Rhonna says:

Hi, Lisa,
Did you hear anything back about the possibility a Sal Suds bar? (If you had it, I’d for sure buy it!)

Lisa Bronner says:

Hi Rhonna- I’ll pass your request along again for another vote! If we do make one, you can read about it here!

Lynda says:

Great idea! I’d love that. I use Sal Suds all the time.

Kimberly says:

How long will this recipe last. Should I add a natural preservative because I am adding water? If so which one?

Thank You

Lisa Bronner says:

Hi Kimberly- You are right that diluting the soap shortens its shelf life, and adding a preservative back into it would extend it. I don’t have stats on how much of which preservative, but you can open a capsule of vitamin E and add that to the solution. I’ve had the soap cream sitting around for a couple months, and other than some of the water separating out, it doesn’t seem to have spoiled. If it smells or looks “off,” then it’s time to dispose and remake. Perhaps don’t make up a whole bar at once. Just use half a bar or so.

Stephanie says:

When making the soap cream for laundry purposes, can you add baking soda before you blend? Can you also dilute it down to make bigger batches? I make laundry soap for myself and a friend and we both go through about 5 gallons of the current DIY laundry soap a month, unfortunately it has borax in it so we need a different recipe since she has been diagnosed with cancer.

Lisa Bronner says:

Hi Stephanie- I am so sorry to hear about your friend. I am sending her all the best healing thoughts. For the soap cream, I have not tried adding the baking soda before blending, but my concern would be that baking soda absorbs moisture and may cause your soap cream to clump up. But I could be wrong. If you try this before I have a chance to, let me know what you find. You could dilute it more, but it is the soap content that results in the efficacy in the laundry, so if you diluted it more, you would need a larger amount per load. You can try reducing the amount you use per load and see if it gets the laundry as clean.

Stac says:

Hi! If I’m understanding this correctly, could this “soap cream” be used as a creamy body wash? I love using the almond liquid but miss the “luxuriousness” of using a thicker wash. Hoping I could use the unscented bar, add some oils and make my own.
Also- no matter what the use, what’s the shelf life of this “soap cream?”

Lisa Bronner says:

Hi Stac- Absolutely! This would make a nice thick body wash. You can certainly make it with the Unscented and add your own essential oils. This sounds lovely! You may need to dilute it even more because it does tend to thicken more as it sits. I haven’t done tests on shelf life, and keeping it in a warm shower may lessen it, but I have had soap cream sitting around for a couple months, and other than the water separating out, it’s fine. You can add a capsule of vitamin E to give it a preservative boost if you’d like.

Meaghan says:

Thank you for this great information. I have just started using Dr. Bronner’s bar soap inan effort to reduce the amount of unnatural ingredients in my skin products (food too) and to help reduce plastic waste. I have been trying to make your Soap Cream recipe for two weeks. I made a tiny batch by winging the ratios and the Soap Cream came out great! However, when I went to make more, it’s been a total fail! 24hrs after I blend it all up it turns from what looks like perfect soap cream goodness into very soapy water. I have tried different soap/distilled water ratios, and mixing times/speeds but to no avail. I am grateful for your time and appreciate any help you can offer to help me create more lovely soap cream. Thank you!

Lisa Bronner says:

Hi Meaghan- You are on an excellent journey! Here are some troubleshooting ideas: It sounds like maybe the soap cream structure is failing as it sits. I was totally expecting you to say that it turned super thick and you couldn’t use it, which is what happened to me. Perhaps using less water will help it keep its structure. Second thought, there is likely nothing wrong with the cleansing power of the soapy water. It would still clean great. You can put that in a foaming pump dispenser for use.

Carolyn says:

I’ve been using Dr. Bronner’s products exclusively for about 15 years now. I thought I “knew it all” but love all the tips shared here. Thanks everyone!

Paula says:

I just came across your site as I was searching for plants to use in my recycled washer- grey water garden! Loving all the comments and am going to start using Dr. Bronner’s products! Thank you for all this great info!

Lisa Bronner says:

Hi Paula- Glad to have you as part of the Dr. Bronner’s family! Please reach out if you have any questions.

Lisa Bronner says:

Hi Gia- On its own, the bar soap makes a great hand soap. If you want to make a liquid-ish hand soap out of the bar, I would recommend using a foaming pump dispenser. I haven’t done this, but I would try a 1:1 ratio of the soap cream to water. Or dissolve 1/8 of a bar in 1 ½ cups of water.

Johnnie says:

Gia,
I dilute the liquid soap and use it in a foam pump. Works great!
Blessings,
Johnnie

Jane says:

Loved the liquid soaps for years! Now I’m trying the baby bar soap to handwash dishes, and I noticed a lot of whitish water spots when they air dry. What might cause that? (I used a sponge or a brush on the bar and then the dishes.)

Lisa Bronner says:

Hi Jane- The spots you are seeing are a reaction between the Castile Soap and the minerals in your water. The Bar Soap is so much more concentrated than the liquid Castile Soap, and you’re noticing the effects of more soap content. Try going a little lighter on the amount of bar soap your using.

Lakshmy Sivam says:

Hi Lisa,
Wonderful posts!
I have just bought my first bottle of Dr Bronners castile soap. Could you share what is a good recipe mix for handsoap please? i.e. such that it effectively removes germs.

Also, is the castile liquid soap safe for laundry HE machines if I were to make a laundry detergent out of it?

Thanks a mil

Regards
Laks

Lisa Bronner says:

Hi Laks- Welcome to the Dr. Bronner’s family! Castile soap works best in a foaming pump dispenser. Start with a ratio of 1 part soap to 3 parts water and adjust to your preference. We don’t recommend using it in a standard pump as it can squirt out in unexpected directions. For laundry, use 1/4 cup Castile in an HE machine. Add 1/2 cup vinegar to the fabric softener compartment to keep clothing soft. The liquid Castile cheat sheet covers the many uses and dilutions: https://www.lisabronner.com/dilutions-cheat-sheet-for-dr-bronners-castile-soap/

RachelC says:

Hi Lisa,
I’m slightly off-topic here, but this seemed the closest, most recent post to use: would hair colored with henna be ok with Dr. Bronner products. I know you mentioned with regular hair color, Dr. Bronner’s would open the cuticle too much, but since henna coats the hair, would this be an ok combo?
Thanks!

Lisa Bronner says:

Hi Rachel- I don’t have any personal experience with hennaed hair, but from what I hear, our Castile soap works fine with henna. I believe this is because henna stains, or coats, the hair rather than going into the hair shaft. If you give it a try, I’d love to hear how it worked for you.

Nikki says:

Hi Lisa, I use Dr. Bronner’s soap to wash my hair, but I use the bar because I have hard water. I feel like I spend a lot of time and waste water as I have to re-lather my hands two or three times to get enough soap on my medium-length hair. What are your thoughts on making the soap cream with the bar and using that on my hair? It seems like that would be easier to apply and spread on my hair. Thanks for all that you and everyone at Dr. Bronner’s do to make products that are good for us and the environment!

Lisa Bronner says:

Hi Nikki- I think the soap cream would work well for this. One bar makes a lot, though. You might want to make only half or a quarter bar worth of soap cream. When I wash my hair with bar soap, I wet my hair really well and then rub the bar directly on my hair. The soap cream is a great idea, too, though.

E says:

Hi. Could I add isopropyl alcohol to the 18-IN-1 Hemp Peppermint liquid soap and use as an anti-bacterial soap or spray? If so what would the ratio be??? Thank you. E

Lisa Bronner says:

Hi E- You can add a little bit of alcohol to soap, up to 5% of the total solution, but it doesn’t add much benefit. Soap works by bonding with dirt and grime, which is then washed away in the water during rinsing. If soap isn’t rinsed away, it just sits there. So a spray-on hand sanitizer with Castile soap would not work. We do make an alcohol-based hand sanitizer, although we are having trouble keeping it in stock. I wonder if you could also make your own with essential oils, glycerin, and alcohol. I haven’t tried it, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work.

Robert Griisser says:

I have used Dr. Bronners soap for well over 20 years. I like getting a quality product that is environmentally friendly, fair traded and safe for humans. I am addicted to the peppermint scent. I have not tried any of the other uses listed here but I probably will. I just bought a tube of your shaving soap but have not used it yet. Dr. Bronners products are a perfect example that you get what you pay for.

Globeinfolive says:

[…] tends to be more popular because it’s easier to use, but bar soap is cheaper. If you want to convert it to liquid form, you can chop or grate a 5-ounce bar, soak in 4 cups of water for 24 hours, then blend at low speed […]

gina says:

I had been using Dr. Bronner’s Peppermint oil liquid soap off and on since 1972. I think it has the truest and most assertive fragrance of all the soaps. I stopped using it, however, because of the plastic factor, in favor of bar soaps–including those I make. I keep a Dr. Bronner’s bar and a grater in a decorative bucket by my toilet and grate it directly into the bowl and swish. I keep another bar by the sink for dish washing.

I actually came here today to find out the bar-to-liquid conversions to make a laundry recipe I found using liquid soap and here was all this great information on alternative and green uses. I am glad to see that your recipe uses baking soda. I think I will meditate an hour later to grate up a bar to have on hand rather than make up a liquid for ease in storage and longer keeping. Thanks for sharing your wisdom.

Lisa Bronner says:

Hi Gina- This post was written for people like yourself! I’m glad you found it helpful!

Nicole Foley says:

This may sound werid but do I actually need to wash off Dr Bronner’s soap? I made a GIY foot balm from coconut oil 1/2 cup, eucalyptus essential oil 6 drops, and Dr Bronner’s eucalyptus soap 1&1/2 tbs. I have been putting it on pretty good before bed then putting on socks for about an hour so it soaks in. I haven’t had to file or sand my feet with winter foot problems since I started using it but then I wondered if I can leave it on and not actually rinse it off.

Lisa Bronner says:

Hi Nicole – Normally, yes, the soap should be rinsed off. I’m not sure what benefit the soap is bringing to the salve, though. What do you think of leaving the soap out? I love the incorporation of the eucalyptus. That sounds fantastic for the feet!

Alicia Cotilla says:

Here is another use, I was surprised not to find. I use the bar soap for their lovely smell in my closet and drawers. When I open the drawers a sweet lovely whiff of lavender greets me.
Also, I learned a neat trick for cleaning windows using bar soap. Simply slide it over the window and squeegee off. Wet or dry its a streak-free, mess-free experience.
Take care and keep on being so lovely and cosmic!

Lisa Bronner says:

Hi Alicia- The bar soaps do have a lovely smell! I have not heard of using them to clean glass. I will give that a try!

Christine Easley says:

I would like to add to your suggestions, first reminding pet owners [especially cat owners] that Tea Tree oil & pets don’t mix well … Felines are very susceptible to all Phenols — which are Toxic to them. They can have mild or very severe allergic reactions; even die. It may not happen every time, but as a former Zookeeper & Veterinary Paramedic, plus many decade wildlife rehabber I have seen some truly tragic pet reactions– be careful! _____ Your suggestion for dog washing should probably include using vinegar in the rinse water [avoiding eyes 🙂 ] — On hand wash items, I have been using Dr Bronners with a solution of Hydrogen Peroxide & water. I it is very good for getting white or light colored items ‘whiter’ by a more natural ‘bleaching’ action without a harsh chemical. Items should be tested for color-fastness prior to adding Peroxide. Works very well on items stained by sweat, blood, or urine– if you have pets or kids it’s good to have safe cleaning solution for all those issues! Peroxide can be even added to the dog washing– great for dogs with white markings/coats. ___ I also add Dr Bronners to my toilet tank as a cleaner — Peppermint is a good one which leaves a nice fresh scent when flushing [also adding Peroxide will help whiten the toilet] — keeping in mind the pet caution, Tea Tree would also work well. __ I am older, so bending & getting on my knees to scrub is no fun– I simplify my tub & shower cleaning by scrubbing them after I’ve completed my bathing– I use my old loofahs, facial buffing pads, & old toothbrushes to scrub my tub thoroughly with Dr Bronners while I’m still sitting in it — then rinse the whole thing & myself well. Leaves a perfectly clean tub for the next use. Ditto with the shower– I turn the shower to a warm trickle, scrub the surround walls & glass door with my old scrubbies, then return water to full force to rinse. ____ Bugs & rodents hate Peppermint, so the scent will help deter them both whenever one uses it in a cleaning solution 🙂 Ditto for natural Orange & Lemon oils/cleaners. — Don’t care for spiders? [or even scorpions… I’m thinking TX & SW ] — Use Lavender– arachnids despise it 🙂 ___ Basically, between keeping Dr Bronners soaps plus a spray bottle each of Hydrogen Peroxide & one with vinegar I manage to do most my cleaning. __ Hope you can use my suggestions 🙂

Lisa Bronner says:

Hi Christine- Thanks so much for all these tips! You have some new ones that I’ll need to try myself. I’m glad our soaps have been such help to you – and in so many ways!

Claudia Tedeschi Sheiman says:

I just purchased the hair conditioner. The product is very “thin”,and pours out too fast. I think a cap that is like the one used on the small bottles as in the castle soaps would be better. I have wasted a lot of my product because you have to remove the cap.
Thank you

Lisa Bronner says:

Hi Claudia- A flip lid for our Citrus Hair Rinse is a great suggestion that I will be sure to share. I usually pour the Citrus Hair Rinse into a small cup and mix with water before using. Another idea: because cap sizes are standardized, you can take the cap off another product – like our 8oz Castile, for example – and put in on the Citrus Hair Rinse bottle.

Andrea says:

I love the comment of Dr. Bronner having the advantage of taking his teeth out to brush them! I have brushed my dentures (and mouth) for years with a couple spritzes of diluted Dr. Bronner’s tea tree liquid castile soap on my brush. When i soak my dentures overnight, I use a couple drops of the soap in my water. I do rinse with filtered water and have never been left with a soapy taste in my mouth – only an incredible clean with no chemical film left behind. Thank you for a truly wonderful line of products!

Franne Lucas says:

I love Dr Bronner soaps. I lather up with peppermint before going outside in summer heat to garden and it keeps the mosquitoes and gnats away. The Tea tree soap aids in keeping psoriasis at bay. I use both the bar soaps and liquid soaps. I am wondering if there is a way to color mark the different soaps for ID when in the soap dish? Perhaps a color stripe that corresponds to the packaging.
Anyway, thanks for your soaps and lip balm. Your lip balm is the only one I can use without an allergy reaction.
Dr Bronner’s products are great!

Lisa Bronner says:

Hi Franne- That’s great that you’re having success with our soaps! We are never going to add artificial colors to our soaps. Perhaps you can cut one of the bars to help identify which is which.

Cheryl W says:

I just LOVE Dr. Bronners. All of it. I”ll be dicing my Dr. Bronners bar soap after I sign off. I love to try new things in the chemical free cleaning world. I’ve dumped all my chemical cleaning arsenal years ago (my husband has since come to my terms, at first he was saying WHAT DO I USE NOW???) ha. They can be trained!
Love the humor with your posts. Thank you for this one!

SheilaB says:

What a great article! And thank you for “proofing” the process! (what I would call, ‘good ole clean fun’!)
The creaminess is so motivating to use!

Thank you!
Cheers, Sheila

Jane Terry says:

I use Dr. Bronner’s bar soap for washing my hair, but an apple cider vinegar rinse did not work for me. So I tried washing my hair with the bar soap, then used Dr. Bronner’s Organic Hair Crème as a leave-in conditioner (applied to damp hair), and this combination works well, leaving my hair clean and soft.
I also use the bar soap to wash my dog, as well as to wash dishes (just rubbing the soap with a dishrag, as you also suggest, rather than liquify or grate the soap). I tried brushing my teeth with bar soap but can’t quite get past the soap taste. I might try adding some mint flavoring or cinnamon to see if that helps.
Thanks for experimenting with the soap in blenders and microwaves (LOL!), and sharing your findings with us!

Lisa Bronner says:

Hi Jane- I agree, as a toothpaste it tastes like soap!

Dida says:

Would you consider making sal suds a bar? I really am trying to reduce plastic use and buy it in a gallon. I also use your bar soap for personal washing.

Lisa Bronner says:

Hi Dida- I like the idea of a Sal Suds bar and will definitely share it with our team.

Drake says:

Sal Suds Bar, fantastic idea. Not quite as natural as Castile soap, but should leather more for when one needs it. Most likely won’t be anywhere near as popular as “regular” bar soap, but sure will have its uses.

Becky says:

Thank you for this information. I didn’t know I needed or wanted it until I read your post. The more I read and learn about Dr. Bronner’s products the more I like them. Right now I use them mostly for laundry and washing my hair, but I plan to incorporate them into all my cleaning regimens.

Andrea says:

I recommend keeping a travel -size supply of the liquid soap in your car or bag! It’s perfect for removing accidental beverage spills on clothes or car seats – and for cleaning those drinking glasses in hotel rooms you’re not really sure are clean or not!

About Lisa Bronner

My grandfather was Dr. Bronner, my family makes soap, and I share ways to use it plus tips on greener living.

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Bar Soap Cheat Sheet

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Barra de Jabón Puro de Castilla

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