Emmanuel Bronner, a soapmaker from Germany, came to America in 1929 and began selling Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap in 1948. The liquid soap, made with vegetable oils, stood out because Dr. Bronner plastered the bottle with his unique philosophy — part religion, part rant. In addition to sharing Bronner's beliefs, the soap label touts the many uses of the versatile soap.
Bathing
Before the popularity of shower gel, fans of Dr. Bronner's used it as a bath soap. The peppermint variety offers a tingle to a morning shower. Applied to a net bath puff, if foams in a thick white lather. Use the soap straight from the bottle for this purpose.
Cleaning
Dr. Bronner's recommends diluting the soap for cleaning — half soap, half water for heavy-duty grease cutting or 40 parts water to 1 part soap for light cleaning. Used this way, the highly scented soap also imparts a perfume to the area cleaned. Dr. Bronner's is available in peppermint, eucalyptus, almond, rose, lavender and citrus scents.
Laundry
Dr. Bronner's recommends 1/4 to 1/3 cup of liquid soap for each load of laundry. Kirsten Anderberg, writing in "The Subversive Subculture of Dr. Bronner's Peppermint Soap" reports that when she used the soap on her laundry it left oil stains. Since the soap is oil based, you might try adding the soap to the washing machine while the machine is filling and letting the machine agitate a minute or so to thoroughly mix the soap before you add the clothes. Use a capful of Dr. Bronner's in a sink full of tepid water to handwash garments. Rinse thoroughly and hang to dry.
Oral Hygiene
Dr. Bronner's label touts the soap as both mouthwash and toothpaste substitute. The ingredients in the soap are non-toxic, but they are, after all, soap. And there's a reason your grandmother washed your mouth out with soap when you said dirty words: the soap tastes horrible.
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