Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soap company started off as a family owned and operated business in Germany in the 1960s. Today it is located in San Diego, California. According to Frugally Minded and its longtime users, this brand of soap has a number of benefits to the body, skin, and hair–it is organic, sustainable, vegan and made almost entirely of jojoba, hemp, and coconut oils. They come in bar and liquid form. A little goes a long way so much so you may only need a few drops at a time of the liquid version and on top of that, it is extremely gentle.
Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps are made with ethically-sourced, certified fair trade ingredients and is known as “The Fighting Soap Company” for its activism in organic integrity, animal rights, and labeling genetically engineered foods.
The brand started off as a favorite of the counter culture in the 60s and the group thrived on this naturally derived soap—and still do. The brand is not commercially advertised and is still ran as a family business even though they have experienced exponential growth since their initial debut. The label itself is almost as famous as the soap. The company’s eccentric founder, Dr. E. H. Bronner, created a wordy label covered with Jewish and Christian scriptures and he was so passionate about his mission to spread the news about this soap and its many uses. Oftentimes, he was ostracized because of this. He traveled to universities and had other speaking engagements to tell people about the many ways you could use this soap. In addition, Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps are made with ethically-sourced, certified fair trade ingredients and is known as “The Fighting Soap Company” for its activism in organic integrity, animal rights, and labeling genetically engineered foods.
One of those uses that he talked about was washing hair. I have personally used Dr. Bronner’s Magic soap as a shampoo. I personally have used it because of its gentleness. Contrary to popular belief, Dr. Bronner’s soap does not strip the hair–as long as it is diluted, of course. This stuff is potent and extremely concentrated and you can use it as a shampoo. You just need to know how to do so.
This product itself doesn’t seem to be a problem but some curlies have voiced concern about the dilution process and whether or not you can actually use this soap as a shampoo because of that. Here is the proper way, according to the Dr. Bronner company, on how to properly use the soap for washing hair:
Dilute 1 tbsp to ½ cup of water and work into your wet hair. This seems like a reasonable dilution for not drying out your hair. Depending on the porosity of your curls, you may need to adjust this measurement of dilution. The key is to listen to your hair and figure out your perfect balance.
This is one of the first and still one of the very few that do not contain SLS chemicals such as sodium laurel sulfate Basically, it does not lather. So, if you do plan on adding this soap to your arsenal know that you will not get the magical foam you get from more common soaps, but you will get your hair clean and free of chemicals.
As with any product, you have to fully understand its use and experiment with it on your own, otherwise you can be left confused. One person’s experience is not everyone’s and some may decide this soap doesn’t work for them. But, there is a method if you do decide to use it and that is to stick to the suggested dilution proportions and then adjust for what works for you.
Will you be using it on your next wash day?
Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soap is available at Whole Foods, Target, GNC, and Walmart stores. This article is not sponsored.
