Dr. Bronner's Castille soap

Within the past few years, I have been working on my health - inside and out. Throughout my research for better products (chemical free, no parabens), I discovered Dr. Bronner's. I know some of you are thinking, "You're just NOW using Dr. Bronner's? They have been around forever!!" I know, I know. I'm late to the game, folks. My philosophy as a procrastinator is better late than never! Right? Dr. Bronner's has made a significant change in my life. Let me explain...

For about five years, my skin would break out in these red rashes. I could softly touch my skin, and I would break out in a rash. I didn't know what was going on. Sometimes it would be accompanied by an itch, but most times, it was just red rashes everywhere - especially on my arms and chest. I was stumped. It wasn't a huge deal to me at the time so I didn't worry about seeing a dermatologist. I figured it would go away at some point.

One day, I was talking to a co-worker who was telling me how she went to the dermatologist, because her face was breaking out due to an allergic reaction. Come to find out, it was her makeup. She became allergic to the "fragrance" ingredient. As we continued our conversation, I started to think about my skin issues and these random rashes that were popping up everywhere. I figured I would make one or two changes in the products that I was using and see if my skin got better or if it stayed the same. Couldn't hurt, right?

I'm a daily lotion user. I work with papers all day long and they make my hands feel like sand paper. I knew that lotion was going to be the first product that I tested. I took a trip to our local health foods store and came across some lotion that was chemical free. Jackpot! I shoved my nice perfume-smelling lotion into the drawer and replaced it with some aloe lotion. It was more of an "earthy" smell, but I didn't mind it. I actually prefer the more subtle scents over the strong perfumed scents. It didn't even take a full week before I noticed a difference in my skin. The blotchy rashes had decreased and the itching was non-existent. "This is crazy" I thought to myself. How can something so small make this much of a difference? If I knew that all I had to do was switch to no-chemical products, I would have gotten rid of the rashes a long time ago.

This made me look more into non-chemical products and that's where I came across Dr. Bronner's. I knew buying all chemical-free, organic products was going to get pricey so I needed a plan. As I was browsing Pinterest, I came across all these wonderful recipes you could make with Dr. Bronner's castille soap. I made my own body wash, face wash, and even laundry soap! The great thing about this soap is you don't have to use much, so it lasts for a long time. I'm all about getting more bang for my buck! 

These are the ones that I have tried and what I have used them for:

Green Tea

This was a temporary release, but I am hoping they bring it back. The smell is so refreshing and it's great to use by itself as a face wash. I also added some into my hand washes in our bathrooms.

Citrus

This is a lovely scent. I've incorporated this into my cleaning products as well as my body wash and hand wash!

Tea Tree

Tea Tree oil is one of my go to's when I have a zit, scrape, etc so I knew this soap would be no different. It's my go to for a body wash and face wash. I don't use it daily because tea tree can be very drying for my skin but I do use it a couple of times a week for the few breakouts that I have. 

Baby "Unscented"

This is one I would recommend to anyone with sensitive skin. I have very sensitive skin and can't put just anything on my face, so when I started making my face wash, this was the first one that I used. Over time I have moved on to other soaps, but this is still one of my favorites. It's great to put in anything because there is virtually no scent. 

Lavender

If you love the smell of lavender like me, then you'll love the scent of this. I mainly use this for my laundry soap because it gives my clothes just a hint of lavender scent when they've been washed and dried. It also makes for a great bubble bath :) Note: They also make a great anti-bacterial spray in the lavender scent and I love it!

Cherry Blossom

Like the Green Tea, this was a temporary release. I ordered a small size at first and then once I received it, I immediately had to go online and buy the bigger bottle because the smell was just too good. This is the one I'm currently using as a face wash. I just apply two drops into my hands and mix it with water, then rub it on my face like any other face wash. I really hope they bring this one back, too!

I plan on writing about the different recipes I have made so you guys can try them. Some of the recipes I've done are from other bloggers so I would like to reach out to them first so that I can properly cite them. I would never want to take credit for someone else's work. 

If any of you have used Dr. Bronner's castille soap or any of their other products, please let me know. How do you use yours?

xoxo,

Amanda