I also posted this over in Shave of the Day; just thought I'd share it here, as well... I was showering with Dr. Bronner's Pure Castile liquid soap, in the almond persuasion this eve. For those of you that don't know what it is, it is a brand of soap that was developed by a soap-making family in Germany, the most recent edition created by the late Dr. Emanuel Bronner. It is commonly found in Co-Op, organic, and outdoor-equipment stores, having all the certified organic, fair trade, and other eco-friendly buzz-terms and certifications attached to it. It is available in many "flavors", the most popular one being of the peppermint persuasion. We jokingly call it "Hippie-Soap" because that seems to be the clientele most often patronizing these shops. Now, whether hippies actually bathe, well, now that's probably a topic for another time, and another part of the forum... Anyway, the stuff has a humongous amount of very preachy fine-print on the label, but in all this, it claims to do everything from clean your car to clean your mortal soul, and everything else in between, and among it's "magical" properties, it says you can shave with it. O-kay-- I'll try almost anything once, twice if I like it, and if it's not illegal or immoral... So, after my shower, smelling like marzipan, I put enough of the liquid soap to cover the bottom of a small plastic coffee mug, and spun it up with a soaking boar brush; it created a thinner lather, wetter than I usually make with other products, but, I have to say I liked the texture and lubricity of the lather. Using my trusty Fat Boy, 9-4-1, with a 2nd.-day Feather, I skeptically scraped away about a day and a half's worth of stubble, rinsing with a wash cloth and re-lathering between passes. Well, the verdict: DFS, if I do say so myself. BBS is an elusive creature, which I do bag from time to time, but this was pretty darn close. The down-side is, this soap, while wet and slick, has fairly strong astringent properties, so I was left a little irritated for a while, and you must use an after-shave balm behind this product. So, all said, while not a purpose-designed shaving product, it will do in a pinch; I do carry the stuff camping and back-packing, so I don't have to come back from the woods looking like a refugee... If nothing else, the label makes an interesting read from an eccentric guy that knows how to make soap... The website says that they have a new shaving gel out; I'll see if I can track some down and review it--anything's gotta be better than the Burt's Bees axle grease that I tried a few weeks ago-- Happy Shaves! NCV
Dr. Bronner's says it has 18 uses. I found them on http://wildflowerbotanicals.wordpress.com/2010/11/02/18-uses-for-dr-bronners-soaps/. I have not tried shaving directly with it, but when mixed 1 part soap and 2 parts water, it makes a darn fine shaving lubricant. On a side note, you can also use Dr. Bronner's as toothpaste! I'm thinking of getting the peppermint or citrus flavor to try it out. I just haven't done it because of flashbacks to all the soap I had in my mouth after cursing when younger!!!!
I seem to recall something on the label about brushing your teeth with it; I'll certainly look forward to your review on that topic--hopefully, it won't cause you to have "flashbacks"... Cheers! NCV
I use the Dr. Bronner's bar soap as an everyday shower bar. So far it's my favorite for that and seems to last forever, unlike most other glycerin based soaps. I have yet to try the peppermint but do have a bar waiting to be opened. I don't think I'd try to shave with it though. At least not when there is so many more options!
