it's really, ALL ONE!

Soap. I never thought I could have an appreciation for soap until I found pure-castile soap. There are many brands of castile soap but the one I first started using and haven't stopped using is Dr. Bronner's. I am not at all suggesting you have to use this brand- it's just the brand I am used to and still exploring. I am suggesting you consider castile soap; it is biodegradable, vegetable based, natural and non-toxic.

Dr. Bronner's claims to be the 18-in-1 soap. I personally don't use it for all 18 things (yet) but I have found it to be very useful. It is the only soap I buy anymore so I stock up when I find it on sale. This soap is very concentrated so a little bit goes a long way.

I used to buy castile soap in liquid form, but it usually comes in a plastic bottle. After a while, I realized that the bar soap is just as effective AND I don't have to produce plastic waste. I kept the last bottle from the liquid soap so I can store my DIY melted bar soap and water mixture.

Here are the steps I follow to make 32 oz. of DIY liquid soap:

1. Using a regular old kitchen knife, I cut roughly a 1/2 inch thick strip from the bottom of the bar length wise. You can cut more or less depending on your preference. Don't stress too much about the measurements because you can't really mess it up. Break it down into small chunks and put them in the bottle.

2. Next, I used a funnel to add hot water to the bottle. I didn't boil the water- I just used the hot water from the sink. You just need it to be hot enough to melt the soap. If your sink water doesn't get very hot, you might need to heat the water in the microwave/stove top.

3. Put the lid on and shake it up so the soap can melt. Be patient- sometimes it takes a little while for the soap to completely dissolve.

4. Now your liquid soap is ready and available whenever you need it!

Like I said, I reused the plastic bottle I had, but you can use anything you have laying around to store it.

Hand soap

After all that work of making liquid soap... you can still just use the bar. Or if you are like me and prefer liquid hand soap, all you need now are some soap dispensers. I purchased glass soap dispensers that I use in each bathroom and the kitchen. You might prefer metal, or maybe you will just refill the plastic soap dispenser you already have. Either way, just use something you aren't going to throw out when it's empty.

DIY liquid soap

Body wash

This one is easy... just use the bar. I won't get into what to put the bar onto (washcloth, loofah, etc.) but anything you use while taking a shower, is fine. The soap will automatically dilute itself with the water from your shower so just use it directly. A few warnings: don't be surprised when it doesn't foam up like other body washes you might be familiar with. Also, don't be surprised when your skin isn't as dry from taking a shower. Finally, you will probably feel some tingles if you wash with the peppermint scent... in places you don't want to...

Fruit and vegetable wash

This is probably one of my favorite uses for this soap because I love fruits and vegetables. I used to think you could just rinse a handful of green beans under the water, and voila it is clean! I was sadly mistaken. After actually washing my fruits and vegetables, I can see the importance. I wash all my produce together and store it clean so it is ready to go rather than washing it when I need it (hopefully saving water). Okay, now for the how: first fill up the kitchen sink with enough water to submerge whatever you are washing. Next, pump some soap from your kitchen soap dispenser directly into the water OR use a bar of soap and dilute it by submerging the bar and rubbing it with your hands under the water. You do not need a lot of soap and honestly, I just wing it. * I will include the Dr. Bronner's dilution suggestions at the end* I do this EVERY time I wash my fruits and vegetables and I have never tasted the soap on my food so I don't worry about using too much. Lastly, allow everything to soak in the water and soap bath for a couple of minutes, rinse everything off with water, and eat. So ditch the colander and running water method and try a fruit and veggie bath!

I couldn't fit everything into the sink so here is the first group of produce soaking.

Second group of produce soaking- a basket or colander can be helpful for items that are small and will float all around.

This is what the water looked like after washing everything.

Dish soap

I use the same soap from my hand soap dispenser to hand wash the dishes. I feel like I should have more to say about this but it's really just that simple.

Pets

No, I do not wash my cats but my sister used to use castile soap on her dog and it worked very well. If it's safe for us, it's safe for our fur babies too! I would probably shy away from peppermint scent so they don't get tingly either.

Plants

I love houseplants but having so many often leads to ants and other small bugs. Well surprise, surprise... You can use this soap for that too! To keep away unwanted bugs, just dilute 1 tablespoon of soap in a quart of water and spray it on your house plants. I'm sure this would work for garden plants as well. I spray my plants every couple of days in addition to regular watering.

House cleaning

I have not explored using castile soap for house cleaning because I have another product I like to use (yah! for a different post) but I don't doubt this soap would work for that too. I will be trying it on my toilet and floors when I finish off the cleaners I already have.

Camping

Don't forget to pack castile soap when you go camping so you can wash everything outdoors. Because the soap is 100% biodegradable, it will safely return itself back to nature and not pollute natural waterways.

Okay, so for me it's the 6-in-1 soap. But seriously, this stuff is amazing and I can't wait to find even more ways to incorporate castile soap in my life. If you have any other great uses for pure castile soap, share it in the comments!

Here is the dilution guide along with other suggested uses:

https://www.drbronner.com/all-one-blog/2017/06/dilutions-cheat-sheet-dr-bronners-pure-castile-soap/