A few things have happened this year that have inspired me to simplify the products I use in my home. I’ve struggled with eczema for years, and it’s been coming back more frequently and with more ferocity than ever before. All the experts say that using clean products on your body and clothing is a key part of eczema management, but when I tried to decide on a clean laundry soap, I found the market to be really confusing. Greenwashing is so prevalent and it’s too complicated to differentiate between toxic and non-toxic ingredients, I just gave up for a long time and used whatever pods had the best laundry smell.
It was finally time to figure it out, and after a bit of deliberation I decided Dr. Bronner’s castille soap is the best option for not only laundry, but quite a lot of household cleaning. I’ve used it for a few loads now, and I think my clothes smell more fresh than they did with Tide. Dryer sheets were what really gave it a laundry smell, so without those, the detergent didn’t seem to linger much. A lot of people say adding vinegar to the rinse cycle helps a lot, and I haven’t tried that yet but that is next on the list. I use about 1 tablespoon per load. I have a high efficiency washer that’s 3/4 size, if you have a full size washer or your clothes get dirtier than mine, you might need more. I’ve also read the castille soap can interact with hard water, but I haven’t had a problem even with extremely hard water.
I loved the fact that I could get by with 1 product for so much of my home. When I added Dr. Bronner’s Sals Suds, I take care of 90% of my household cleaning. We have a ton of other products to work through which is going to take a while, but I can’t wait until my cleaning closet it just a handful of items.
When my current soaps run out, I’m going to start using Dr. Bronner’s for my body soap. My mom has always been a huge fan of Dr. Bronners for body, which is probably why I’ve gone so long avoiding using it, I just had to reject my parents’ way of doing things and forge my own path but unfortunately, she was right all along.
I’ve heard it isn’t great for color treated hair, so when the treated part of my hair grows out, I’m also going to try using it as shampoo. I know there’s a learning curve, and using something acidic after the soap like apple cider vinegar or their orange rinse before using conditioner. Most people seem to use leave-in conditioner with Dr. Bronner’s as shampoo.