natureshock: an ode to dr. bronner

"ENJOY ONLY 2 COSMETICS, enough sleep 4 Dr. Bronner's 'Magic Soap' to clean body-mind-soul-spirit instantly uniting One! All-One! Absolute cleanliness is Godliness! ... Breathe deeply! Health is Wealth. Within 9 min. you feel fresh, and clean, saving 90% of your hot water & soap, ready to help teach the whole Human race the Moral ABC of All-One-God-Faith!"
– Dr. Bronner
If you've ever used Dr. Bronner's Pure Castile Soap, these words will be familiar to you; you may have read and reread them, along with all the other bits of wisdom and wacky ravings, from the side of the bottle's label, while sudsing up in the shower. A favorite of granola-crunchers everywhere, and one of my personal all-time favorite all-natural products, Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps are a classic in eco-friendly products and my Earth-Day pick. Created by hand 60 years ago by German eccentric Emanuel Bronner, these soaps are known as much for their enigmatic creator (there's a documentary about him, fittingly called Dr. Bronner's Magic Soapbox) as for their unique formulation of organic extra virgin coconut, olive, jojoba and hemp oils which suds up amazingly without being harsh (no synthetic foaming agents or preservatives are used in the process – no small feat).
The soap is completely biodegradable and scented with amazing essential oils like lavender and eucalyptus, while the packaging is made of post-consumer recycled bottles. Gotta love that. What I love most about Dr. Bronner's (besides his mad scientist appeal; seriously, check out his photo on drbronner.com, where he looks like he's sporting X-ray specs) is that the soap is the ultimate multi-tasking product, hence its All-One name, with 18-in-1 uses: Mop the floors, wash the car, clean your dentures, brush your teeth - there's really nothing this soap can't do. I've rediscovered this product again after years of being introduced to it and am once again entranced by Dr. Bronner's philosophical musings about the “Moral ABCs” and “Space Ship Planet Earth.” Wacky though he may have been (he passed away in 1997) this guy was way ahead of his time.