How does Dr. Woods Castile Soap stack up against Dr. Bronner’s?

I bought my first bottle of Dr. Woods peppermint soap under duress. That’s because I was no longer able to get my regular brand at the grocery store. I was crushed. But not for long. That’s because I found a substitute that I like just as much.

The brand is Dr. Woods. I can’t find Dr. Woods locally. But it’s easy to order online.

Dr. Woods Castile Soap Reviews

(This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase anything, I receive a referral fee, at no extra cost to you.)

Dr. Woods liquid soap is great. It costs less than the brand I was using. So I’m now able to order Dr Woods soap online, and save money at the same time.

I’d already stopped using Dr. Bronner’s liquid soap. That’s because this better-known label is more expensive than Dr. Woods. I go through natural liquid soap rather quickly. I use it for nearly all of my household jobs, as well as for personal care. So I needed to find a comparable product I could afford.

That’s when I started using the grocery store product that suddenly became unavailable.

Castile soap is something I don’t like to be without. (More recently, I’ve also discovered liquid black soap. But I’ll tell you more about that later. Technically, it isn’t a Castile soap. But it works pretty much the same way, and it’s really mild.)

Dr. Woods Castile Soap Uses

Several years ago, I got rid of all my toxic cleaning supplies. Next to go were my cosmetics. These contained chemicals I now realize are linked to cancer. Among these items was a particular face wash. I thought it was doing good things for my complexion, because it didn’t dry my skin as much as regular soap.

I’ve since learned that it was probably contributing to my blotchy skin, which I covered with foundation. Now, I’m a huge advocate of natural face cleansers. Because they’re good for your skin, they leave it with a vibrant glow. This is something chemicals can’t do. Since I’ve starting putting only plant-based materials on my face, I’ve found that I no longer need foundation.

If someone had told me my skin tone would improve to the point that foundation was no longer necessary, just by switching out chemicals for natural ingredients, I wouldn’t have believed them.

But I’m happy to say I no longer feel the need to wear foundation. I should mention that I also cleaned up my my diet, around the same time I stopped putting chemicals on my face. I believe clean eating has also helped my complexion.

 Woods Castile Soap vs Dr Bronner

I have absolutely no complaints with how Dr. Bronner’s treated my skin. It contains gentle ingredients, such as olive, coconut and jojoba oils and lavender. This brand comes in a number of different formulas, including peppermint, citrus and hemp.

But I like Dr. Woods much better, for various reasons. One is that the price is right. We order it from a discount supplement shop called Vitacost. This large outlet is like a giant online health food store. It carries more than 45,000 items. Its prices are excellent, across the board. Dr Woods soap is no exception.

Another reason I prefer Dr. Woods is that it’s powerful. It’s gentle enough to use on my face when I’m showering. It’s also strong enough to tackle any mold that dares to grow in my shower. It contains essential oils, which work great for obliterating mold spores. I still need to scrub them away with a little plastic brush. But Dr. Woods peppermint Castile soap appears to be a powerful cleaning weapon.

Dr. Woods Peppermint Soap

Apparently, the manufacturer puts enough of these relatively expensive ingredients into its formula. This gives it a lot of cleaning punch. The strong peppermint fragrance leaves you with no doubt that it’s going to tackle dirt and grime. This company also sells 32-ounce bottles of liquid Castile soap in a variety of natural fragrances.

Because of its strength, I’ve found that I only need to use a little to get the job done. The only drawback is that it’s very strong. So, if you’re washing your face, you need to be careful not to get it in your eyes. Diluting it before use would make it weaker. It would also make your bottle last longer.

With Dr. Bronner’s, on the other hand, I felt it wasn’t strong enough. I wish more essential oils had been added. (Because of this, I felt it wouldn’t be a bad idea to add my own.) This soap really didn’t smell that powerful, although I felt it did nice things for my complexion. It also seemed to really help my teenage daughter’s acne. So I do believe it’s an excellent product.

Dr Woods Liquid Soap

But the Dr Bronner’s price is high. So I’d have difficulty affording it, if I used it all the time. That’s why I’m really glad Dr. Woods is available. Castile soap is so important if you’re trying to keep a green, non-toxic home. It has a wide range of cleaning and personal care uses.

Now, I buy my castile soap online, instead of at the supermarket. I often add it to a regular Vitacost order. This retailer also sells Dr. Bronner’s. But it costs nearly twice as much as my favorite brand,  Dr Woods.

Where Can I Buy Liquid Castile Soap?

I’m firmly convinced we all need good, affordable alternatives to the toxic chemicals we’re accustomed to using. Many of these products contain harsh and nasty lathering agents, such as sodium lauryl sulfate. Parabens are often added as preservatives. There’s great concern these estrogen-mimicking compounds could be contributing to the breast cancer epidemic. In the United States, right now, every 1 in 8 women will eventually be diagnosed with an invasive form of this dread disease.

Soap shouldn’t be dangerous. Especially considering how often we use it.

Liquid Castile Soap for Cleaning

Liquid castile products can be used for just about anything. You can add some to a sink filled with hot water, if you want a toxic-free way to do your dishes. You can use it to do your laundry. You can even use this type of soap to shampoo your hair. I haven’t done that yet. But I’ve used it for just about everything else.

Since castile soap contains no poisons, it makes a great fruit and vegetable wash. A couple of times, when our dog had an accident, it very effectively cleaned the carpet.

Black Soap vs Castile Soap

Soap is so important to our well being. I’m so grateful to have found some that’s affordable. So I can use as much as I need. More recently, I’ve also discovered Dr Woods Black Soap, which is just amazing as the peppermint Castile liquid soap. However, I do need to point out that the Dr. Woods brand has an ingredient called “fragrance.” This is most likely a chemical fragrance. I’m not thrilled with this. But, at the same time, it contains no parables or harsh sodium lauryl sulfate.

Black soap is made from seeds, husks and other types of plans, which are dried in the sun before they’re turned into ash. Black soap is traditionally processed in Africa. It smells really clean and is very mild on the skin. This might even be a better natural soap choice if you have dry or sensitive skin.

Dr. Woods Castile Soap Ingredients

So if you want to avoid artificial fragrance altogether, a better bet is the Dr. Woods peppermint Castile soap, or another Dr. Woods variety, such as lavender. Actually, lavender soap is probably a better choice for people with sensitive skin. Neither the peppermint or the lavender Castile soap contain anything that seems to be hazardous.

• Dr. Woods Peppermint Soap – Purified water, saponified coconut, hemp and olive oils, tocopherol (Vitamin E), peppermint essential oil, sea salt, citric acid, rosemary extract.
• Dr. Woods Lavender Soap – Purified water, saponified coconut, hemp and olive oils, tocopherol (Vitamin E), lavender and lavandin essential oils, sea salt, citric acid, rosemary extract.

Vitacost Castile Soap

Since I first wrote this post, I realized that Vitacost, where I buy my Dr. Woods soap,  now has a line of house brand castile soaps. Out of curiosity, I ordered a bottle of black soap. It didn’t have the same strong fresh smell as Dr. Woods black soap. It also had an ingredient called hydroxyethylcellulose, which isn’t found in the Dr. Woods brand. Also, the ink on the label of the house brand runs if soap gets on it.

I tried the Vitacost Glonaturals brand on my face. It cleaned my face okay, without leaving any sort of residue. But this house brand soap desperately needs new packaging. The ink on the label runs and the cap gets easily clogged. So I’ll continue buying Dr. Woods, instead of the Vitacost generic option. But I wanted to tell you about Vitacost liquid soap, just in case it fits better with your budget. If you do order it, I’d strongly suggest putting it in a new bottle.

For Additional Reading

DIY Dish Soap With Castile Soap