Castile liquid soap is something I want to tell my readers about. It doesn’t contain harmful chemicals. But it cleans really well.
So you can use it for a multitude of household uses, as well as for personal care.
If you’re hoping to avoid parabens, those hormone disruptors found in nearly everything, non-toxic liquid soap is for you.
The same if you want to take a pass on harsh sulfates, artificial fragrances and petroleum byproducts.
Dr Woods Soap Ingredients
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Non-toxic liquid soap is the foundation from which I make many of my DIY cleaning solutions. It’s tough enough for kitchen grease. But you can use it to wash your face too.
There are two popular types of liquid soap. One is called Castile soap. The other is African black soap. I’ll explain the difference between the two. Practically, though, they can be used for the same purposes.
The first time I bought all natural liquid Castile soap, I loved it. The name comes from the Castile region of Spain, where it was originally made. Castile soap has an olive oil base.
But I was forced to use my Castile soap sparingly because it was so expensive.
Before long, my little bottle of liquid soap ran out. So I needed to replace it.This time, I bought a big bottle of the same brand, in order to save money. However, it was still too expensive to use generously.
What Ingredient Are In Dr. Woods Soaps?
That’s why I was really happy to discover Dr. Woods liquid soaps. They clean just as well as the pricier brand. (Maybe even a little better.) But they cost much less.
My first Dr. Woods purchase was olive-oil based Castile soap. Later I purchased Dr. Woods liquid black soap. This is made with many of the same ingredients, with the addition of black soap. It smells exquisite.
Black soap is technically not Castile soap. Instead, black soap is a traditional African soap made from shea nut, plantain skins and other local ingredients. But Castile and black soap work pretty much the same way.
The Dr. Woods brand of black soap does include olive oil, making it sort of a cross between Castile and black soap. My only concern is that my soap doesn’t contain anything harmful, and that it does the job. (Dr. Woods cleans and lathers beautifully.)
There is one caveat on this brand’s raw black soap, though. It contains “fragrance.” When I called the company a woman did confirm that the soap was “99.3 percent” natural. She said it contains essential oils, plus a chemical fragrance. So go with the company’s Castile (rather than black soap) version if you want 100 percent natural.
Dr Woods Black Soap With Organic Shea Butter
The bigger name brand I tried was definitely too expensive for everyday use, given how I use this natural liquid soap for so many things. That’s why I consider Dr Woods natural Castile soap one of my lucky finds. As far as I’m concerned, it’s just as good as the pricier brand.
Actually, I think Dr Woods is even a little better. It also seems to last longer, because I don’t need to use as much. I’m saving so much by not buying the higher-priced competitor.
Dr Woods liquid soap is not sold at my local grocery store. So I order it from Vitacost, a large online health food store. Vitacost sells its 45,000 items at a deep discount. So, even if I could buy Dr Woods locally, I probably wouldn’t. Because I think I can get a better deal at Vitacost.
Benefits of Using Castile Soap
Castile soap can be used on dishes, kitchen counters, bathroom fixtures and your floors. It cleans so well, but isn’t irritating.
I’ve even used Castile soap to make a homemade dish washing liquid, so I don’t have to expose my hands to the harsh chemicals found in grocery store brands. (Even the “all natural” varieties, unfortunately, tend to contain sulfates.) My hands no longer get dry and cracked in the winter, since using non-toxic dish washing soap.
But the potential problem is more than skin deep.
Parabens and phthalates and other chemicals are often added to cleaning products and cosmetics. These chemicals disrupt the hormones. There’s growing concern that parabens, which act like estrogen, could be one of the reasons we’re now seeing so much breast cancer.
I also suffer from chronic inflammation, which attacks my nerves. But I’m able to live pretty much symptom free. I eat mainly organic food and I try to avoid potentially toxic chemicals. So non toxic liquid soap has been a lifesaver.
Dr Woods Castile Soap Uses
Liquid Castile soap can be used in a multitude of other DIY cleaning solutions. You can use it full strength or dilute it with water. You can also add essential oils if you want some extra cleaning power. Because I use Castile for nearly everything, I’ve been able to get rid of so many chemical cleaners.
The real beauty of liquid Castile soap (or black soap) is that it’s strong enough for your kitchen floors, but mild enough to use on your face.
This is now the only soap I use to wash my face. It cleans so well, yet doesn’t dry your skin. Some people also use liquid Castile soap to wash their hair. (However, it doesn’t work well on my own hair, so I still need to use shampoo.)
Dr Woods Soap Ingredients
The ingredients in Dr Woods Castile Peppermint Soap are purified water, saponified coconut, hemp oil, olive oil, Vitamin E, peppermint essential oil, sea salt, citric acid and rosemary extract.
The black soap version contains pure black soap, a product traditionally made in Africa. Here is the list of ingredients in Dr. Woods black soap: Purified water, saponified coconut, hemp and olive oils, pure black soap, fragrance, Vitamin E, sea salt, citric acid, panthenol, rosemary extract and natural caramel.
(Note the ingredient listed as “fragrance.” This soap is not quite all natural. But I still buy it because it’s so mild.)
Because I need to control my level of inflammation, I pay attention to what I put on my skin. (Whatever you put on your skin eventually winds up in your bloodstream.) So I wanted to make sure the “saponified coconut” really wasn’t sodium lauryl sulfate disguised with a more natural-sounding term.
According to the Environmental Working Group, saponified coconut oil is the result of treatment with sodium or potassium hydroxide, which turns the original fatty substance into a soap. (Otherwise, without this alkali mixture, you wouldn’t have soap.)
Ingredients in Dr. Bronner Soap
The ingredients in Dr. Bronner peppermint soap sound very similar. (This is the first brand of Castile I tried.) They are: water, organic coconut oil, potassium hydoxide, organic palm kernal oil, organic olive oil, mentha arvensis, organic hemp oil, organic jojoba oil, mentha peperita, citric acid and tocopherol (Vitamin E).
Comparing the two brands of Castile, Dr. Bronner does list more organic ingredients than Dr. Bronner. However, for me, I am choosing to use Dr Woods because I like how it cleans and there’s a significant cost savings.
Even if I preferred Dr Bronner, it would be more difficult to afford, considering I’m also trying to put organic meals on the table every night. So I clearly prefer using Dr Woods over Dr Bronner.
Dr Woods Peppermint Soap
The first Dr Woods soap I tried was peppermint. I loved it because it had such a strong smell and cleaned so well. It was clear the company did not skimp on the peppermint extract that gave it a strong minty smell. But it was still mild enough to use on my face.
A couple of times, I did get some on my eyes. The peppermint stung. So, if you’re planning to use this soap on children, you may want to think about using the milder black soap instead.
Where to Buy Dr Woods Soap
This brand of black soap has a wonderful clean smell. It’s also suitable for household uses, as well as for cleaning. Dr. Woods black soap, shown on the right, was the second type I tried from this company. I can honestly say I like it every bit as well as the peppermint liquid soap, if not a little better.
I use Dr Woods soap every single day. I use it instead of liquid hand soap and I use it instead of liquid dish soap. Since I don’t see Dr Woods at the grocery store, I order it online through Vitacost.
What’s In Dr. Woods Soap?
