Uh oh, it’s magic…
That Dr. Bronner’s All-One Magic Soap. It’s magic. It has the power of mind control. It magically makes every single checker at Target stop mid scan to read the label, inquisitively raise an eyebrow, and sniff the bar no matter how long the line is.
This always happens. I’m not sure why, but it does.
The last time the checker was a 20-something-year-old dude who seemed totally at home talking shop about beauty, and it went a little something like this…
ME: It’s lavender. Doesn’t it smell good?
CHECKER DUDE: Yeah, but I can’t use soap because it dries out my skin. I use shower gels instead. Kiehl’s, usually.
ME: Well aren’t you in-the-know! I’m still trying to break my husband of his habit of using shampoo for body wash, and it’s been 10 years. I bet you use lotion and sunscreen, too. How about conditioner?
CHECKER DUDE: Yup, I do. So is this soap any good?
ME: I like it. It gets all the gunk off.
CHECKER DUDE: Um…what exactly are you doing to get all gunked up?
ME: Well, I mainly use it for washing makeup brushes, but it’s also good for, you know, when you’re all gross and sweaty and covered in dirt, like after a workout or cleaning the house, and you just want to feel really, really clean. It’s good for that.
CHECKER DUDE: And it doesn’t dry out your skin?
ME: Nope, not at all.
Ah, yes. Talking beauty with random people at Target. These are the days of my life… 🙂
I was using Burt’s Bees bar soaps to clean my brushes for a while, and I was happy with them, but the bars had been getting harder to find out here for some reason.
Then up in Redding a few weeks ago I wanted to clean the couple brushes I had with me. I didn’t have the Burt’s Bees bar or anything else, so I used a bar of Dr. Bronner’s All-One that my mom-in-law had, and it worked great.
The lather breaks up all manner of makeup and rinses clean. It’s quick and takes care of all the gunk from even hard-to-clean, dried up concealer, foundation, cream shadow and gel liners.
Oh, and if you have a skunk brush stained by a bright pink or red blush, Dr. Bronner’s will have the white parts sparkling again in no time.
The bars are also easy to find out here. I always see them on the shelves at Target, Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods, which is another reason I like it. The availability, and the fact that the bars are only $5 each.
I like it as a regular body soap, too — smells great and it’s not drying — but I think it’s an epic overachiever as a makeup brush cleanser.
The list of ingredients is short and sweet. It’s a vegan product, too.
I’m curious about one of the ingredients on the label… Please help me out if you know what unscented baby-mild is? 🙂
The soap even has a mysterious backstory, if you’re interested, up on the Dr. Bronner website. Apparently, the man who started the company in the 1940s, Dr. Bronner, wasn’t really a doctor at all.
It’s an interesting read, to say the least.
If you check out the website, look around at some of their other soaps, scents (Lavender is just one of many) and body care products. It’s a pretty extensive line of bar and liquid soaps, lotions, balms, shave gels and baby care products, and that’s just for starters.
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
I ADORE the peppermint and almond Dr. Bronner’s. The peppermint leaves you feeling tingly and refreshed, and it’s a great pick-me-up in the shower. I love almond scented anything, and I use that one for my makeup brushes. They smell all warm, sweet and delicious after 🙂
Have you ever read the labels on the bottled liquid soaps? They’re a trip.
Oh, and by the way, unscented baby-mild is a variant you can get that has no added fragrance oils, for people who have skin sensitivities or fragrance allergies.
LOVE Dr Bronners. I use their Almond liquid soap as my body soap. Also great to clean with. This article is a bit long but the history of the company is really interesting. You will have a newfound respect for this simple soap.
http://www.inc.com/magazine/201204/tom-foster/the-undiluted-genius-of-dr-bronners.html
I love natural products and have 2 try the lavender and the rose one…:)
I’ve heard about people saying they love the liquid Dr. Bronner’s for their makeup brushes but not the bar. You’ve just convinced me that i NEED this in my life! I just ran out of my Sonia Kashuk brush cleaner and need something new and this soap sounds wonderful! Love the simple ingredients, all the different scents they have and that its in bar form–I think it will make brush washing a lot faster for me!
Do you lather up the bar and then swirl your brushes against said bar until clean?
i love natural products and this one sounds great!!
Oh my goodness. The fiancee used to use hair shampoo as a body wash too. I found that a bit weird. Looks like a lot of men do that. I’ve since tried to convince him to use something gentler for his body. I kind of explained how if he doesn’t take good care of his skin he will age…faster…before me… 😉 That kind of worked. LOL. A lot of nice brands like Body Shop, Jack Black, and I think Alterna’s Bamboo sell 2 in 1 washes for men (hair + body). In the US, Redken has one that smells very minty and fresh. It’s one his favourites (http://www.redken.com/products/mens/skin/mint-rush-hair-body-wash). You could consider getting them for your husband. Some of these shampoos smell really good too.
I’ve gone through like 4 bottles of Dr Bronner’s and I really like it – but only for washing makeup brushes. At least that’s the only way I’ve used it.
Currently though I’m hooked on Make Up Store (a Swedish company)’s brush cleansing soap. (http://www.makeupstore.se/usen/products/tools/brushcleaner/brush_cleaning_soap) I have a feeling this is similar to the Becca brush cleansing soap that you may have reviewed awhile back.
Karen, Is there any chance you could give us your thoughts on how the Dr Bronner’s compares to the Becca you tried a while ago. Some alternatives I read from other beauty bloggers have been Burt’s Bees baby shampoo which is semi-ok. But I’ve also read about using regular Dove soap for the same purpose which I’m thinking of trying instead of Becca as it’s so much cheaper.
I recently bought a huge bottle of the almond liquid soap. It’s the best brush cleanser I’ve ever used, and it’s a great body wash, too. Plus, the smell is divine. Love it!
It’s not the first time I read that Dr. Bronners soaps are amazing for the brushes, will definitely pick up one. I’ve got the baby version for my friend’s baby recently and they seem to like it.
Silly lady! That’s not the ingredients list. That’s a list of scents the soap comes in. Almond is to die for!! Peppermint is also fantastic and refreshing after a workout.
you can make your face wash, with this just add honing and gliceryne
This looks pretty good. I’m not usually one for bar soap, but I always see this brand around. Now you got me wanting to try something.
AAAAWWWW the T-word. You use the T-word way too often for me. I live in Belgium and visit the US a couple of times a year. But after 2 months back the same thing happens over and over again: I wake up and the first thing I say to my hubby is: ‘Where is ‘the’ Target? Please please help me and bring me to Target’ I don’t know what it is with that store but I’m just addicted to it. I wish they opened up one here… or a Whole foods….
I’m looking forward to check out this soap the next time I visit…
Have a wonderful day Karen!
Hi Karen! This product looks great, but, I was searching your archives for a how-to on your favorite method of washing brushes… No luck? Do you have recommendations? Somehow my brushes end up smelling, looking, and feeling worse if I wash them. Can’t tell you how many I’ve thrown out after one washing. :\ Thanks!!!
karen! i was actually recommended to use dr. bronner’s unscented soap after i got my tattoo. it’s really mild, but gets stuff clean! i bought the big bottle at target, but when i visited a whole foods, i found that it was CHEAPER at whole foods! (go figure, with their reputation on the price points!)
i tried it on my make up brushes, and it got all the make up off of them! yay! but then i read your piece on burt’s bees soap, and i went out and got that, for a little scent, and because your opinion matters 🙂 so, i save my dr. bronner for the shower. it lathers nicely and it’s easier to dispense since i have the liquid soap. burt will still be my make up brush go-to. i agree, it’s difficult to find it now a days. i went to target, and it didn’t even have a barcode on the shelf for it :/ i find that wal mart is a good starting point, if you’re searching for it.
thanks for posting this 🙂 i’ll have to find the citrus scent. unscented is kinda boring. i think i’ll save it for my next tattoo session. my bottle is still pretty full, and it has been months since i’ve started using it.
happy tuesday! looking forward to the rest of the week!
Karen- Dr. Bronner’s bar is great for ring around the collar and other stains. Spray some peroxide on the stain and rub with the bar. Wash as normal. It also much cheaper than the package stain sprays. Works for kitty mess too!
I’ve used Dr. Bronner’s products for a long time, partly for their commitment to environmental issues, no testing on animals, and, of course, because the scents are really nice, leaves skin feeling and smelling clean and fresh. My sis and her hubby especially like the peppermint bar soap. Someone mentioned using the liquid soap for tattoos and there’s a Dr. Bronner’s salve in a cute tin container which they say helps with healing new tattoos and brightens older ones. I’ve cleaned my makeup brushes with the bar soap, washed delicate undies with it, and bathed my dog with both the liquid and the bar soap, (gets her clean, rinses well and she smells nice!).
I’m going to have to try this soon.
For about 3-4 yrs now, Dr. Bronner’s bar soap is the ONLY thing I’ve used to do my weekly brush cleaning. Never lets me down and it’s the only thing I’ve found to get my white brushes WHITE again =)
The peppermint liquid is great and you can halve it with water in a separate bottle and it’s still effective as it is a concentrate. Great product and great value
Ooh, what aisle can I find these products at in Target? I use The Master’s Brush Cleaner and Preserver. It’s actually made for paint brushes and has the same concept as the Beauty Blender’s solid brush cleanser, but way cheaper. It cleans brushes really well and fast! But this soap is even cheaper, so I must try!
Hi Irene,
I usually get mine in the beauty section with all the natural body care stuff. At my Target it’s near the Alba Botanica and the Burt’s Bees.