I obviously don’t do SILS anymore. I probably should’ve said something but I hoped, like a breakup with someone you really never want to see again, that if I ignored it long enough everyone would just get the hint. No one seemed to notice, which is good and bad. Good because I didn’t have to feel guilty and bad because it confirmed my worst fear, which is that no one really cared what I had to say about tampons or granola.
I quit because I thought I was fucking Sue Johanson with this shit and held myself to a weekly review of something that I recently used/liked/put in my vagina. Problem was, I quickly ran out of stuff and so when I sensed myself reaching (I almost did a post about a particular brand of bread), I realized that it was inauthentic and thus, defeated the purpose. But, I still put things in my vagina and feel the need to tell people about it so here I am.

I live minutes away from a Whole Foods, so I’m there a lot to bask in the thick, atmospheric pretension that occurs when you buy organic milk in a glass bottle for $8 and champion the benefits of locally grown produce. Oh, plus I really love those little Annie’s Homegrown cheddar bunnies. One thing that always caught my eye was this large bottle of liquid plastered with lots of quotes dealing with free speech, unity and a balanced diet…as it relates to God. The bottle alone is worth the price ($8-15 for 32 oz.) because it’s full of material that you could only expect to hear from a homeless dude warning everyone about World War III, but I assure you what’s inside is even better. Dr. Bronner’s castile soap claims 18 uses, and while some of them are only practical if you live in a commune, the few that I’ve found are exceedingly valuable for everyday use. Initially, I used Dr. Bronner’s (Tea Tree and Peppermint varieties) as a body wash and loved it. The lather produced from just a few drops is incredible and as an added bonus, that clean soap smell lingers with me throughout the day. From there, I used it to wash my hair, floors, counters, bras, and underwear. I haven’t used it as a laundry detergent yet, but Dr. Bronner’s claims that as a use as well. Additionally, Dr. Bronner’s is absolutely indispensable if you camp or travel a lot because it means that instead of packing shampoo, detergent, soap, toothpaste and mouthwash (when diluted, it can be used orally), you only have to make room for one bottle.

Dr. Bronner was kind of like a charitable, Jewish version of Charles Manson who believed in world peace instead of…race wars. Actually, the only thing they really have in common is the propensity to exhibit insanity that can be seen from space, which is something I happen to be intensely jealous of. Bronner is remarkable for many reasons (he promoted a method of birth control involving lemon juice and Vaseline), but paramount among them all is his line of castile soaps, which after his death in 1997, has remained owned and operated by his family.
So go answer the call of your inner Joan Baez and buy some now.


{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
But the REAL question is: can you put it in your vagina?
Hey there. Thought I might chime in a little (well, alot) late on this.
On the Dr. Bronner’s page it DOES, in fact, say that you can use it as a douche.
*shiver*
Check it here: http://www.drbronner.com/faqs_main.html
Castile soap rocks. I have some from Trader Joe’s and I love it.
BTW, I loved your SILS entries and DO miss them. How much did I love your SILS feature? Enough to quote Boyz II Men:
Can we go back to the days our love was strong
Can you tell me how a perfect love goes wrong
Can somebody tell me how to get things back
The way they use to be
Oh God give me a reason
I’m down on bended knee
I’ll never walk again
Until you come back to me
I’m down on bended knee
Wait…..TOOTHPASTE?? MOUTHWASH???
Huh uh. I do not believe you. I find it very hard to wrap my head around the fact that I can wash my hair, body and clothes with it and still not want to puke when its in my mouth.
This shit sounds like that stuff….ya know that stuff….well any stuff really, from the 1800′s and early 1900′s when they claimed that one thing could do 100 other things and cure cancer to boot.
There’s a documentary out there about Dr. Bronner. I’m too lazy to look it up, but it seemed interesting.
I bought some Almond and Peppermint today after reading this gem yesterday. Apparently, Seattle area Targets are all about soap that boasts of Albert Einstein, Moses, and communists. They even had travel bottles! They eat this shit up (and so do tiny blackheads.)
Dr. Bronner and Vagina Drum deserve a big ol’ high five.
I was skeptical too…but I tried it (with the Peppermint) and it’s not a bad knock off. Pretty decent, really. I would probably make the switch there too, but my dad recently bought a cart full of toothpaste because it was on sale, so he sends it to me and as a result, I’m up to my neck in Colgate.
Oh my…god. I am swooning right now that’s my jam. Thank you
.
On a non-Boyz II Men related note, how’s the Trader Joe’s brand? I’ve seen it in the store and it’s significantly cheaper so I was thinking of switching over once I’ve run out of Dr. B’s.
Well…no