Dr. Bronner's Lemongrass Lime Organic Hand and Body Soap-
Review
I'm going to start by forwarding you to both Dr. Bronner's
websites- here in Australia
and in my mother country- the good ole USofA. This is so that I don't repeat
information that you can easily find on the site. There is nothing worse than
reading a review that is basically an advertisement for the product, and that's
what it would sound like by the time I had finished.
www.drbronner.com
I tried a few things from Dr. Bronner's- here's my review for the Lemongrass Lime Organic Pump Hand and Body Soap.
Dr. Bronner's Lemongrass Lime Organic Hand and Body Soap met
the following criteria:
- Certified
by the USDA Organic: Organic integrity in body care means that the main
ingredients as well as secondary ingredients in an organic labelled or
branded product are certified organic, produced in compliance with the
National Organic Program. Our products are certified to the USDA’s
National Organic Program, which consumers rightly trust to ensure the
organic integrity of organic labelled products. Per Dr. Bronner's USA
Website
-
Fair
trade- ("Although no
universally accepted definition of 'fair trade' exists, Fair-trade labelling organizations
most commonly refer to a definition developed by FINE, an informal
association of four international fair trade networks (Fair-trade Labelling
Organizations International, World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO),
Network of European World shops and European Fair Trade Association
(EFTA)): fair trade is a trading partnership, based on dialogue, transparency,
and respect, that seeks greater equity in international trade. It contributes
to sustainable development by offering better trading conditions to, and
securing the rights of, marginalized producers and workers – especially in the
South. Fair trade organizations, backed by consumers, are engaged actively in
supporting producers, awareness raising and in campaigning for changes in the
rules and practice of conventional international trade.") Thanks Wikipedia!
- Uses SUSTAINABLE Palm Oil: Here's
what Dr. Brooner's people have to say...
"Some customers are concerned that the palm and coconuts oils used
in Dr. Bronner’s soaps may come from plantations that were established on
recently cleared tropical forestland or otherwise contribute to environmental
destruction. They don’t. As with any other crop, it’s not what you grow but how
you grow it. For one, all growers Dr. Bronner’s purchase from are certified
organic. This means that no agrochemicals are used (chemical fertilizers,
pesticides, herbicides) and soil fertility is replenished by natural means -
compost, manure, mulching with crop residues. The production of Dr. Bronner’s
oils also does not contribute to deforestation. The palm oil comes from about
1,000 acres of smallholdings in Ghana
(where there are no orang-utans) that were established decades ago. The coconut
oil comes from some 400 small to mid size farms in Sri Lanka, most of which have been in the owners’ family for generations.
Dr. Bronner's encourages the growers to intercrop with other beneficial species
and supply organic fertilizer at a subsidy. This improves soil fertility, yields
and profitability of small farms – and allows them to compete with plantations.
By having our entire supply chain certified organic and fair
trade we also want to demonstrate that one can produce any crop - and the
products made from them –sustainably."
Thanks Dr.
Bronner's for clearing that up!
What we all need to start understanding
about Palm Oil is that the stuff is in EVERYTHING. From biscuits to shampoo to
Hot Cross Buns. To make matters worse, it is also being used to produce
biodeisel, which is sustainable by definition (as in it can be reproduced as we
grow more plants that fruit, that then become processed refined, and turned
into oil products. Rather than, say,
pumping oil out of the ground and once it is gone, it's gone...). To
make matter even worse than this, we can't tell what products have palm oil in
them, as they are generally listed as something else to confuse consumers, because
who would buy a product that is killing Orang-utans, right? Click here for a list of other names that Palm Oil can beconcealed as on a food ingredients label... It's really tough to get
around it, and my mission is certainly to reduce it rather my family's intake,
and look for finished products that use fair trade palm oil (of which Dr.
Bronner's is one) rather than rid myself of it.
So what's the deal with the stuff, you
ask? Well basically in many parts of Malaysia and Indonesia it has become much more profitable to burn up existing old wood
rainforest, and (Orang-utan's only remaining natural habitat) and replant with
Oil Palms. These Oil Palms grow, produce fruit and that is where the oil comes from. The farmers/investors then sell it more cheaply than our Fair Trade friends, so
the larger companies looking for a cheaper option always choose the cheapest
oil- no one gives a toss where it comes from, or what Indigenous tribes or cute, fuzzy primates it's murdering... It's our job as a consumer to let them know by spending our dinero on companies that share our values. I alos must add here that there are several countries that produce Palm Oil. Malaysia has even gone so far as in 1992 to declare that half of the rainforest would be protected, and they have built an economy and trade on the bi products of the oil. So it's not all bad, all the time.
Right. So that's enough copying and
pasting from websites, to prove a point. The stuff is pretty darned close to
making it in your kitchen. I was so excited to get my hands on it. Particularly after an acquaintance posted on
Facebook that she was miffed that her shower gel had palm oil in it. I told her
I would get onto it, and so far I would recommend this brand to her. Here ya go
Lozza.
I was fully prepared to order it from the
USA and have it shipped. I was completely surprised that BerwickGoVita carried a huge portion of the range. The price for 709mls. is $19.99 or
$2.82 per 100mls. Lets compare that to a brand called "Original
Source" at Woolies which is 250ml, for $4.29 or $1.72 per 100ml. I found
this price to be acceptable for all of the benefits, and lack of nasties... My
better half, however did not. Mind you, he is using this gel during his showers!
So what IS in it, if there are no
pesticides and no palm oil, you ask? Well, here you are:
Organic White Grape Juice, Organic Sucrose, Organic Coconut
Oil, Potassium Hydroxide, Organic Olive Oil, Organic Shikakai Powder, Organic
Hemp Oil, Organic Jojoba Oil, Organic Lemongrass Oil, Organic Lemon Oil,
Organic Lime Oil, Citric Acid, Tocopherol
Organic Shikakai comes from the seed pods of the small South
Asian tree Acadia Concinna, Tocopherol is basically Vitamin E, and Potassium Hydroxide
is potash or lye. The Potassium Hydroxide is used to carry out a chemical
reaction to create soap called "saponification".
So I love this liquid soap. I have to tell you that it is
not clear or even a creamy colour- it's dark brown! Hilarious! I actually
panicked a bit, but it is perfectly fine. And no, it doesn't stain grout or
tiles, or skin for that matter.
The fragrance is divine. It smells like lemon tea. Sweet
memories of summer in the USA
as a kid. We drink a LOT of lemon tea. Just beautiful.
The packaging is what it is. You will feel like an enviro
hippie just having it in your shower. They are bright, post consumer recycled,
and loaded with written claims of amazingness. My acupuncturist told me he used
to use Dr. Bronner's in college in California,
and then asked me if I was a hippie. I did mention that hippies who used shower
gel, were fine by me!
The only criticism I would have is the feel after the shower
gel has washed off is different (not better or worse) than that of your average
surfactant loaded gel. It doesn't leave a moisturised, lotiony
"slick" on your skin. Once it washes off, it's gone. Bearing that in
mind, it might be time to start investigating body lotions to recapture that
"hydrated" feeling after towelling off. You can bet your buttons I'll
be checking out Dr. Bronner's.
Would I but the product
again? Absolutely.
Would I try other products in their range? Yes, definitely.
What am I going to do with the product? Use it and tell everyone I know about
it. Somehow, I feel I'm that last one to know about it, however.
If you have tried Dr. Bronner's, please let me know what you thought, comment
below!
Happy organic, fair trade, sustainable palm oil showering to you and your family-
Beauty Hippy- Ness
