Dr.Bronner’s Castile Soap as Shampoo Product Review

Are you looking for an 100% natural shampoo for your hair? Do you want to naturally cleanse your hair? If you answered “YES” to either of these questions then the Dr.Bronner’s Castile Soap is a great shampoo choice— when diluted properly.

What is Castile Soap?

Essentially, castile soap is a naturally derived cleaner. Castile soap is produced using the saponifying technique of vegetable oils (learn more about the process on Dr. Bronner’s blog). What makes Castile soap so amazing is its multitude of uses—from laundry detergent to kitchen cleaner to shampoo and more! If you’ve been following my journey for awhile, you know I’ve mentioned before how much I hated using the Dr.Bronner’s Castile Soap as a shampoo—until I realized I wasn’t using it right, and now I can’t get enough!

How to Use Castile Soap as Shampoo

Many people have heard that using Castile Soap will dry your hair out because it is so concentrated— this is true if you don’t dilute it enough (i.e. – use too much) and aren’t properly shampooing. To err on the side of caution, having an extra spray bottle or container to make the shampoo mixture in is great— a suggested mixture is to mix ½ cup of (distilled) water and ½ Tbsp of castile soap. Or if you like to test the limits (like me), you can just pour some castile soap in your hand and then let water from the shower mix in before applying to your scalp. I recommend playing around with the ratios until you find what works best for your hair type and texture— Check out the Liquid Castile Soap Dilution Cheat Sheet.

Once on your hair, the Dr.Bronner’s Castile Soap will lather like regular shampoo if your hair isn’t too “dirty”, but if you’ve been using lots of products or its been awhile since your last shampoo you may have to do 1-2 shampoos before it will lather. After you’ve shampooed your hair, no more than 2-3 times, all you have to do is rinse.

RINSE, rinse, RINSE! The Dr.Bronner’s Castile Soap packs a big punch which is why it should be diluted, so you don’t want to leave any traces in your locs at all. This is where the label comes in again. As you’re standing under the shower head rinsing your locs properly (like we talked about a few weeks ago), start reading the bottle. Yes, take your glasses into the shower and read all those little words. It should take you a good 10 minutes to read it from top to bottom turning the bottle and wiping your eyes. If you finish early, think about how to apply what you’ve read to your life. You can thank me later.

After using the Dr.Bronner’s Castile Soap you’ll have clean locs and a refreshing perspective on life. You can find Dr.Bronner’s Castile Soap in local organic markets or on Amazon. Depending on how long your locs are, using the Dr.Bronner’s Castile Soap as “shampoo” will last several months or at least longer than normal shampoo because you have to dilute it with each use.

Pros and Cons of Castile Soap as a Shampoo

Pros

• All Natural
• Many Uses
• Variety of Scents
• Cleanses Hair Naturally
• Lasts Longer Than “Shampoo”

Cons

• Must be diluted
• Can be drying (on high porosity hair)
• Leaves dull residue if not used correctly

Beware of Hard Water & Castile Soap

While the Dr. Bronner’s Soap is a great natural shampoo alternative to use on locs, you have to be VERY careful if you have hard water. What is hard water you’re wondering? Hard water is basically water that contains a high amount of minerals in the water, which make it hard (hint, hint) for the water to work with soap or shampoo. When hard water comes in contact with Castile Soap it produces soap scum. And if you don’t properly rinse your locs out, the soap scum will form in and on your locs as a whiteish tint. With repreated use of the Dr. Bronner’s Castile soap without the use of a clarifying or detoxifying shampoo, the buildup will accumulate and cause thinning of the locs.

Have you tried using the Dr.Bronner’s Castile Soap as a Shampoo?