One of the Best Products I have Used....Don't be Stranded on an Island without it!
The one product that I would take with me to a deserted island is the all-natural and versatile Pure Castile Soap! Why? Well, one thing I always sought on my travels is to minimize the amount of toiletries that I take with me. If I could only merge my face wash, body wash, shampoo and soap together! And guess what? This is all possible in a natural, organic way with pure castile soap.
My favorite brand of the soap is Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps. It not only is certified fair trade and organic, it advertises itself as being able to service 18 uses in 1 bottle. The premise seems pretty unbelievable, but actually it does deliver the goods. Nowadays, I don't go anywhere without my bottle of Castile Soap. At home, I use it as shampoo, body wash, face wash, hand-soap...and it even acts as a great, natural alternative to dishwashing liquid! Likewise, it is your best friend when you travel. Keep it in a reusable bottle, and you will travel lighter and with fewer toiletries to worry about spilling in your suitcase. Not to mention, you will save a lot of money using this natural product as a replacement for your many traditional (and usually, chemical-filled products). There was a time when I spent a lot of my travel days in hostels and needed to wash my undergarments for the next day. The castile soap came in very handy and relieved me of unnecessary expense of using the laundromat.
My Dr. Bonner's Castile Soap (which comes infused with a variety of organic oils) is made from the following ingredients: Water, Organic Coconut Oil, Potassium Hydroxide (none remains after saponifying oils into soap and glycerin), Organic Olive Oil, Mentha Arvensis, Organic Hemp Oil, Organic Jojoba Oil, Organic Peppermint Oil, Citric Acid and Tocopherol.
The ingredients are 100% vegetarian, are mild and have outstanding water softening and cleansing powers. Since the ingredients are natural and mild, you can really use the castile soap for any cleansing/cleaning purpose.
Another great product I tried over the years is African Black Soap (found in both liquid and solid forms) with Shea butter. It is great for breakout-prone skin and other skin conditions, since it is composed of mild, inflammation-fighting natural ingredients. Tiny specs of ashes derived from various plants exfoliate your skin, while the Shea butter conditions it. Your skin will feel like a baby's bottom after repeated usage, and the best part is that you can use it on your hair as well. In my case, I have used it to even wash waxed fruit (although, baking soda works very well for this purpose...but if not on hand, you gotta' improvise, right?).
I have to say that since finding the versatile uses of castile soap (and African black soap), life has just been easier! I save quite a bit of money replacing these two products with many traditional products, and at the end of the day, I feel clean, healthy and proud of my consumer choices. These choices in turn benefit small, environmentally-friendly businesses that care about promoting healthy lifestyles. You can find these products in your local health-food store or you can buy them online.
I hope you give them a try!
