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Dr. Bronner's Soap

debbysdepartures

New Member
Time of past OR future Camino
Frances. Finisterre to Muxia.
I'm thinking of only carrying an ounce or two of Dr. Bronner's Liquid Soap to start. When I run out, is it available for sale anywhere along Camino Frances? Thanks!
 
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I never saw it, but then again wasn't looking for it. Just saw bars of various mainstream soaps. Maybe you would find it in a farmacia.
 
This doesn't answer your question but it's what I did. I had a bar rather than liquid and cut it in half. One half was in the bag I took to the shower with me and the other was in a quick access pack pocket. Having two halves gave me a back up in case I left one behind and more importantly I had one handy to take into public bathrooms.
 
3rd Edition. More content, training & pack guides avoid common mistakes, bed bugs etc
You won't see Dr. Bronners in Spain unless you can find in a specialty store, it doesn't work very well in cold water (which all albergue laundry sinks have) for hand washing laundry. Get a refillable 3 oz. bottle and fill it up with body wash as you go.
 
I never saw it, but then again wasn't looking for it. Just saw bars of various mainstream soaps. Maybe you would find it in a farmacia.

Judging by some answers in other posts,it sounds like you seen a lot of 'bars',cant believe i didn't meet you in one as we walked same time :)
 
I don't suggest you take a liquid soap. Too many opportunities for it to open and spill.
Just cut a bar of soap in half and take it - use it for hair and body.
You can buy any type of replacement you want along the Camino, though half a bar will probably last you the entire way.
Also, no need to take laundry detergent.
Buy a bar of cold water wash soap there, or buy some Fels Naptha and cut it into 4ths.
Or if you plan on doing your wash in machines, the soap is almost always included in the price of the machine.
 
€2,-/day will present your project to thousands of visitors each day. All interested in the Camino de Santiago.
I would also suggest a trial run at home of using Dr. Bronners. I found it (in bar form) fine for washing clothes etc but after about a week of washing my hair with it my hair got gummier and gummier feeling. And that was with my good shower water pressure at home!!! I ended up taking one of my favorite shampoos instead that only takes a tiny amount for a good hairwash. (same with my conditioner and brought a travel sized Dial soap for my body).
 
I second the suggestion of trying it out at home - wash with the soap you choose, wash your hair with it and even your walking clothes, in cool/cold water, after a nice sweaty workout. That way you get to test the drying time of your outfit as well! Some people are okay with half a bar of castile soap, some aren't, some need conditioner and some don't, some choose to carry a bit extra to get the products they are used to. Find out which one you are before you go.
 
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Strongly second NOT taking liquid soap, but taking a bar. Actually it will weigh less. Bronners does make a bar of soap, so if you like the smell of peppermint or eucalyptus, go that route. I found the Dr. Bronners bar will last about 2 weeks for daily washing of body, hair and clothes for 2 people.
Also remember that soap is easy to buy on the Camino, so don't carry too much and just buy it as you run out. A day would not go by that you could not find a bar in a tienda.

Rambler
 
Thanks, everyone, for your hints, clues, and suggestions about soaps, whether liquid or "bars."
 
The 2024 Camino guides will be coming out little by little. Here is a collection of the ones that are out so far.
Why? Spain makes some of the best soap in the world. Think Castille. And beautiful cosmetics too. I've just ordered some heavenly stuff from Alvarez Gomez.

Oooh, nice. I think I'll bring less of whatever I decide to start off with, just so I can use some Spanish soaps! Thanks.
 
...and ship it to Santiago for storage. You pick it up once in Santiago. Service offered by Casa Ivar (we use DHL for transportation).
You won't see Dr. Bronners in Spain unless you can find in a specialty store, it doesn't work very well in cold water (which all albergue laundry sinks have) for hand washing laundry. Get a refillable 3 oz. bottle and fill it up with body wash as you go.
Yep, did this, worked fine. We always had the opportunity to refill at albergues, cleaned well, rinsed out well, it was a good substitute that was always available.
 
Hi all.
I take a bar of glycerin soap. I use it for body, hair and clothes.
I like the soap glycerin
"Pastilla de Jabón de glicerina" in Spanish language.
Buen Camino
 
I just took a bar of plain old Ivory soap and used it for everything -- body, hair and clothes. I kept it in a plastic soap container and kept that in a ziplock bag. Here's a tip that we read in a book about the Camino before we left: wear your underwear and T-shirt into the shower with you. Use them as a washcloth, and you kill two birds with one stone. The bonus is not having to stand in line at the wash basin except when you wash other items (mainly outerwear). It works, we did it.
 
Get a spanish phone number with Airalo. eSim, so no physical SIM card. Easy to use app to add more funds if needed.
The first edition came out in 2003 and has become the go-to-guide for many pilgrims over the years. It is shipping with a Pilgrim Passport (Credential) from the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela.
I decided to take Dr Bronner's with me this trip but have sensitive skin. I should probably play safe and go with the unscented but I like the idea of the scented ones for my hair and clothes. Anyone else have any issues with the scented variety? Particularly those of you who may have sensitive skin?
Thanks :)
 
I'd go with the bar soap. I brought a half bar of Dr. Bronner's. It only lasted to Burgos. If you carry bar soap you're not carrying the water of liquid soap. Here's a tip I read and tried. Store bar soap in a ziplock sandwich bag only. The soap will dry out through the day and not turn to mush as it tends to in those plastic containers. It's important that it be a sandwich bag, as those are thinner and let more air in, allowing the soap to dry out.
 
I'd go with the bar soap. I brought a half bar of Dr. Bronner's. It only lasted to Burgos. If you carry bar soap you're not carrying the water of liquid soap. Here's a tip I read and tried. Store bar soap in a ziplock sandwich bag only. The soap will dry out through the day and not turn to mush as it tends to in those plastic containers. It's important that it be a sandwich bag, as those are thinner and let more air in, allowing the soap to dry out.

Thanks for the advice! Much appreciated :)
 
3rd Edition. More content, training & pack guides avoid common mistakes, bed bugs etc
Loved seeing the question about Dr Bronner here. My supply from home is surely running out and hoping to pick up a bar before I start.

Those who said just use anything - there are very specific reasons why some choose Dr Bronner and not just have our biggest organ in our body soak up toxic soaps.

I'm hoping the stores that sell it in Paris are open early before I catch my 7am train. I also hope somewhere in Madrid sells the nice big bottles so I can replenish the supplies at home as I can't get it where I currently live.

Anyone from the States going to be in SJPP 1st July? Want to bring a bar and meet me at the start
 
I used Dr Bronner's Peppermint Castile Soap years ago on my first long backpacking trip. It worked fine for a 15 day walk in the mountains, except that it
was still soap and I didn't really like the taste of it as a toothpaste. On my camino last fall, I took a bar of Ivory soap, which is what I use at home for bathing. After trying it once on my hair before leaving, it took two shampoos to wash out the sticky residue, so I also brought a small amount of my regular shampoo, and finally had to buy more in Santiago. I may just try to wash my hair less often on my next camino. I also took my usual laundry powder, which I thought should work, as I use it for hand washing as well as machine washing at home. But it would not dissolve properly in cold water. For this fall's camino, I may just use the Ivory bar soap for hand laundry, as I still had quite a lot of the one personal size bar when I got home. I took it in my regular plastic soap dish and it never stayed wet or went mushy after use. Or I may try out some cold water soap powder before I leave, as I have used that for hand washing clothes when travelling in countries where cold water is the norm. I think that for comfort it is helpful to use a soap that will wash out completely and not leave any sticky residue. Soap is a small issue in the almost infinite variety of equipment questions, but it can make a difference in our comfort, and that of those who have to live with us.
 
My little pet peeve about Dr. Bronner's soap is that it is NOT a Castile soap. Castile soap is made with all olive oil (or, some say, at least 80% olive oil). The first ingredient in Dr. Bronner's soap is coconut oil, which can actually be drying for skin. It also contains a number of other oils besides coconut oil and olive oil. Also wanted to note that Ivory is actually a detergent, not a soap. You'll notice it doesn't even say soap on the package. The original version was very harsh on the skin, so now they've added other ingredients to counter that. But there is nothing "simple" about it. Real soap should just be made with saponified oils. None of this means that those products won't work for some people. Looks like a number of people here have had good experiences with them.
 
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The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
I've been trying out some Dr. Bronners. It has a 8.5-9 PH, which is in between hand soap and detergent. Skin is PH 7 so an alkaline soap like this is rough but I don't think unusual. Anyway, skin puts out oils and after a little while it will come back from dry to normal.

The issue is hair (PH 5). I am sure Dr Bronners cleaned it but also dried it out to straw. Unlike skin, hair cannot self-lubricate so it just stays dry and frizzy. Eventually I used some leave-in conditioner (PH 4) and that corrected the frizz. But if were going to bring a bottle of that, I might as well just bring some shampoo-conditioner and get it right the first time.

I haven't decided what to bring but at least I know one product will not do it all.
 
I'm thinking of only carrying an ounce or two of Dr. Bronner's Liquid Soap to start. When I run out, is it available for sale anywhere along Camino Frances? Thanks!
I find it easier to take a "shampoo bar" to use as my shampoo, soap, and even used it to do laundry. One size fits all, doesn't spill, and can last the entire Camino. Liquid doesn't last as long. Not sure about Dr. Bronner's specifically - but you can replace just about anything on the Camino, perhaps not a specific brand but you can find something at least similar.
 
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I'm pretty sure Dr. Bronners is the same thing as Castile soap, which is available here in Spain as "Legarto."
I am very allergic to both of them. I second the suggestion of testing things out in advance.
I carry a travel-size bottle of Tres Semme shampoo and use that for everything, I top it up when I stay someplace that has liquid soap on hand, so it's probably not really TresSemme anymore. I know liquids are wastefully heavy, but I don't weigh everything in advance and stress over it.
It is perfectly possible to walk comfortably without knowing what your pack weighs.
 
Get a spanish phone number with Airalo. eSim, so no physical SIM card. Easy to use app to add more funds if needed.
Why? Spain makes some of the best soap in the world. Think Castille. And beautiful cosmetics too. I've just ordered some heavenly stuff from Alvarez Gomez.
This.

My luxury item is aleppo soap. This inspires me to see if there are similar castile soaps in Spain made from olive oil and laurel.
 
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