I'm a big fan of Dr. Bronner's soap. I think it's one of the best natural health products that I use on a regular basis. I also think that it  probably has the most interesting story out of any health product that I buy from Swanson. I say probably because I have yet to find out the entire story. However, I will share with you what  I already know...

When I first bought Dr. Bronner's Peppermint Soap about five months ago, I thought I was getting just another ordinary all natural hand soap. But when I opened the box, my first thought was "this bottle is smaller than I thought it was going to be." My next thought was "look at the label on this thing, it's crazy."  The label was unlike anything I had ever seen. The entire label is covered with text. Tiny little text, written in every possible direction. Take a look for yourself. I knew there had to be a fascinating story behind this product or brand.

I decided to do a Google search on Dr. Bronner's soap and came across a trailer for a documentary made on Dr. Emanuel Bronner. I'm a huge fan of documentary films and also a big fan of The Sundance Film Festival, where this film played. After watching the trailer, I realized that I was correct on my label-based assumption that there was a crazy story behind this soap.

Emanuel Bronner was deeply religious and had a strong belief in the goodness of humanity, despite having parents that were killed in the Holocaust. His packaging is covered with his "Moral ABCs," his philosophy, with a wide variety of influences from Christianity to Rudyard Kipling's poetry. At one point in his life, Dr. Bronner was arrested and committed to a mental hospital, but he escaped after receiving electric shock therapy. Emanuel Bronner died in 1997, when he was 89 years old.

There are a lot of things to like about the Bronner brand. When he died, his soap factory produced over 1 million bottles of soap per year, yet was still not machine driven. The company does not advertise or have a sales department, instead relying on word of mouth advertising. The products are certified fair trade, entirely natural and use organic oils. Best of all, the brand is known for its generosity and donations to a wide range of charities.

I look forward to watching the life story of this eccentric soap-maker. For those who are subscribers to Netflix, the documentary is currently available for online streaming. Enjoy the trailer to Dr. Bronner's Magic Soapbox:

Also, have no fear on the little bottle size I mentioned above. This soap can produce tons of lather with just a few drops and seems to last forever. I'm still on my first bottle. It can be used as an all natural hand soap, deodorant, shampoo, toothpaste or practically anything else. I even use it to clean the floors. I recommend you buy it yourself, if only to read the label.

Sources:
Wikipedia.com
Swanson Vitamins