Natural soaps: Cal-Ben (Five Star) vs. Dr. Bronner

[KBCraig]

I ordered the $20 "one month supply" sample package from CalBen, and so far we're pretty impressed. The shampoo is awesome, the bar soap is great, and the laundry soap really does cut down the dryer lint to at least 1/4 what it was before. (With Mary grooming dogs, we wash a lot of towels, and generate a lot of lint. The change is drastic, which tells me this soap isn't breaking down the fibers of the stuff we wash.)

I'm curious if anyone has compared this line to Dr. Bronner products. My only experience with Dr. Bronner's soap was seeing a bottle at work in an office, reading the label, and laughing atalong with the insane ranting.

Lately, I've been impressed that David Bronner, the founder's grandson and current president and co-owner of the company, has been very active in pushing for hemp legalization, both of the industrial and recreational varieties. He was arrested for planting industrial hemp seeds on the DEA's front lawn in DC, and donated $100,000 to support California's Prop 19, which would legalize marijuana.

Thoughts?

[Tom Sawyer]

We use Dr. Bronner bar soap and have used the liquid... good stuff... hemp seed oil is some pretty wonderful stuff... We use a hemp seed oil based hand cream from the Body Shop, that stuff is like a magic cure for sunburns etc.   Never tried CalBen.

[PassionatePantherrr]

I don't have personal experience with Cal Ben, and as 1) I have a number of allergies, and 2) there seems to be some question as to what their products exactly contain, I'm not likely to use them in the future. None of their ingredients are listed on their website (they do not have a FAQ from what I can find), and those listed on other websites are rather vague...
http://readysupply.ca/store/soap.htm lists a number of the ingredients with "Vegetable" as a prefix which could be anything plant related.
The following YouTube video (and discussion) also touches on their product ingredients...
Marty Schachter on The Alex Jones Show:Cal Ben Soap!

So, I'd say, if you don't have any allergies, and it works well for you, great. Dr Bronner's seems to be a lot more open about their ingredients, and although I'm using a different brand of organic liquid castille soap currently (which I can get at wholesale), I do use Dr Bronner's products. Your mileage may vary ;-)

[KBCraig]

Thanks. Anybody have experience with Tom's of Maine?

[Kat Kanning]

I like CalBen better.  Dr. Bronner adds herbs that reduce fertility.

[Becky Thatcher]

Thanks. Anybody have experience with Tom's of Maine?

I used to use Tom's deoderant and liked it, but when they started putting lichen in it, I had to stop.  Made my armpits break out in a rash.  Same thing happened to a friend of mine who used it also.

[Kat Kanning]

Seriously, lichen?

[Tom Sawyer]

Her armpits no liken lichen. 

Sorry, I'll shut up now. 

[Becky Thatcher]

Seriously, lichen?

Seriously, lichen.

I'm also really allergic to poison ivy, as well as Benadryl, which is the most common ingredient in anti-poison ivy medication.    A doctor asked me once when I said I was allergic to Benadryl, "Are you sure?"  I told him to give me a couple pills and we could sit around and watch my hands get all scaly and swell up.

[Russell Kanning]

the calbens shampoo is good and the laundry stuph is good too

then again I buy and love anything that alex jones endorses

if i spend much more time in jail  i might love anything from bob barker
and I am learning to love big brother

[ptb]

Dr. Bronner's reduces fertility?  Good thing we both use it, otherwise Lorrie might be carrying triplets!   

- Peter

[Pat K]

I find rough rags and diesel fuel,
A real help in cleaning up at work.

[KBCraig]

I find rough rags and diesel fuel,
A real help in cleaning up at work.

The rougher the better,
Thailor boy!

[KBCraig]

The CalBen labels are almost impossible to read, and are devoid of information. The Bronner labels are only slightly easier to read (and much more entertaining), but also contain little information.

I like that Bronner makes the information available on their website. I like that they import 20 tons of hemp oil every year from  Canada, and fight for the right of American farmers to grow the same crop.

I don't mind if my soap isn't 100% vegetable. When I was a young boy I helped my grandmother make soap from lard and Red Devil lye. It was the only cleaning agent in the house, used for dishes and laundry and bathing and all household surfaces that needed cleaning. She died in 1977, and I can still vividly recall the smell of lye soap in the house and on her clothes.

Oh, and I became convinced to try CalBen/Five Star not by Alex Jones (I never listen to him), but by Rollye James, another radio host(ess).

[PassionatePantherrr]

What I'm currently using: Omega Nutrition Unscented Natural Face & Body Soap. 80% organic ingredients, fragrance free. The ingredients list reads: Purified water, potassium soaps of: (organic coconut oil, high oleic organic sunflower oil, organic olive oil, oleic acid from organic palm oil). Label lists dilutions for use as face soap, body soap, shampoo, vegetable wash, natural insecticide (soaps do help keep down the aphids, etc on plants). It is very thin in consistency (they don't add aloe vera like dr. bronners, trader joe's, etc), but a tiny bit is enough for a long time. http://www.omeganutrition.com/products-bodycare-soaps.php

I have yet to try their Bath Soaps (bar soaps, 4.8 oz),
Rainforest Bath Soap ingredients are as follows: Ingredients: Food grade coconut oil, mountain spring water, unrefined omegaflo *Sunflower Oil, sodium hydroxide, unrefined omegaflo *Hazelnut and *Brazilnut Oils, omegaflo *Nutri-Flax and vitamin E (*Organic)

Flax Orange Bath Soap ingredients: Food grade coconut oil, mountain spring water, unrefined omegaflo organic sunflower oil, sodium hydroxide, unrefined organic flax seed oil, natural essential oil of orange and omegaflo organic nutri-flax.
Free of petrochemicals, detergents or animal testing. (It's also a company that produces food-grade oils, so, they're much less likely to add unnecessary junk).

If anyone would like to try these, let me know... $5.20 + shipping for a 4.8oz bar soap, $13.15 + shipping for a 32 oz bottle of the liquid face & body soap. If there's enough interest, I might bring some to the Gulch, and set a fixed price with shipping/what percentage could be paid in silver... (of course, I'm a ticking-baby-time-bomb right now, so that has to take priority!)