dr. bronner's soap
 
I never thought it was possible to fall in love with a company, but I think I've just gone and done it. My squeaky-clean love match is with Dr. Bronner's. It's fair trade, vegan, organic, and all-natural. It lathers like crazy, thanks to the coconut oil and lack of anything toxic—and it actually smells good, too. It's the soap with the rambling, religious-bent, and often bizarre rants printed on every available space on the packaging. Years ago, Dr. Bronner's Magic All-One was the domain of hippies and health food shops, but it has spread its niche soapdom all the way to Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, and your local outdoor outfitter. 
 
I'm not a stranger to the allure of Dr. Bronner's—I've been using the stuff for over 10 years. My main squeeze is the peppermint bar soap (I love the tingle!) and I always take a tiny bottle of their almond-scented soap as our biodegradable dish cleaner when camping. A mid-size bottle of the lavender soap is kept under my kitchen counter for general all-purpose household cleaning. But my knowledge of Dr. Bronner was strictly relegated to the washing up of things and from what I could gather from the package.
 
documentary dvd box
 
That was until I picked up Dr. Bronner's Magic Soapbox at the local library. The documentary, directed by Sara Lamm, tells a tale that's as the packaging: Dr. Bronner was an eccentric engineer who escaped the Nazis, came to America, escaped an insane asylum, and then somehow managed to abandon his sons (who then took over the business when the good doctor's health started to decline). The film is awkward, rambling, funny, and heartbreaking at the same time. 
 
dr. bronner
 
The Bronner family business may be a bit odd, but they continue to be a socially-conscious and progressive company. Their hearts are in the right place, which is what I really love about this family-run business. Dr. Bronner's was the first company to develop and use 100% post-consumer waste recycled bottles and they cap their salaries to no more than five times the wage of the lowest worker. Now repeat that last fact again. Yup. Although the soap is a little strange, it's true love everytime I lather up. 

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