by Lisa Bronner

Chapped cheeks, chapped chin, chapped knuckles, chapped skin.  Oh, yes.  It must be winter. I hate chapped skin.  I hate how it snags smooth fabrics.  I hate how it cracks open at the slightest bump.  I hate how it snags on my beloved microfiber cleaning cloths.  It’s akin to fingernails on a chalkboard for me.

When my oldest became a toddler, his cheeks were so constantly chapped and flaming red in winter that I thought he might scar.  My friend’s toddler had such a ring of chapped skin around his mouth, it looked like he had tried to put on lipstick and missed.  The hands on my 9 year old feel like 40 grit sandpaper.  My personal battles are against cracked hands, a red face, and overall itchiness.  Dr. Bronner’s can remedy all of these scenarios with a variety of products: the lip balms, the body balms, the coconut oil, and the lotions.

Cracked and Raw Skin

For cracked skin anywhere, there is nothing like the lip balm.  Did you catch that?  The lip balm.  I recommend the lip balm over the body balm for getting into cracked skin anywhere on the body – especially when the cracks are so dry and hardened that they just won’t come together to heal.  For me that’s my knuckles.  The lip balm is thicker than the body balm, so it gets into the cracks and stays put to soften and nourish the skin.  Go with the unscented Naked lip balm if you can.  However, if all you have is a scented one (Peppermint, Orange Ginger, or Lemon Lime), you’ll still like the results.  This lip balm remedy is good day or night, but you’ll definitely notice the most dramatic results overnight. Put on a good coat right before bed.  Keep it by your bedside for just that purpose.

The worst thing for cracked skin is anything with alcohol.  Alcohol is very common in lotions because it emulsifies oils, but on cracks it will burn like nobody’s business.

Chapped Hands

The best treatment for sandpaper hands is an overnighter: rub in a generous amount of body balm and wear cotton gloves or socks over them to bed.   Another good option is a full squirt of the lotion with a good hand massage.

Dry, Red, or Itchy Faces

Quick and easy: an overnight mask of the coconut oil.  This treatment feels heavenly. I absolutely love it.  My skin in the morning feels fabulous – no redness, no flakes, no tightness, no itchiness.  Just right.  I don’t recommend coconut oil during the day because it takes a while to absorb and you can’t put make-up on over it, if that’s relevant to you.  (A word on the “but I can’t put oil on my face” complaint:  Oil is what moisturizes our skin.  It just needs to be the right kind of oil.)

During the day, the Dr. B’s lotion is a perfect light moisturizer.

Overall Itchiness and Ashy-ness

My personal favorite again is the coconut oil, but the lotion works great, as well.  The coconut oil is like a spa treatment for me.  A little bit of the oil goes a long way, so it doesn’t take much for the whole body.   (I say that about a lot of Dr. B’s products.)

Dry Skin Prevention

Now that you’ve got everything all healed up, grab yourself a bottle of the lotion.  This is the best thing to prevent all of the above.  It goes on fast and easy.  It absorbs quickly.  It provides a great protection against wind and dry air.  Just two squirts will cover the whole body, so one bottle will last you quite a while.  It is best to put it on right out of the shower, while the skin is still moist.  Also, keep a bottle by your sink and apply a small pea-sized amount after hand washing.

So now you’re saying, “I have all of the above conditions, but buying all of these products at once would strain my budget.”  If I had to make-do with just one, I would go with the coconut oil.  It can be applied broadly, but also works for acute problems because it doesn’t have any essential oils or alcohol to burn cracks.   After that, I can’t decide what I would buy.  The other three are really great, so pick them up as you can.

In honor of my grandfather Dr. Bronner’s 105th birthday on February 1, here are some family stories that reveal a bit of what it was like to grow up with such a man as our grandfather. Some of these memories are my own, some are from my brothers and cousins, and some are from my dad and uncle.

From my dad’s early childhood emerged the stories of my grandfather giving very young Jim and Ralph rides on the front bumper of a ’42 Buick, while they straddled the bumper guards and hung on to the hood ornament. He knew how to have a good time.

Answering the phone growing up was always a little unpredictable. Without caller ID, we never knew who it might be – until we heard, “Mike! Have you memorized the Moral ABC yet?! Recite to me number 22!” or “Lisa! You must learn to type! It is the way of the future!” (I always got the easy ones.) or “You must spend three years of your life working with your hands! I laid bricks and it gave me the common touch!”

My cousin Eric and his high school friends have some fond memories of sleep overs when the phone would ring at 6 or 7 am Wisconsin time, (4 or 5 am California time). Eric would jump up from a dead sleep and answer, “All-One!” because who else would it be? “Eric! I need you to read to me from the biography of Karl Marx.” Eric had the entire Encyclopedia Brittanica set right by the phone for this kind of “emergency” reading session.

The Moral ABC was not just something he did for his work. It was his life. He felt that there was no time to waste in spreading his message of peace, that the world teetered on the brink of self-annihilation. And so, small talk never went over well with him. My cousin Mark tried, “Grandpa, how are the Padres doing?” “Mark! With nuclear bombs we’re all-one or none! Get it done!”

He had a very distinctive way of speaking: no extra words, with great emphasis, even an occasional poetic couplet thrown in. Straight to the point with a strong German accent, and there you have him.

And then there were the “man to man” talks, from which I was happily spared. These would inevitably occur in some painfully public place, like the lobby of the Las Vegas Hilton. “Mark!” (or insert grandson name here) “Have you experienced love yet?!” And there was no volume control for grandpa.

He loved the southern California sunshine and often sunbathed au natural on the roof patio of his house. And whether he was still under the impression that because he couldn’t see, neither could others, or perhaps he just didn’t care, he would conduct business meetings as such. One of the company’s longest working employees, who is clearly very go-with-the-flow, even had her initial job interview with him like this.

Gladys, his wife, called him Sparkles, and he had great trust in her. When fully blind, he would get his exercise by jogging alongside their car, holding on to the slightly rolled down window while Gladys drove.

There was no half-way with grandpa. It was all or nothing. When we went in to wake him at the time he set, he’d exclaim, “Give me 10 more minutes or I’m a dead man!” Or to his wife, “Gladys, I’ll give you a million dollars if you let me speak for 5 minutes!” Or of Mark, when he was a 19 year old student at UW, “Now I’d like you to meet my grandson, Mark, a professor of mathematics at the University of Wisconsin.” He had great confidence in what we would become.

Other people’s reputation or place in the world did not daunt Dr. Bronner. And so we have on the soap labels: “Kipling’s If with slight assist by Bronner”, “Longellow’s Psalm of Life with slight assist by Bronner”. He wrote letters of advice to every U.S. president, and he even tried to get a few on the phone.

He’s the only adult I’ve ever met to lie about his age – upwards. “Grandpa, why do you tell people you’re 72 when you’re 62?” “Because I’m in great shape for a 72 year old.”

Shave Gels
As with all things Dr. Bronner’s, there is versatility and choice in shaving with the Magic products. The simplest is the Dr. Bronner’s Shave Gels. In DBMS (Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps) time, these are relative newbies. Ingredient-wise, the shave gels are closely related to Dr. Bronner’s Shikakai pump soaps. Their high concentration of Shikakai powder makes them effective yet mild and nourishing, as well as giving them a distinctive dark golden brown color. The shave gels lather to a very creamy foam that shaves closely.

Coconut Oil Pre-treatment
Now let’s take things up a notch with Dr. Bronner’s coconut oil. Let me just say that I love this stuff. If you need a particularly close shave or if your skin is super dry or your hair is super coarse or if you need to shave more than your norm, coconut oil is the key for not stripping your skin. Unless you like that scaly, ashy, razor-burn dappled not quite fully shaved look.

A few minutes before shaving, massage a thin amount of pure coconut oil on to the areas to be shaved. Now here’s a fork in the road: you might be able to shave straight from this point with just the coconut oil for lubrication and a wet razor, or else you can wash this off and proceed with the shave gel. If you can get by with just the coconut oil, go with that and celebrate the simplicity of it. Otherwise, use your regular soap (hopefully Dr. B’s) to wash this off and then lather up some shave gel (or see below).

Coconut Oil Post-treatment
If you didn’t put the coconut oil on before shaving, you can still enjoy its fabulous feel afterwards. Personally, I usually stumble directly from my bed into the shower (with a very brief stop by the closet) and the idea of taking a moment to apply coconut oil just seems like an insurmountable hurdle. So, I often end up going this route. A little coconut oil massaged in afterwards, especially when the skin is still slightly damp, gives a long-lasting smoothness and softness. For me, it seems to make my shave last longer.

Castile and Shikakai Soaps
Honestly, all too often, I don’t have the shave gel at home. Yes, I know. My family runs the company, but still, the cobbler’s children are unshod. So, I combine the coconut oil application with one of the other Dr. Bronner’s soaps. In order of increasingly better shavability, I go with the castile liquid, the castile bar, or, the best of these three, the Shikakai pump soaps. Lather them up really well and apply to warm, wet skin to shave.

The DBMS Advantage
Let’s look at the benefits here, besides the excellently close shave. These products are all very understandable to our minds as well as to our bodies. Our bodies will be able to deal with whatever they may absorb from any of these products. The ingredients are botanicals, and our bodies speak Botanical. Our bodies don’t speak Triethanolamine or Polyethelene Glycol or Isobutane (common conventional shaving cream ingredients). Also, you do not need to beware of the scents of D. B’s; if any scent is added (which it is in all of the above except the coconut oil and the unscented Baby Mild varieties), it is from pure essential oils. The ingredient “Fragrance” is not your friend. (Here’s my rant on that topic.)

So go forth, and be shorn, my friend.

It’s a new year and a time for new beginnings. I love this time of year. Somehow, it’s so much more than a number on a calendar.  I never understand why it has this impact on me, but I can count on the inspiration and motivation I feel this time of year to accomplish things that at other times you’d have to hit me over the head with a crowbar to attempt. I hope you’re in this boat with me. Perhaps you’ve been wanting to get started on going green. If so, here are ten steps to get you started.

1. 1. Acknowledge the importance of “Green” cleaning. Agree with the need for change before you can change.
2. 2. Educate yourself continuously with trustworthy resources such as the Environmental Working Group’s Cleaning Guide
3. 3. Read ingredient lists. Beware of red-flag ingredients such as “-eths” and “fragrance”.
4. 4. Start with one step at a time. Identify the easiest task for you to turn green, and start there.
5. 5. Use products you understand. Complicated is not better. Regular soap and water is extremely effective, as are vinegar, baking soda, lemon juice, and olive oil.
6. 6. GIY: Green-It-Yourself. Make your own cleaning products. Save yourself the time, money, and effort of buying from the store.
7. 7. Multi-task your cleaners. Find a great all-purpose recipe and use it for sinks, counters, dishes, floors, indoor, outdoor, everywhere.
8. 8. Reduce your refuse. Buy in bulk and buy concentrates to reduce throw-away packaging. Repurpose containers. Use washable cloths instead of paper towels.
9. 9. Clean your air. Open windows daily. Bring in houseplants. Use real foods to scent the air instead of candles, sprays, or plug in air fresheners.
10. 10. Stick with it. Even if you stumble occasionally, keep going. You will eventually develop new habits and get used to new norms.

Click here to download a PDF copy of the 10 Steps to post in your house.

Here are some of my previous posts to help you get started:
What I Mean by “Green”
Deciphering Soap and Bodycare Ingredients – Beware of the “-eth”
Who Gave Soap a Bad Name
Sal Suds in a Spray Bottle
Open Wide
Falling Off the Green Machine

Here is a great new project at Dr. Bronner’s! This animated video simplifies all the hubbub about Fair Trade – what it is, why it’s important, how it works – specifically in reference to Dr. Bronner’s fair trade palm oil project at our sister company Serendipalm in Ghana. Secondly, the animated video is followed by a great way to partner with us in a campaign to help the community around Serendipalm. Dr. Bronner’s has launched a crowdfunding campaign to provide much needed bed nets to reduce malaria transmissions in the region. It’s such a simple way to help, and yet so effective. Please check out the video and respond if you can!

To view the campaign, visit: www.indiegogo.com/drbronners

There are so many really awesome aspects to this campaign. The first is that a very small donation – $10 – will provide something that can save the lives of an entire family. Secondly, Dr. Bronner’s is matching every single donation. So, when you give $10, you’re really providing $20. I love how that works. Another cool thing is the commemorative soap. Now this is not the main reason to give, but it’s a great perk. The other perks are great, too. (Think about it – dinner with Bronner family? Always an adventure!)

It was really great to work side by side with my brothers on this. I’ve never done that before. Although we all are connected to Dr. Bronner’s (a bit of an understatement since they own it), we’re all usually working on very different aspects of the business. So, this was a real treat for me. And as you can see at the end, my brothers definitely crack me up.

So perhaps you’re saying, “Lisa, you’re getting away from your roots here. Where’s the latest recipe to spiffy my house for the holidays?” I am by no means out of recipes. However, “going green” isn’t only about what we do in our own little household kingdoms. It is also about making an impact beyond our four walls, and in this case, half a world away. So take a look. I’ll get back to the basics again soon.

You may not live in California or even in the United States. However, the decision that is facing California voters of whether to label genetically modified foods will reverberate across the country. If you are elsewhere in the world, it is likely who are in one of the 61 countries that already have labeling in place. My hope is that regardless of where you are, you will reach out to people who can vote in this election and encourage them to vote Yes on Proposition 37.

It’s dinner time. Do you know what you’re eating? Do you know what your children are eating? The California Right to Know campaign wants to make sure you do. Proposition 37 requires that food that has been genetically engineered be labeled because we have the right to know what is in our food.

Genetically engineered (GE) foods, otherwise known as genetically modified organisms (GMO’s), contain within their DNA genes from another species of animal, plant, virus or bacteria. Without GE labeling, current nutritional labels do not tell consumers if the salmon they’re purchasing has been spliced with an eel or if the corn they’re consuming contains an internal insecticide, both of which are available on the market.

Although genetic modification was supposed to make food more nutritious and drought tolerant, nearly all of it has been used to create herbicide-resistant crops, such as Monsanto’s “Round Up Ready” corn, or internal insecticides. The result is that millions more pounds of herbicide are being used on crops¹, weeds are adapting to resist such herbicides², and farmers must use even more potent herbicides than before such as 2,4-D, an active ingredient in Agent Orange. The environmental and human health impact of this cycle of ever-increasing herbicide potency is hard to exaggerate.

The opposition’s question is: “If GE foods are safe, why label them?” My question is: “If GE foods are safe, why not label them?” The argument that labeling would create panic is a slight to the intelligence of Californians. Instead of spending boatloads buying the airwaves with misleading advertising, why not educate the public on the benefits of this technology? The reason is that these benefits are hard to identify.

The little good research that does exist (and none is on humans) ranges from disturbing to downright terrifying. The peer-reviewed publication Food and Chemical Toxicology , August 2012³, published the first ever long term, independent study. Rats fed food containing Round Up Ready corn experienced massive tumors, organ damage, and premature death. “It’s safe. Trust me,” doesn’t mean much coming from the same companies who told us DDT and Agent Orange are safe. Until further independent studies occur, subjecting uninformed people to untested technology is irresponsible and immoral.

There is a long-term human study underway on the American public. Our children may carry signs reading, “I am not a lab rat” or “I am not a science experiment.” But the truth is, they are lab rats and they are science experiments. The only way to stop that reality is to label genetically modified foods.

According to the MapLight⁴, not a single individual has donated money to oppose Prop 37. Their listed donors are only companies and organizations who profit from GE technology and do not want their methods revealed to their consumers and do not want to be held to any standard of accountability. The California Right to Know, Yes on 37, website shows thousands of individuals who have donated small amounts in support. This adds up to $35 million for the opposition and $7 million for the support, but people-wise, it adds up to zero for the opposition and millions who support Prop 37.

If Prop 37 does not pass, it will be because the airwaves have been bought and blanketed with the following distortions and fabrications, which can be easily disproved.

Myths and Facts Regarding Prop 37

Myth: Prop 37 is too complicated.
Reality: It’s very simple: Label GE food. Don’t call GE food “natural”.

Myth: Prop 37 has too many exemptions.
Reality: The exemptions are obvious and logical. Organic food, certified to be non-GMO; Restaurant food and alcohol, neither of which has any nutritional labeling (a worthwhile, but wholly different conversation); Food that does not come from GE animals – this prop labels food that does come from GE animals.

Myth: Prop 37 was written by a trial lawyer to benefit trial lawyers.
Reality: Prop 37 was born from an amazing cross-section of society, first begun by Pamm Larry, a stay at home grandma who decided something needed to be done about GMO labeling. A legal analysis of Prop 37 by James C. Cooper, J.D., Ph.D. from George Mason University School of Law⁵ ascertains that this proposition gives businesses “greater legal certainty” by stating precise thresholds for GE content, giving an absolute defense against lawsuits via sworn affidavits, and allowing 30 days to correct an offense. There is no incentive for trial lawyers to bring frivolous lawsuits.

Myth: Prop 37 would raise the cost of food.
Reality: 61 other countries in Europe and Asia have already labeled GE foods, and not one has seen a price increase related to such labeling.

Myth: Prop 37 would burden the government.
Reality: The legislative analysis of the financial effects of Prop 37 concluded that the administrative costs would be minimal and the court costs are “not likely to be significant”.

The No on 37 campaign has repeatedly tried to legitimatize itself by falsifying endorsements, first from Stanford University⁶, then from the American Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics⁷, and finally even the Food and Drug Administration itself⁸.

In principle, biotechnology has potential, but as it has been applied to genetically engineered food, it has been a disaster. And the more our heads are buried in the sand, the more devastating the personal impact of this national experiment will be.

This proposition will never pass unless individuals spread the facts via every means of communication available. Please don’t underestimate your word of mouth, your Facebook posts, Twitter feeds, Letters to the Editor of your local papers. Grassroots effort is what brought this measure to the ballot. Let’s see it through to the end.

Please make transparency in our food supply happen by voting Yes on Proposition 37. We have the right to know what is in our food.

Keep up to date with Proposition 37 via the Right to Know updates.

FOOTNOTES

There is a lot of overlap here with the Castile Soap Dilutions Cheat Sheet because the products can often be interchanged. It is largely a matter of personal preference, but the Sal Suds is more clean-rinsing in hard water situations, and is slightly more effective on grease and tough stains. As with the castile soaps, these recommended dilutions are not set in stone. You may have dirtier stuff, larger sinks, a larger washer, etc., and may need to tweak these amounts to your own situation.

Sal Suds, Sal Suds, How do I love thee?
I use it for…
Clothes
Towels
Sheets
Halloween costumes
Tile Floors
Carpet
Granite
Painted walls
Painted shelves
Plastic trash cans
Make Up brushes
Dishes
Lunchboxes
Dog bowls
Dog carriers
Dog collars
Windows
Cars
Car leather
Finished wood
Wood cutting boards
Plastic cutting boards
My grill (aka bar-b-que)
Outdoor metal furniture
Outdoor plastic furniture
Plastic toys
Stainless steel appliances
Paint brushes
China
Glass vases
Pottery
Beach balls
Diaper Changing pads
Wicker baskets
Artificial greenery
Painted MDF
Microsuede
Plastic storage bins
Tooth brushes
Tooth brush holders
Porcelain bathroom fixtures – toilet, tub, sink
Metal doorknobs
Plastic lightswitches and covers
Cork trivets
Rubber oven mitts
Silicone parts of my breast pump
My plastic nasal irrigator
Brita water filter
Plastic cooler
Stainless steel water bottles
Exterior of small kitchen appliances
Nylon tents
Fruits and veggies

This list doesn’t name every possibility but shows that there is very little that can’t be cleaned with the Suds. The long and short of it is, if it’s not on this list, then I probably didn’t think of it. Sal Suds is safe for any surface or material that can get wet (but it’s not meant for people or animals – it can be drying). However, if you have something that’s iffy, do a spot test.

Dilutions:
Laundry: 2-3 Tbsp. for a large load in a top loading washer. Optional: ½ c. baking soda in wash cycle, 1 c. vinegar in rinse cycle. Use half these amounts for HE washes
http://lisa.drbronner.com/?p=127

All Purpose Spray: 1 Tbsp. Sal Suds in a quart of water. Put the water in the bottle first. Use on most of the aforementioned surfaces
http://lisa.drbronner.com/?p=180

• All Purpose Spray is also used for the following:
• Stainless Steel Sink: Spray and sprinkle with baking soda from a shaker. Then scrub.
  http://lisa.drbronner.com/?p=535
• Microsuede: Spray and scrub with a gentle circular motion.
  http://lisa.drbronner.com/?p=657
• Wood: Painted or Sealed (not waxed) – Spray and wipe with a microfiber cloth
  http://lisa.drbronner.com/?p=710
• Toilets: Empty toilet, spray bowl thoroughly, sprinkle baking soda on the brush, scrub bowl, let sit 10 minutes, turn water on, flush.

Carpets: 1 drop of Sal Suds in a carpet cleaner with hot water; All Purpose Spray for spots (use sparingly)
http://lisa.drbronner.com/?p=491

Veggie Wash: 1 drop of Sal Suds in a bowl of water. Dunk and swish the produce. Rinse

Window Wash: (aka Sal Suds Lite) ½ tsp. in a quart of water. Put the water in the bottle first. Spray and squeegee. Follow up with a spray of pure club soda, or half vinegar/half water, and squeegee.

• Interior: http://lisa.drbronner.com/?p=623
• Exterior: http://lisa.drbronner.com/?p=608

Dish washing by hand:
Pre-diluted: (my preference) ½ c. Sal Suds in a quart of water in a squirt bottle. Fill with water nearly to the top before adding Sal Suds.
Undiluted: ½ tsp. Sal Suds in a large sink of water. 1 drop Sal Suds for one pot.
With All Purpose Spray: http://lisa.drbronner.com/?p=169

Mopping: ½ Tbsp. Sal Suds in approximately 3 gallons of hot water. 20 drops tea tree oil optional. Put the water in the bucket first. Dunk mop (microfiber, preferably) and wring thoroughly.
http://lisa.drbronner.com/?p=299

Cars: ½ Tbsp. in a 3 gallon bucket of water. Put the water in the bucket first. Wet car down with hose. Wash with large sponge, or soft microfiber cloth. Rinse with hose before Suds dry.

If you have SLS concerns check out this post from the past.
“There is no Cancer Risk from SLS (Sodium Lauryl Sulfate” http://lisa.drbronner.com/?p=197

To download a one page copy of this cheat sheet, click here.

Dilute! Dilute! OK!* But how much? Here is a quick reference. None of this is a hard and fast rule. If your stuff is really dirty or your water is really hard, then you may want to use more than the recommended amount. However, this should get you started. You’ll notice that for some applications, I recommend pre-diluting the soap – combining the soap with water in a container. For other applications, the soap is diluted by the water present in the situation. It’s a matter of personal preference. Keep in mind that if you predilute, you are also diluting the preservative (tocopherols – vitamin E), so the shelf life drops. Use within a couple weeks. And yes, there are 18 uses here.

* Long time Dr. Bronner’s users will remember this expression from the old labels.

Body Uses:

Face: 2-3 drops on wet hands, applied to wet face

• http://lisa.drbronner.com/?p=470

Body: one small squirt on a wet washcloth, applied to a wet body

• http://lisa.drbronner.com/?p=228

Hair: ½ Tbsp. in your hand, worked into wet hair, or dilute ½ Tbsp. in ½ a cup of water and work that into wet hair

• http://lisa.drbronner.com/?p=256

Bath: Completely depends upon water amount, but roughly 2 Tbsp. soap in an average sized tub. (Doesn’t bubble, but still cleans)

Shaving: Face – 10 drops; Underarms – 3 drops; Legs – ½ tsp; Work to a lather in wet hands and then apply to area.

Teeth: 1 drop on a toothbrush. (Yes, it tastes like soap.)

Foot Bath: 1 ½ tsp. in a small tub of hot water.

Clearing Congestion: 1 Tbsp. in a bowl of steamy hot water. Breathe in mist with a towel draped over the head.

• http://lisa.drbronner.com/?p=282

Household uses:

Dishes (handwashing): Pre-dilute 1:10 with water. Squirt on a scrub brush and scrub dishes.

Laundry: 1/3-1/2 c. of soap for a large load in a normal washer. Add ½ c. vinegar to the rinse cycle. Use half of these amounts for HE

• http://lisa.drbronner.com/?p=815

Mopping: ½ c. of soap in 3 gallons of hot water

All-purpose cleaning: ¼ c. soap in a quart of water in a spray bottle. Add ¼ tsp. tea tree essential oil if desired.

• http://lisa.drbronner.com/?p=64

Windows: 1 Tbsp. soap in a quart of water in a spray bottle. Follow up with pure club soda, or half vinegar/ half water.

• http://lisa.drbronner.com/?p=608

Toilet: Predilute 1:4 with water in a squirt bottle. Add ¼ tsp. tea tree oil. Empty toilet, squirt bowl thoroughly, sprinkle baking soda on the brush, scrub bowl, let sit 10 minutes, turn water on, flush.

Other Uses:

Fruit and Veggie Rinse: 1 dash (approx.. ¼ tsp.) in a bowl of water. Dunk produce and swish. Then rinse in clear water.

Dog washing: Amount varies widely depending on size, hair type and length, and overall dirtiness. I wet my dog thoroughly, then start to work in castile soap up and down their body until I have a good lather. Really massage it in down to the skin. Your dog will thank you for it.

• http://lisa.drbronner.com/?p=187

Plant spray for bugs: 1 Tbsp. in a quart of water. Add ½ tsp. cayenne pepper or cinnamon, if desired.

• http://lisa.drbronner.com/?p=156

Ant spray (not on plants): ¼ c. tea tree soap in a quart of water. (This concentration will burn plants.)

• http://lisa.drbronner.com/?p=164

I’ve tried to keep this short and sweet. If you have any questions, please ask away!

To download a one page copy of this cheat sheet, click here.

This week my dad Jim Bronner would have been 74. My dad was not officially at the helm of Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps very long, but although his official time heading Dr. Bronner’s was short, the role he played was crucial to the survival of the company. His presidency of the company only lasted 4 years, connecting the 45+ years my grandfather ran it to the ongoing 14+ years of my brothers’ leadership. He also stepped in during two times of crisis in the 80’s and again in the early 90’s to guide the company back on to a sure financial footing.

The rest of what I share below I wrote for the dedication of a new branch of the San Diego Boys and Girls Club, the James A. Bronner Family Branch. I shared this with the children of the B&G Club, so that they would know about the man after whom their building was named. This is not so much a bio of his life, but rather insight into who he was as a man. I hope it also contributes to your understanding of Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps and the people who made it what it is.

 

Many of my dad’s accomplishments are closely intertwined with the support and strength he drew from his wife, my mom, Trudy Bronner. Very little of what he did would have been possible without the partnership he had with my mom. In many ways, my dad was the visionary, my mom is the implementer. My dad had the ideas, my mom makes them happen.

The facts on paper about my dad will tell you that he was an enthusiastic volunteer for the Boys and Girls Club. He coached soccer through the Escondido (CA) branch, even though his own kids were grown. He served on the Board of Directors, where my mom still serves today. He made sizeable donations to the organization. He brought his ever-fun Snofoam (inspiration for the All One Ark) to many a children’s Christmas party. He was also a chemist, an inventor, a soap-maker, an adventurer and a story teller. He was creativity and intelligence bound together with hard work, loyalty and perseverance. And he was my dad. But this doesn’t even begin to tell you who he was.

My dad had the biggest heart you’d ever meet. He always stopped to help anyone in trouble. My brother Mike tells the story of one hot summer day, the two of them were driving home through the Mojave Desert. The temperatures outside were nauseatingly high. They came upon a stranded motorist by the roadside, and our dad stopped for half an hour to assist. Happy to be back underway again and feeling pretty smug about his good deed for the day, my brother was astounded when our dad pulled over about 45 minutes later to help yet another stranded motorist. “Why couldn’t they just leave this motorist to be someone else’s good deed?” he thought. My dad’s answer, “I just couldn’t live with myself if I simply drove on by.”

Jim Bronner emphasized the positive and saw the potential in everyone. As a soccer coach for over 20 years, he would often have the team that lost most regular season games. They’d end the season dead last. But in the playoffs, they would climb the ranks, defeating team after team, as my dad found the potential in each player and pulled out skills they didn’t know they had. Time after time, he saw his team in the championship game. And most importantly, every child had a good time.

Jim Bronner would find the perfect encouragement for every situation. I remember many a soccer half time, when my team would be down 4 goals to 0, and my dad would gather us around him, not to talk strategy, but to talk history. He’d tell us about John Paul Jones, American naval captain in the Revolutionary War, who was severely outmanned by the opposing English ship. After sustaining heavy losses, he heard the English captain call out, “Are you ready to surrender?” John Paul Jones answered back, “Sir, we have not yet begun to fight!” And the next thing you knew, we were all John Paul Joneses out there on the soccer field. Or maybe that was the day he told us about Winston Churchill, prime minister of Britain during World War II, who memorably said, “Never, never, never, never give up!” And suddenly we were not a downtrodden team. We were determined and energized and optimistic, and much of the time, the game turned out a whole lot better. We learned a lot of history, too.

Jim Bronner was not afraid to start at the bottom, but he was never content to stay there. My dad did not grow up with his parents, but in a variety of indifferent foster homes. However, he didn’t let any of that be an excuse for his behavior or his achievements as an adult. He entered the United States Navy as a Seaman Recruit, the lowest level of sailor. He left the Navy as a Master Chief Petty Officer, the highest rank an enlisted man could achieve. In his career as a chemist, he began working, in my mom’s words, as “chief bottle washer”. He rose to Vice President and Technical Director. Later he became president of Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps. He started coaching soccer as a spur of the moment parent volunteer, and he became Commissioner of the region. He didn’t shrink from hard work or difficult circumstances.

Jim Bronner also was not afraid of mistakes. One day when I was in high school, he took me with him to his lab. I don’t remember what we were making, but I recall I poured in too much of one ingredient. Instead of lambasting me for my mistake, he said, “Let’s see what happens. Sometimes a great invention starts from a mistake.” There were no mistakes with my dad, just unexpected outcomes. Where some people saw failure, my dad saw new beginnings.

Jim Bronner made things happen. Where some might say “That can’t be done,” Jim Bronner would say “Just watch.” At Dr. Bronner’s, he and my mom began an unprecedented profit sharing plan and no-deductible health care. Where some would have said, “You can’t give away that much money!”, he shared the profits with the people who helped earn them. He also guided the company into donating 1/3 of its profits to charitable causes.

This “anything is possible” philosophy is also responsible for the very building in which we’re standing. This facility exists today because one week before my dad passed away, he and my mom signed the documents donating a $1.4 million piece of land to the San Diego Boys and Girls Club. The Boys and Girls Club were able to sell that land and with the proceeds renovate this building to establish a permanent Valley Center Boys and Girls Club.

This building bears the name of Jim Bronner because my dad wanted the best for children. He wanted children to begin life with advantages he never had, so that they could stand on his shoulders and achieve greater things. So what would Jim Bronner say to you here today, to you who give purpose to this building? Three things: “Never, never, never, never give up!” “There are no mistakes!” and “This meeting’s gone on long enough! Let’s go play some soccer!”

Happy Birthday, Pop!

Summer has come and we turn to thoughts of sunscreen. Or something like that. This is always a quandary. We ask so much of our sunscreen. We want it to be an impenetrable barrier for all UV rays while being invisible, smelling good, and having no residual side effects. And as more aspects of the sun’s rays are discovered (remember when we didn’t know there were UVA and UVB rays?), we will be calling on our sunscreen to do even more.

The FDA does not have a solid, comprehensive policy regarding sunscreen claims or ingredients. Not even the much delayed implementation of new rules, coming in December 2012, ensures adequate consumer safety. Therefore, it is crucial that consumers learn for themselves what to look for and what to avoid.

Here I have tried to summarize all the reliable information about sunscreen for a quick read. (I heard that laugh.) For a whole lot more info, click on my resources.  You’ll notice that there is no perfect sunscreen.  I cannot give you a specific sunscreen to buy because it is all a risk/benefit analysis between SPF, active and inactive ingredients, and cost.  It is a quagmire, but hopefully once you identify a product you really like, the company won’t change anything for the worse.  Then, you’ll be able to keep buying it over and over.

The Best Resource for Sunscreen Information: Environmental Working Group’s (EWG’s) 2012 Sunscreen Safety Guide (http://breakingnews.ewg.org/2012sunscreen/)

The Best Sun Protection

The best sun protection involves a multi-faceted approach, including timing, clothing, shade, and sunscreen.

• Timing: Avoiding the midday sun – between 10:00 am and 4:00 pm
• Clothing: Wearing a hat, and long sleeves and long pants when possible in the sun
• Shade: An umbrella at the beach
• Sunscreen: Choosing a sunscreen with broad spectrum coverage and minimal side effects.

Common active sunscreen ingredients ranked best to worst, according to the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep database:

Ingredients	EWG Rating	UV Rays blocked	Notes
Avobenzone	2	UVA	Breaks down especially when with octinoxate
Mexoryl SX	2	Some UVA	Low skin penetration, breaks down 40% in 2 hours
Titanium dioxide	1-3	UVA, some UVB	Low skin penetration, but harmful if inhaled, may contain nanoparticles, can be whitish and hard to rub in.
Zinc oxide	2-3	UVA and UVB	Low skin penetration, but may contain nanoparticles, can be whitish and hard to rub in
Ensulizole	3	UVB	Can produce free radicals in sunlight, possible carcinogen
Octisalate	3	UVB	Generally safe, but is a penetration enhancer
Octocrylene	3	UVB	Produces oxygen radicals in UV light
Sulisobenzone	3	UVB, some UVA	Penetration enhancer
Homosalate	4	UVB	Weak hormone disruptor, forms toxic metabolites, can enhance penetration of a toxic herbicide
Padimate O	6	UVB	PABA derivative, releases free radicals, damages DNA, estrogenic activity, and potential allergen
Aminobenzoic acid (PABA)	7	UVB	Strong link to allergic dermatitis and photosensitivity, carcinogenic potential
Oxybenzone	8	UVB, some UVA	Hormone disrupter, linked with photoallergic reactions, absorbs easily through skin.

(Table complied with info from EWG’s www.cosmeticsdatabase.com and www.skincancer.org/prevention/uva-and-uvb/understanding-uva-and-uvb. This table is not exhaustive. If you have an ingredient not mentioned, search for it in the EWG database.)

Bottom Line:

What to look for:

• Avobenzene
• Zinc dioxide
• Titanium dioxide
• Lotion sunscreen – provides a controlled application
• SPF 15 to 50 – proven effective

What to avoid:

• Oxybenzone
• Retinyl Palmitate (vitamin A) – encourages tumor growth when in sunlight
• Spray sunscreens – inhalation risk
• Powder Sunscreens – inhalation risk
• SPF lower than 15 or greater than 50 – low is ineffective, high has no scientific merit

Labeling Terms to Question:

“Organic” Sunscreen – None of the active sunscreen ingredients can be organic – they’re either mineral or synthetic chemical. Perhaps some of the inactive ingredients are organic, but make sure it’s not a gimmick. There’s no government oversight of organic claims in personal care.

“Waterproof”, “Sweatproof”, “Towelproof” – These terms are proving to be false. All sunscreens are diminished by swimming, sweating, or toweling off. Don’t believe it.

“Sunblock” – No product fully blocks the sun. This term misleads users into a false sense of security. The term will be banned by the upcoming December 2012 FDA rules.

“Chemical-free” – I haven’t a clue what this term means. Maybe it means “toxic chemical-free” or that the active ingredients are minerals (zinc and titanium) but there are “chemicals” in the inactive ingredients.  Besides, everything is a chemical.

Additional Tips:

Don’t ask too much of your sunscreen beyond blocking the sun, whether it’s nti-aging, self-tanning, wrinkle smoothing, bug repelling, make-up foundation… It’s better to have a product that does one thing well (blocking the sun), rather than doing two or more things less than well.  Additionally, sunscreen should be reapplied every 2 hours – how often are you reapplying that SPF foundation?  Also, retinyl palmitate, or vitamin A, which is used as an anti-aging ingredient, has repeatedly proven to speed up the growth of skin tumors when exposed to sunlight.  It’s fine in a night cream, but shouldn’t be in sunscreen.  However, it is a very common inactive ingredient.

Apply sunscreen 20-30 minutes before sun exposure. Use 1 oz. of sunscreen at each application – that’s about a handful. Reapply sunscreen every two hours, regardless of how strong the SPF was to begin with. Reapply after swimming, sweating or toweling off. In other words, use a lot.  Yes, it’s a bother, but let’s think in the long term here.

If you’re looking for a safe way to sunbathe and get a good tan, I don’t have a good answer for you. Call me unfeeling or out of touch, but there is no healthy way to force your body to tan excessively. No sunscreen will help, tanning beds are problematic, and self-tanning creams have their own retinue of hazards. If you’re looking for healthy skin color, eat right and exercise regularly. However, if you’ve been blessed with porcelain skin and you’re just aching for that deep Brazilian tan, I recommend that you accept yourself as you are. It’s not worth the price.  Tanning is a sign of damage to the DNA in our skin.  It is our bodies’ attempts to prevent further damage.

Conclusions to Avoid

After reading all of this and the EWG study, you may be tempted to veer off in one of two wrong directions:

• Wrong Conclusion #1:It’s better not to wear any sunscreen at all. That way all the concern about absorption and broad spectrum and nano-particles and everything else wouldn’t matter.
  • • Despite risks associated with sunscreen, experts agree that it’s much better than nothing.
• Wrong Conclusion #2:I just won’t go outside. Then I don’t have to worry about sun burns or sunscreens.
  • • This is throwing the baby out with the bathwater here. We need the exercise, fresh air, mental stimulation and relaxation that comes from the outside. Plus, we need some sun exposure for the creation of necessary vitamin D (read the EWG study).

Sunscreen Glossary

Active Ingredients – the ingredients that actually screen the sun’s rays
Broad Spectrum – blocks both UVA and UVB rays
Chemical Sunscreen – refers to sunscreens where the active ingredients are not minerals, which would be zinc oxide and titanium dioxide
Hormone Disrupter – a chemical that mimics or interferes with the body’s regulation of hormones
Mineral Sunscreen – refers to sunscreens where the active ingredients are minerals (zinc oxide or titanium dioxide) that provide a physical barrier against the UV rays.  Inactive ingredients may still contain ”chemicals”
Nanoparticles – particles smaller than 100 nanometers (nm), concern is mixed on the harmfulness of nanoparticles absorbing through the skin
Penetration enhancer – something that helps other chemicals penetrate the skin
Radicals or Free-radicals – atoms, molecules, or ions that have unpaired (i.e. free) electrons. They are highly chemically reactive and can cause DNA damage.
Sunblock – a term that will soon be banned by the new FDA regulations because it gives a false sense of security.
UVA – the sun’s rays which cause photo-aging, wrinkling, immune suppression and cancer.
UVB – the sun’s rays which cause sunburn; also causes cancer