Grubby fingers? Foul breath? Food bits stuck in your teeth? Soiled dishes? Backpacking without soap can leave you feeling uncomfortable and grimy. Dr. Bronner’s 18-in-1 organic hemp castile soap solves these problems. We love this stuff—it is naturally scented, completely organic, biodegradable, highly concentrated, and serves a multitude of uses.
Use Sparingly
You only need a small amount of this soap because it is highly concentrated. Use just a small drop.
Cleaning Camp Dishes
You may not even need it at all if you are consuming dried foods (dehydrated/freeze-dried). These meals are already pre-cooked and dried, so you are not actually cooking the food in your pot – just warming and rehydrating. Therefore, you shouldn’t get food particles caked onto your dishes. Use only a tiny drop of soap on your sponge to clean your eating utensils, then add a splash of water and air dry.
Cleaning the Body
Works great as a facial wash, but you can also use it to wash your entire body. Again, just one drop is all you need. Put the drop directly onto your microfiber towel/bandanna, add a splash of water, then clean. Rinse off with another splash of water.
Cleaning Teeth
Use it as toothpaste. Just one drop is all you need. It will not lather since it is oily, but it is just as effective. The taste is not bad either.
Shaving
Place a drop of soap on your hands and add a tiny amount of water to create a lather. Rinse your face, add another drop to your hand, and rub it directly over your face as an aftershave.
Laundry
If you are in town and doing a full load of laundry, you can add 1/4 cup of soap to the load. Wash as normal. If you are washing dishes at your campsite or in a hotel sink, add 1-2 drops of soap to the wash water.
Suggestions on Packing Dr Bronner’s Soap
- Repackage the Soap. Purchase the larger 16 or 32 oz size bottle and repackage the contents into a Nalgene squeeze type bottle with a screw top lid to prevent leaking. You can also purchase the 2 oz travel-size bottles of Dr. Bronner’s and refill them, although they are more expensive per ounce and have a flip-top that can open and leak if not secured with a rubber band. For a week-long backpacking trip, 1 to 2 ounces of soap is usually enough to wash dishes and clean yourself.
- Scents. There are many different scents. We favor the peppermint scent because it has a fresh, soothing aroma and feels cool and tingly on the skin.
- Leave No Trace. Don’t forget camp ethics. Do not use any soap, even non-sudsing and biodegradable, directly in or within 200 feet of a water source. After washing, scatter used soapy water widely over the soil so it can filter naturally. This helps protect the environment and keeps water sources clean for everyone.
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Fabulous article. And it is very valuable information for us.
Be careful with scented soap when backpacking in certain parts of the country. If all your gear smells tasty, then the big bears and the mini-bears will come calling.