Dr. Bronner's All-One Pure-Castile Magic Bar Soap - Almond - 5oz

A: Hi, thank you for reaching out to us! Great question! While you can dilute our Pure-Castile Bar Soap, this is not necessary for all uses and mostly comes down to preference. For example, some may prefer just lathering the bar between their hands for handwashing, and others may prefer to make a dilution and use it in a foaming pump. It's truly up to you and your needs. With that in mind, there are a couple of things to remember when first getting started with our Pure-Castile Soap. Firstly, our soap is 2 - 3 times more concentrated than most soaps on the market; therefore, less is definitely more. Additionally, if you are diluting our Pure-Castile Soap, we recommend only diluting a portion that will be used up within 2 weeks to a month. We do not add any harsh preservatives to our products that will allow them to last longer than 1 month after being diluted. We recommend using distilled water for the best results as hard water can cause natural soap separation. Lastly, it's important to note that our Castile Soap does not work well with pump dispensers. We have tested a variety of pumps and dilutions over the years with little success. Inevitably, the very concentrated soap clogs the pump. We recommend keeping the soap in its original form and just lathering it between your hands for each handwashing. However, our Castile Soap does work well in foaming dispensers. Foaming dispensers “thicken” the soap with water and air. If you decide to use a foaming dispenser, we encourage making a soap creme (https://www.lisabronner.com/bar-soap-dilutions-cheat-sheet/#:~:text=Making%20Soap%20Cream,lot%20like%20tofu.) first and using a dilution ratio of 1 part soap to 1 part water. This dilution doesn’t create the issues with clogging that undiluted soap would. For an extensive guide on recipes and applications for our Pure-Castile Bar Soap, we highly recommend checking out Lisa Bronner's blog, Going Green with Lisa Bronner where she has her incredibly handy Bar Soap Dilution Cheat Sheet . We truly hope you enjoy your journey with Dr. Bronner's products! Should you have any further questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out.

A: While we don’t have a specialty line of products for pets, our soaps do work well for washing dogs. We have heard from others that they work well on many other kinds of animals too. To wash a dog, first wet the fur well. Next, add enough soap to produce lather and massage it into the fur, all the way to the skin. The amount depends on the dog’s size, as well as the length, thickness, and texture of its fur. In addition, please be sure to keep the soap out of the dog’s eyes as we do not make tear free products. Finally, rinse well, making sure all the soap has been rinsed off. Peppermint is our most popular soap for dogs, but we recommend baby unscented for puppies. For possible concerns about essential oils, please note that a high concentration of some essential oils can be toxic to some pets, (some pets are more sensitive than others). Products containing tea tree oil for example at concentrations less than 1–2% are generally considered nontoxic if used according to label directions. The essential oils in our Castile Soaps fall within this range. When used according to our recommendations, the soap will be diluted even further and will pose no threat to your pet. However, we understand that health is very important, so we recommend you consult with your local veterinarian should you have any concerns. Nonetheless, if you are uncomfortable using a product with essential oils on your pet, consider our Baby Unscented Castile Soap variety.