For years I’ve seen this gigantic bottle of Dr. Bronner’s Castile Soap on the shelves of Trader Joes, Whole Foods, and health food stores. I was always overwhelmed by the biblical-era novel written on the packaging and assumed it was one of those creepy soaps that didn’t bubble or foam, that if I tried to use it, I’d end up regretting it as the worst possible purchase. Turns out, it was the best possible purchase in the history of purchases.

Dr. Bronner’s Liquid Castile Soap comes in various varieties like peppermint, hemp, almond, rose, and others. I started out with the mild baby version; not at all sure what to expect. I started using it to replace my shampoo and body wash. Needless to say, it’s pretty awesome, foams like a dream, and has actually started improving the feel and texture of my hair. One thing to note is that if you do use it for shampoo, you need to rinse your hair a little extra, your hair will be squeaky clean – which is an added bonus for the health of your scalp. I also do an apple cider vinegar rinse once a week. I might post on that later.

Along with shampoo and body wash, Castile Soap has replaced my dishwashing liquid. I’ve read that some people even use it in their dishwashing machines but that it leaves a film. I currently wash all my dishes by hand and haven’t noticed a problem. I’ve also started using it as a shaving lather and it works pretty well. I love this product. As an added bonus, it takes very little to get any job done; in some cases just a few drops.

So what’s so great about one product replacing three? Besides the obvious? My preliminary calculations show that we’ll use one 32 oz bottle of Castile Soap every 2 months which means it costs $6 a month. Buying shampoo, body wash, shaving cream, and dish soap costs about $25 a month at $300 per year. Castile Soap comes out to $72 a year. So there you go. Big savings all around. Good for the home, good for the wallet, good for you and your family, and good for the planet. Win times 4.

From http://www.drbronner.com/DBMS/LS.htm:

A combination of organic extra virgin coconut, olive, jojoba and hemp oils, together with pure essential oils, creates a unique soap that cleans effectively without being aggressive and produces a velvety-lather that leaves the skin silky-smooth and refreshed.

* Completely Biodegradable and Vegetable-Based
* Made with Certified Fair Trade and Organic Oils
* Multi-Purpose: 18-in-1 Uses
* No Synthetic Foaming Agents, Thickeners or Preservatives
* 100% Post-Consumer Recycled (PCR) Cylinder Bottles and Paper Labels
* Simple, Ecological Formulations Based on Old-World Quality and Expertise
* #1-Selling Natural Brand of Soaps in North America

Now, they say it has 18 uses. I’ve come up with 4 practical uses which saves me over $200 per year. I think that about covers the addition of more channels to our cable line-up and I can finally watch the Sundance Channel, BBC-America, LOGO, IFC, the Biography Channel and more. Honey, are you reading this? LOGO is playing episodes of Buffy and Biography has Shatner’s Raw Nerve. Must have.

Whenever I find a product that rocks as much as this one, I can’t help but feel on top of the world. I’m also super proud of myself when I manage to save this much money with one simple product. Dr. Bronner, you may be one crazy religious mo-fo, but you make the best soap on the planet.

Where to Find:

* Online at http://www.drbronner.com
* Target
* Whole Foods
* Trader Joe’s
* Most health food stores

Note: If you use for washing dishes in the sink, the basin water will not foam up like you’re used to. Water will turn milky, but trust me…it still works.

I’ve started thinking about why I’m not blogging as much as I used to. Could be that not a whole lot is going on…no, wait, that’s not true. All kinds of things are going on. And then it hits me: Twitter. AJB mentioned something about how his own blog has suffered at the hands of Twitter. I make mini-updates throughout the day, so why go back and write the long version? People get the point, right? Do I want my life memorialized in tiny, bite sized chunks or do I want to remember things the way they happened? Is there a difference?

Is “Watched TV for an hour” better than “Last night, the kids and I watched Star Trek together. It was their idea and I was happy to discover that Cat has a mean crush on Spock…which doesn’t mirror my own infatuation with Kirk, but hey…it’s Trek and we don’t have to like the same things. We’re still in the same category. It’s wonderful to see that AJB’s kids are latching onto things that I like and while we all like each other very much, it’s awesome to have pop-culture references to geek out over together. This always leads me back to the conclusion that I am the luckiest soon-to-be step-mom in history.”

I for one, like the elaboration. And by the way, that’s a true story. After watching the new JJ Abrams Star Trek, the kids have really gotten into the world of Star Trek. It piqued their interest and they now want to watch more of the original series – which makes my heart sing. Because, as you know, I’m a huge Trek fan. Not the kind that dresses up, but I do go to conventions and swoon in geekiness. Actually, I’d dress up if I could. I’ve always wanted one of those Operations Division uniforms for females. You know, the Uhura dress. I digress, where was I? Except, hold on, the Star Trek Grand Slam is taking place in November at the LAX Marriott. I think I’ll be on my honeymoon.

Onto other topics now.

On Tuesday, I saw a new doctor to help me with my skin condition – the elusive and determined eczema rashes on my hands and now, my face. Dude, I’m one of those gross weirdos with rashes on their faces. You know the kind of person you see on the bus, red patches all over their cheeks and mouth, you try not to stare, but you can’t help yourself? That’s me. AJB says it’s not that bad, but he doesn’t have to look at me in the mirror everyday. Ugly or not, it’s been rather uncomfortable as well. That said, I also can’t get married with rashes on my face. There is some reason why it’s not going away. Despite all my best efforts, it lessens, but never goes away. The good news is, it’s not nearly as bad as it was a year ago. I’m obviously exaggerating. It’s not that bad. It’s bad enough that I need to take drastic action.

This new doctor has put me on an allergy elimination diet – this means I cut out any potentially offending foods. After two weeks, I reintroduce foods one by one. The hardest thing to give up has been coffee. As a result, I had a killer migraine for 2 days. I spent those days in pain or sleeping. Today is the 3rd day and while I desperately want a cup of steaming, hot coffee, I don’t feel as terrible as I did on Day 1. AJB’s assistant reminds me that after two weeks, I probably won’t want coffee. The caffeine will be out of my system and my body will have figured out how to live without it. Going back on means I’m making a choice to continue an addiction to coffee. Well, I’ve been drinking coffee since I was 15. Is that an addiction?

I don’t really like to call my love affair with coffee an “addiction”. Many happy moments have been shared over a cup of coffee. Good conversations, beautiful cafes, good people. In fact, when AJB and I were in Italy, I made it a point to drink an espresso and have a smoke at an outdoor cafe. It was lovely. It was simply lovely.

A finished espresso and smoke at Cafe Gilli in Florence.

The question is, after two weeks will I choose to restart a 19 year addiction? Most likely. Like smoking, there are emotional connections to the act of drinking coffee, to making a great cup, sitting at a Denny’s with my sister playing cards into the wee hours of the night, my first date with AJB, my first job in Pasadena at a coffee house, talking about the moon with my brother Paul, sitting with my Dad and arguing politics, discussing the importance of The Sims with JCS, meeting countless friends for coffee, that first cup in the morning, and discovering that after 19 years, I really do know the difference between good and bad coffee. So you see, it’s not about the caffeine (although that helps), it’s a part of my life. I might go so far as to say that it’s a part of who I am. I’m a coffee drinker.

When I was 15, the reason I started drinking coffee was because I was reading a great deal of the Beat Poets (especially Kerouac) and the idea of old fashioned coffee houses intrigued me. The idea of reading, writing, and smoking in a coffee house…it was a romantic notion to me. It still is. I wrote a lot more when I was 15. After school, I’d go to this old people diner in Camarillo, drink coffee, and write…for hours on end.

Giving up coffee is like turning your back on an old friend. Even though you know that friend might be bad for you, it still hurts. My symptoms have indeed subsided over the last few days, but I’m not ready to point the finger at coffee. I haven’t eaten much since Tuesday due to the incapacitating migraine that came with going cold turkey on just about everything I love to eat and drink. AJB continues to remind me that it’s only temporary. In 12 days I’ll have coffee again. It’s at the scary moment, I’ll determine if coffee has indeed been my friend or foe. I’m actually a little nervous to find out. Truth is, I’ve been putting off giving up coffee all this time. I suppose my kidneys deserve a rest and I have to stay positive. Whatever happens happens. Let the coffee grounds fall where they may.

About Cure Zone: I love the concept and I love that thousands of people are coming together to heal themselves. What I hate about it is that it is THE most confusing website I’ve ever been to. It is so bogged down with information, none of it is really organized or cataloged very well, it’s just this big mess of links and info. It drives me crazy and it actually takes a while to find what you’re looking for…even when you use their search function. Their forums use the old fashioned thread style – which I hate. When you click on a topic, it takes you to the first post, but in order to see the follow ups, you have a click a link that opens a new window. Every time. Furthermore, there are literally THOUSANDS of topics to filter through – which makes finding the information you need, a chore. What’s worse is the forum doesn’t have it’s own search function, it uses Google Search which is far too broad and not very intuitive. Anyway, it’s a crappy website with lots of good information…when you can find it.

That said, AJB and I started a parasite cleanse this on Friday as part of an entire list of various cleanses that need to be done in a certain order. I thought, alright, what the hell? Can’t hurt. It’s just herbs. I wasn’t sure I believed in creepy, Tales from the Crypt worms living in your gut until this morning. Without going into too much graphic bathroom detail, I believe worms live in my gut. They do and I’ve seen them. First of all, it’s horrifying and I’m trying not to think about it. AJB also experienced an anomaly he couldn’t explain. OK, so I’m sold. I’ve got worms. AJB has worms. I think everyone does. We all must. It’s not the sweetest thing to think about, but the fact that I’ve seen it with my own eyes proves that I’m onto something.

The parasite cleanse is rather simple. You start with 3 herbs (black walnut, wormwood, and *cloves). You take them at 3 different intervals during the day and that’s it. Voila! Worm expulsion! We’re on an 18 day treatment, which should eradicate most of the worms living in our bodies.

What’s the point? Parasites can cause all kinds of uncomfortable problems like anemia, asthma, diarrhea, digestive disorders, fatigue, low immune system, nervousness, and skin rash. You see my point? I believe that eczema is a outer reaction to an internal problem. Solve the inner problem and the outer problem goes along with it. Regular doctors can’t help me. I’ve tried. All they can do it treat the symptoms, not the causes. My sister likes to say that we human beings don’t come with operation manuals on how to fix ourselves, but if we take the time to figure it out, it’s simple. I’m paraphrasing, but something like that. The American diet is a death sentence. It’s filled with so much bad crap, it’s no wonder so many people are sick. Think about it, if we all ate healthy, took care of ourselves, and did a cleanse once a year, how many life threatening illnesses simply would not exist? Did the ancient people of the world have restless leg syndrome or cancer? Did they have insomnia or IBS? If so, how did they treat themselves?

I could get into a gigantic rant about medical doctors, the medical industry, and why it’s a good idea to heal yourself, but I haven’t got that kind of time. I think most people, deep down, realize it’s right. I’m not here to preach, either. I’m just doing it because I believe it’s best for me and I’ve seen results.

*Makes you burp clove smell – which is actually kind of nice and reminds me of my old clubbing days at Helter Skelter.