I’ve read about Dr Bronner’s soaps many times in this forum, and just before Christmas learnt that they are sold locally, mostly in ‘health’ stores. So while doing my Christmas shopping I dropped into a store that stocks the Dr Bronner range and picked up 1 US quart of the peppermint variety for later experimentation 😉
I don’t know when I’ve ever been so preached at by product packaging! The label covers most of the vertical surface of the bottle, and every square inch of the label is crammed with what I can only call weird quasi-religious rantings in tiny print and a strong German accent. I’m no copywriter and no graphic designer, but I know someone who needs one.
On breaking the seal you are left in no doubt that the product is indeed peppermint, the smell is very distinct. On Boxing Day I mixed up my usual quantity of solution, 2.5 litres, adding 30 ml of soap per litre. I gather that’s stronger than most people use, but I like strong soap solutions. I injected it with a Higginson pump and a double-balloon catheter, quite slowly, taking nearly 15 minutes. It was fairly crampy going in, and more so while holding. At six minutes I nearly lost the catheter. After holding for 10 minutes I deflated the catheter and expelled into a bedpan, very thoroughly. Another ten minutes and I was done. There were no further effects during the day, but the peppermint perfume hung around for quite a while.
So the experiment was quite satisfactory, and no doubt I’ll use up the rest of the bottle in time. It’s rather more expensive than my regular liquid soap (which comes from a soap hobbyists supplier). Time and further experimentation will tell if I like it enough to try others of the doctor’s soaps. I doubt he’ll convert me to his religion though!