| Have you ever wondered what soap is, what | | | | ashes (potassium hydroxide). The substances were |
| ingredients it is made out of and how it is made? How | | | | mixed in the right concentrations and animal fat would |
| do you think our ancient ancestors got clean? Did they | | | | be added along with steady stirring. Because of the |
| use soap at all? How has soap evolved over the | | | | time it took the soap to cure, soap makers would |
| centuries to be the conventional soap we know of | | | | commonly repeat this process twice a year. |
| today. In modern day, there are so many types of | | | | Modern Day |
| soap available in virtually all shapes, colors and scents. | | | | Today, natural soap is most commonly made using the |
| Prehistory | | | | Cold Process method where lye (a base) is added to |
| It is believed that prehistoric man used only water as a | | | | a vegetable alkali (an acid) such as palm oil, coconut oil, |
| cleanser and purifier. | | | | or olive oil, which causes the chemical reaction known |
| Ancient Babylon | | | | as ‘saponification’. When the mixture becomes |
| In ancient Babylon (2800 B.C.), wood ashes were | | | | the desired consistency, it is poured into a mold. The |
| burned with animal and vegetable fats and this | | | | bars are then removed from the mold after setting |
| substance was used to cleanse and treat skin | | | | (approximately 24 to 48 hours). They are restacked, |
| disease. It was also used for a shiny hair look and as | | | | covered and left to cure. As in the old days, the curing |
| hair nourishment. | | | | process can take anywhere from 3 to 8 weeks |
| The Greeks | | | | depending on the formula. In modern times, animal fats |
| The Greeks were known to wash themselves with | | | | are typically no longer used in this process since |
| clay pumice and sand which stimulated the blood | | | | vegetable oil based soaps were found to be |
| circulation in the body as well as removed dirt. | | | | chemically superior and can be of higher quality than |
| The Romans | | | | soaps made with animal fats. Vegetable oils are more |
| Soap got its name when the Romans at ‘Mount | | | | readily absorbed by the skin, while animal oils have |
| Sapo’, a popular location for animal sacrifices, | | | | been found to clog pores and aggravate certain skin |
| discovered it. Rain mixed the animal fat residue (tallow | | | | conditions, such as eczema. |
| from cattle) with the burned wood on the clay and a | | | | Summary |
| chemical reaction occurred. Women living on the banks | | | | It is remarkable that the basics of the soap making |
| of the Tiber river discovered that clothes which they | | | | process are essentially unchanged over the course of |
| washed using this substance were much cleaner and | | | | the past 2000 years. Of course, the advent of modern |
| cleaned with much less effort. | | | | day technological advancement, along with our |
| The Early Americans | | | | understanding of chemistry has made the soap making |
| The early Americans made soap using a process | | | | process much more accurate and a refined science |
| known as ‘Cold Process’, which yielded soap | | | | and art. |
| comprised of animal fat and lye extracted from wood | | | | |