Handcrafted soap is an ancient part of human history. People have been making soap for over 4000 years, with some believing the first soap was created in 2800 BC. Some early civilizations used goat fat and wood ash to make soap, by boiling them together in a large pot, and then would let it cool to create bars. Around 1790 lye was created from salt as an alternative to wood ash. True soap is made by mixing lye, water and plant and/or animal fats. This causes a chemical reaction called saponification to happen which creates a true soap. The lye comes from potassium carbonate or potash. When the process is finished, there is no lye left in the soap, but there may be a little extra fat, and natural glycerin.
It was only around the 1950’s that detergents started coming out and replacing soap. Dish detergent, laundry detergent and fabric softeners were just a couple of the new products. After world war two, soap became scarce and tetra propylene was the ingredient used to create many home detergents. Unfortunately with the rise of industrially produced detergents, many skin products became irritants to the skin and potentially harmful. Today many soaps sold in stores are actually synthetic detergents.
Sources:
Berley S. (2015, September 3). The Truth About Lye: A Short History of Soap. Retrieved November 22, 2018, from http://blog.drsquatch.com/the-truth-about-lye-a-short-history-of-soap/
History of Soap and Soap Interesting Facts. (n.d.). Retrieved November 22, 2018, from http://www.soaphistory.net/
