Soap Making – The Basics
Soap is a very basic and important commodity today. It is used to clean your body, and sanitize objects that are considered “dirty”.
History has been inaccurate on when soap making began. Some legends have it that it started in Rome, when rain water from “Mount Sapo” would wash animal tallow and wood ash from the mountain side and deliver them on the clay soil of the banks of the Tiber. They say it was used to clean textiles during that time. But as legends have it, archeologists do not know where Mount Sapo is and they seriously doubt the accuracy of the story.
A more accurate history of where the first soap was documented was in 981 A.D. A Persian chemist name Al-Razi wrote a manuscript for the true soap. Leaving behind a recipe that included sesame oil, potash, alkali, and some lime. He boiled the ingredients together then allowed to cool, thus the finished product of hard soap.
Today, soap is manufactured by big companies and small entrepreneurs. There are novelty companies that specialize in soaps that heal the soul and promote relaxation. Some also claim to clean, whiten, and remove acne from your skin. But soap, no matter what type of packaging and the claim that comes along with it, are made from almost the same basic materials and have 2 major properties. Soap is both hydrophilic that allows it to be dissolved in water, and hydrophobic, giving it the ability to dissolve non polar grease molecules.
There are two ways to make soap. One of them is the “Melt and Pour” procedure. You start out with the basic ingredients like oil (olive oil is commonly used), water, lye, and sometimes fragrant oils are used as an added substance. Once your ingredients are complete, you have to carefully boil and cool the ingredients together.
Water, lye, and oil are what you basically need for creating soap. For the “Melt and Pour” process, water and lye are heated to a certain temperature, then allowed to cool, adding the oil later after the solution has cooled enough. As for the “Cold Process” of creating soap, the basic instructions would be to combine the water and lye, and stir vigorously. Let it stand for a couple of minutes then add your oil and stir vigorously again before pouring the trace products onto your mold.
Jen Hopkins has worked in the face exercise industry for years. She maintains websites about making organic soap, and make homemade soap. If you want to contact her, you can use the contact form at one of her sites.