History of Soap 
Water, necessary for all known forms of life, has played a huge role in forming the world as we know it. Water is used for drinking, transportation, industry, crops, livestock, cleaning, etc. When water alone didn’t clean well enough, a new invention was born: soap.
Soap, in some form or another, has been around for thousands of years. Clay jars from Babylon dating back to 2800 B.C. have been found to contain a soap-like substance, and texts discuss boiling fat with ash. The Egyptian Ebers Papyrus from around 1500 B.C. discusses mixing vegetable and animal fats with an alkali to create soap-like matter used for washing and skin ailments. Roman legend says that the word “soap” comes from Mt. Sapo, where animal sacrifices took place. The fat dripped onto wood ashes, soaked into the soil near the river and was used to clean clothes. When Roman baths were built, bathing became more popular and by the second century A.D., soap was recommended for therapeutic and washing uses by the Greek physician Galen.
During the 600s soap making had become widespread in Europe and crafters used animal and vegetable oils, along with scents. Italy, France and Spain dominated the early soap manufacturing process and England began producing soap in the 1100s.
In 1791 French chemist Nicolas Leblanc found and patented a formula for making sodium carbonate from table salt. The inexpensive but valuable alkali created by this process was mixed with fat to make soap. About 20 years later another French chemist, Michel Eugene Chevreul, discovered the connection between glycerin, fats and fatty acids, which led to fat and soap chemistry.
During the mid-1800s, Belgian chemist Ernest Solvay found a way to create sodium carbonate using table salt as Leblanc had, and this increased the alkali's production while maintaining its quality and decreasing its price.
Soap Making Process
 To make soap, fat or oil is combined with a caustic water solution, such as sodium hydroxide, and the chemical reaction that takes place results in soap and glycerin. Glycerin is a humectant, which absorbs/attracts moisture, making it a great moisturizing ingredient for dry skin. In this process, called saponification, the key is to use the correct amount of each ingredient so that the product is neither greasy nor caustic.
At Save Your World®, we use the old-fashioned cold saponification process to make our soap. Instead of using an outside source of heat to start saponification, we mix a lye solution of sodium hydroxide and water with olive, palm and coconut oils. Because both palm and coconut oils are semi-solid at room temperature, the oils are heated only slightly, to melt them, but not to activate saponification. Once the combination of oils and lye starts to thicken, aloe vera, yerba maté, essential oils and natural coloring are added.
Although technology has greatly impacted soap making, its basic idea, the combination of fats and alkali, has remained the same throughout the centuries. At Save Your World®, because of our concern for nature and the environment, our exfoliating soaps use organic vegetable oils such as olive, palm and coconut, instead of animal fats. Soap made with coconut oil produces a high percentage of glycerine, which helps to moisturize the skin. Likewise, olive oil, which contains vitamins A, D, E and K, makes soap that is great for dry skin. We add a little extra oil to our soap to completely rid it of caustic material and to amplify its moisturizing effects.
Loose leaves of organic yerba maté provide exfoliation and the plant’s extract strengthens skin with a variety of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. High-quality, certified organic aloe vera soothes while hydrating and moisturizing the freshly exfoliated skin. Infused with the refreshing aroma of pure essential oils such as lavender, rose and grapefruit, the soap delicately scents the skin. Finally, we use plant-based stabilized chlorophyll instead of artificial dye to color our soaps green –in line with our conservation mission.
The final stage in our soap making process is to package our soaps. Because we are concerned with environmental issues, at Save Your World®, we use only 100% recycled cardboard. Our packaging does not contain any plastic sheets or plastic films that would interfere with biodegradability.
Sources:
2. Hamner, Richard M. and Barbara L. Hardy. Official Table of Saponification Values and a Synopsis of Soap Chemistry. Handcrafted Soap Makers Guild, 2001.
4. Agero AL, Verallo-Rowell VM. A randomized double-blind controlled trial comparing extra virgin coconut oil with mineral oil as a moisturizer for mild to moderate xerosis. Dermatitis 2004 Sep;15(3):109-16.
5. California Integrated Waste Management Board (http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/BizWaste/FactSheets/Printing.htm). |
