Disinfectants

“Soap and water and common sense are the best disinfectants.” (William Osler)

Just where and when humans first observed the chemical reaction between oil and potash is unknown. One legend says it was at “Mount Sapo” in ancient Rome, where a creek flowed over a deposit of wood ash and animal fats created by sacrificial fires for the gods. Soap has been around since about 2800 BC in Ancient Babylon; the ruins of Pompeii revealed an entire soap factory. Frontier women made all of their own soaps from rendered animal fats. Affordably manufactured soap was widely available by the 1800s.

Bar soaps were innovated in the nineteenth century.  Detergents originated in 1916 Germany, and the commercial soap we know today came into existence during WWII.  The soap-making industry added problematic chemicals to the soap equation that included propyl alcohol, limonene, benzaldehyde, and methylene chloride.

Some soap ingredients are derived from animals rendered in factories while others are known to be toxic, even carcinogenic, and contain byproducts of petroleum. All natural, plant-oil-based soaps provide an eco-conscious alternative. Soap making is almost like baking with the comparison because of the time and mixing of ingredients required. It's requires a certain amount of love and attention to make every batch.

In its basic form, soap consists of just three components: a strong base such as potash or lye, oil, and water. Blended at the right proportions and temperatures, these ingredients produce a chemical reaction called saponification which renders the lye, normally caustic and dangerous when mixed with water, entirely benign while breaking apart the oils and eliminating their cloying greasiness.

Although curing (allowing the soap to dry and harden) takes about a month, the first and most demanding steps take just 30 minutes for practiced soap makers. Now consider that a year’s supply can be made in a single batch. Each bar will cost about a dollar. You won’t risk exposure to any lingering poisons.

Handmade soaps contain glycerin which is a natural skin softener that attracts water from the surrounding air. Most commercial soaps will have this natural ingredient removed thus leaving your skin dried out. Instead of purchasing one product that can clean and moisturize, you will now have to purchase two products; soap and lotion. This is another way companies are able to increase their profits.

Many commercial soaps use chemical fragrances that are imitations of the real thing. Some of these chemicals can actually be skin irritants.  With natural handmade soaps you are actually benefiting from not having these chemicals on your skin. In addition, some soaps use essential oils which have many great therapeutic properties. Soaps used with Tea Tree for example will have anti-inflammatory properties which is great for skin.

“Anybody who doesn’t know what soap tastes like never washed a dog.” (Franklin P. Jones)[i]

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[i] Sources used:

·        “Handmade Soap vs Commercial Soap” by Greg Monette

·        “Is Handmade/Natural Soap Better than Commercial Soap?” By Alo Goods

·        “Making Bar Soap” By Alastair Bland

·        “Natural Soap vs. Commercial Soap (What's the Difference?)” by Nova Scotia Fisherman

·        “Natural Soap vs. Commercial Soap” by Zen Soap

 

This topic was suggested by my mother.