As we know soap is an important thing in our lifestyle and do you ever think about its history? Moreover, we have learned from our elders that we should keep our hands clean before and after eating. Furthermore, doctors also ask us to wash our hands with soap on a daily basis. And this advice we have been listening to since our childhood.
In addition, this advice to wash hands with soap has been passed down through many generations. After listening to this advice again and again, one might be able to think about what is the origin of soap. Here you are going to read about some historical facts regarding the soaps. For example, who invented it, and in which year soap came into being?
When Was Soap Invented And Who Invented It?
Pinpointing the exact time or civilization that first stumbled upon the creation of soap is quite a challenge. Every source seems to offer a different tale about its origin. Yet, there’s a common thread among them all: soap made its debut roughly a thousand years ago, with some ancient evidence reaching back to the time before Christ.
The earliest known soap recipes, particularly those for cold-process soap, emerged during the excavation of Babylon, an ancient Mesopotamian city. This account, possibly the oldest among the various soap-related discoveries, harks back to a staggering 2800 BC.
From that point onward, a few religious texts and historical records started mentioning soap or similar cleaning substances for personal hygiene. It’s worth noting, though, that in its early days, soap wasn’t primarily intended for personal cleaning.
What Purpose Did Soap Have Originally?
Today, we think of soap as a handy cleaning buddy, with various types tailored for different cleaning jobs. But that wasn’t the case in the past. Historically, soap wasn’t all about personal cleanliness either. Its main gig was prepping wool or cotton fibers for weaving into cloth, not body washing.
There’s a Roman legend, though not proven, that emphasizes soap’s role in keeping clothes spick and span. So, it’s crystal clear that instead of being a go-to for personal hygiene and body scrubbing, ancient soap was the go-to guy for sprucing up clothes.
Even in the times of the Roman and Greek civilizations, who knew a thing or two about running water and communal baths, soap wasn’t the star of the show for body washing. Nope, they’d drench themselves with water during baths and then add a dash of fragrant olive oils for a delightful scent.
What Ingredients Were Used In Soap Originally?
From the very start to today, three key ingredients in soap making have stuck around: ashes or lye from them, fats, and oils. But what’s changed over time is where these ingredients come from. Back in the day, fats, grease, and oils came from animals that met their fate. Nowadays, we use sodium hydroxide lye (or just “lye”) instead, and the fats and oils no longer come from animals.
History of Soaps – Time Frame
1. The Ancient Origins of Soap
That soap bar you’re diligently using to wash your hands several times a day is actually one of the oldest things you use, but here’s the catch: much of what we call “soap” today isn’t really soap at all.
2. The Origins of Soap
Soap probably started as a side effect of an ancient barbecue: meat cooking over an open flame, fat dripping into ashes. This led to a chemical reaction that produced a slick substance, perfect for getting rid of dirt from the skin and washing it away.
3. Traditional Soap Ingredients
The alchemist’s soap recipe had two options: olive oil or beef fat. Beef fat, also called tallow, combined with lye, is still a key part of soap.
4. Modern Soap-Making Techniques
Even today, when folks make soap, especially in smaller, crafty setups, they stick to similar methods. The process of saponification results in a thick mixture. When it gets firm, the fat cancels out the strong lye.
5. How Soap Works
Soap makes water slippery. When you rub your hands with soap and water, it helps dirt stick to the mixture for a while, making it easier to wash away. Moreover, soaps are nowadays packed inside custom soap boxes with windows.
6. The Effectiveness of Soap
Soap doesn’t kill these germs; instead, it makes them slippery, lifts them off your skin, mixes them with water, and sends them down the drain. This chemical and physical action makes soap and water better at cleaning than hand sanitizers without water.
7. The Soap Industry in America
In the United States, the soap industry began because of bacon and candles. Lighting plays a big role in the history of cleaning products because both soap and candles were originally made from animal leftovers.
8. The Evolution of Soap
During the 1800s and early 1900s, soap companies produced genuine soap. However, in the early 1900s, German engineers found another cleaning product: something synthetic called “detergent.”
9. The Modern Definition of Soap
According to the modern definition of soap, it is a chemical synthetic detergent that is used inside body cleansers and also in solid and liquid forms of soap. This is according to the Food & Drug Administration, which legally defines what can be called soap.
10. Additional Ingredients in Modern Cleansers
Modern cleansers have extra stuff. They can make things look cleaner, soften water, and fight germs with ingredients like alcohol and chloroxylenol.
FAQs
When Was Liquid Soap Invented?
The first patent for liquid soap went to William Shepphard in 1865. Although Shepphard is often recognized as the one behind the early version of liquid soap, his patent was titled “Improved Liquid Soap,” suggesting that a similar product might have existed before.
When Was Soap Invented For Bathing?
Evidence shows that the ancient Babylonians knew how to make soap way back in 2800 BC. Archaeologists have discovered soap-like substances in ancient clay cylinders from that era.
What Is The Main Difference Between Hand Soap And Body Wash?
Soap and body both create bubbles during usage but individually they are made from different ingredients. Moreover, there is a main difference in pH in both of them. For example, body wash is thicker and has a pH of 6-7 whereas, soap is made from strong ingredients so it has a pH of 9-10.
