|
|
||
|
|
Research
& How To >
Crafts
> Soap
& Candlemaking >
History of Soap
The
History of Soap While the origin of soap is not well documented, it seems that something like soap was known to the early civilizations of the Fertile Crescent after 2000 B.C. At this time soap was not used to wash with, but used as a wound medication or a hair dressing. The assets of how it cleaned had not yet been discovered, Queen Cleopatra, who was a famous bather, was void of soap. Essential oils were used in the rite instead. Cleopatra used fine white sand as an abrasive agent for cleansing In the grand baths of early ancient Rome there were fancy cosmetics, essences, and oils but still no soap. To the ancient Greeks and Romans bathing was a social function. Friends gathered in large pools to relax and talk over the events of the times Cleanliness was merely a side effect of this activity, Later some Romans did come to realize the benefits of soap for cleaning but its use was not widespread. Arabs in the Arabian Desert and later the Turks (who conquered the Arabs) were the first societies to recognize the value of soap. When the Turks invaded the Byzantine Empire, soap was introduced to Europe. Isolated tribes of Vikings and Celts discovered soap independently. The Celts named it "saipo" which turned into our modern day word, soap. Literature begins to show around 1000 A.D. that soap was introduced to Britain. Bathing during the time of Queen Elizabeth was looked upon as unnecessary. Strong perfumes were used liberally to cover offending odors. Queen Isabella of Spain boasted about having had only two baths in her life, one when she was born and one when she married. Italy and Spain commonly made soap during the 8th century. By the 13th century many different towns in Italy were rivals in soap making. The soap industry was introduced from Italy into France and Spain around that time. The French, after experimentation, devised a method of making soap from olive oil instead of from animal fats and, about 1500, introduced their discoveries to England. This formulation became the standard through the 17th century. In the early 18th century, poor olive harvests forced soap makers to create soap using other oils, At the same time, advances in steam navigation improved the access to oils from far away lands. These changes resulted in an adjustment of soap formulas from olive oils to a selective blend of fats and oils. In Colonial times, making soap was women's work. The women stored cooking grease and animal fat all year long for soap making day, a yearly event in the spring. It was made primarily from pork fat and a crude form of lye. Ashes from the fireplaces were saved to make lye. Lye was prepared by piling ashes in a hollowed out log with drainage holes in the bottom. Rainwater was trickled through the ashes to filter out the potassium salts of the burned wood and was caught underneath by a receptacle. The lye was tested for strength by dropping an egg into it. If the egg floated, the lye was too strong. If it sank, the lye was too weak. It had to suspend or sink very slowly to be right. Solid fats would have to be rendered to make tallow. The fats were boiled and skimmed to rid it of extraneous hair, dirt, spices, and other debris. Then it would be strained through a fine cloth, The lye was then stirred into the fats when both reached the same temperature. If the mixture formed a thick ingredient like pudding. the project was successful. If it separated, they tried heating it and stirring it again. If the soap curdled if the recipe was not measured correctly, or if they did not stir well enough, the batch was lost and they would have to start over from scratch. Since this would take hours and hours of vigorous stirring, this grueling process would take most of the day to complete. The pork fat base (not the lye) made this soap good for washing clothes, but often harsh to the skin, as it tends to dry out the skin. People in the 17th and 18th centuries did not consider cleanliness a particular virtue and bathing was a social custom. Instead, it became popular as a medical treatment. In the 17th and early 18th centuries, water was seen as a magical and dangerous solution. Baths were taken only when directed by a doctor. It was feared that if the bath water were used incorrectly, you would get very sick from something and die. As more doctors prescribed baths, the idea of bathing slowly became acceptable. At the same time non-medical bathing became more popular in Europe. In 1783 the Swedish chemist Carl Wilhelm Scheele accidentally replicated the reaction that occurs in the present-day boiling process of soap making when he boiled olive oil with lead oxide. He accidentally discovered sweet-tasting substance that he called Ölsüss, which is now known as glycerin. In the 18th century bathing continued to be in vogue as a medical or restorative treatment. Advances in plumbing, running water and bathtubs, which could be drained, gained soap mass acceptance. Soap manufacturing thrived in Europe and England. Over 150 years passed, in the mid-18th century, before some entrepreneurs decided to make and sell soap to the masses. They made the rounds of the local households, purchased their stored fat and ashes. and sold the soap back to housewives. They were called Tallow Chandlers and Soap Boilers. The soap was first sold door to door. Eventually it was distributed to general stores where it was sold from enormous blocks Customers would indicate how much they wanted and the amount would be cut oft and wrapped for carrying home. In 1806 William Colgate started Colgate & Company in New York, which was to become the first great soap-making manufacturer in the United States. In the 1830's the company began selling individual bars in uniform weights. For more information on soap making, buying soap, or any information in general, these websites and books are recommended Websites: Bibliography:
|
|
|
||
