Soapmaking is one of the oldest industries in the world, although no one knows just when soap was discovered. Soapmaking as an art and science has been so refined that much modern soap is no longer soap in the true sense of the word.
What is Soap?
Soap is the by-product of a chemical reaction called saponification. Soap is the magical result of mixing an acid with a caustic alkali. Fatty acids present in either vegetable or animal oils are combined with a strong base or alkali namely caustic soda or caustic potash. Sodium-based (soda) soaps are hard while potassium-based (potash) soaps are liquid.
Soap can be produced in a variety of ways but until now home soapmakers used the cold-processed method. Some small specialty soap companies and the home soapmaker use the cold-process method. These soaps are usually less neutral than full bodied soaps.
Soap has been cleansing us for centuries without anyone's knowing just how. The answer lies in the molecular structures of water, oil and soap. What is needed to bring water and oil together is a substance that resembles them both partly polar, partly nonpolar able to act as an intermediary. That's what soap is.
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