As have been noted earlier on this site making soap is not exactly a new invention. As far as soap ingredients go, the basics have remained pretty much the same although the details have been refined quite a lot. Lets have a quick look at the components used in handmade soap, from the early days to our time.

Depending on who you ask there seems to be different estimates as to when soap was actually first invented and what civilization should be credited from first staring to use it for cleaning and bathing purposes. Nonetheless, most historians seem to think that the earliest evidence of soap making comes from the ancient Babylonians, circa 2800 BC. A clay table with a basic soap recipe from this civilization has also been found, and has been carbon dated to 2200 BC. In addition to this there is lots of evidence relating to various soap making ingredients from the rich history of countries like France, Egypt, Greece, Rome (Italy) and several others.

For the contemporary soap maker it is interesting to note the great similarities between the very old soap recipes and their contemporary counterparts. We know that fat and lye where the two main ingredients, as they are today. In the middle ages they often used animal fat, which today to a large extent have been replace by various vegetable fats and oils. Today of course, soap ingredients often also entails stuff like fragrances and colors, and we tend to use oils like olive, lavender and tea tree oil because they are mild and good for the skin. Olive oil soap no doubt being a very well known example.

During the two world wars all kinds of fats and oils (like pretty everything else) became scarce commodities, and this in contribution with the post-war industrialization in turn contributed to the rise of commercial soap manufacturing. As we know, this eventually also led to a lot of today’s commercial “soap” being more of a detergent than actual soap. Using strong sulfates such as sodium lauryl sulfate and various byproducts form the petrochemical industries. Still this development also gave us additional products such as other multi purpose detergents, fabric softeners and so on.

During extensive period of time it goes without saying that many soap ingredients have been tried out, both commercially and among makers of homemade soap. For example, quite early on it was discovered that a high percentage of animal fats would clog the pores and actually have an adverse effect on pre-existing skin conditions. The result was the addition of other oils as ingredients, mainly from various vegetables, grains, fruits, flowers and even nuts.

The homemade soap ingredients of today

Making homemade soap is not that difficult, provided you have all the ingredients needed and can follow some simple instructions. As noted above, the basics still evolve around using oil and lye. And if you use the cold process that generates its own heat, you don’t need to mess with the more active solution of the hot process method. The gold method however does require you to be very accurate with quantity of which you use all the components involved. For the same reason a tried and true recipe is very important.

Finding the soap ingredients you need ranges from very easy to difficult. The basic components such as olive oil and similar can usually be found in your local grocery store. For more rare oils and other exotic ingredients you may have to consult a craft supply store. It seems those carrying things needed for candle making often also carry ingredients needed for soap making.

Some small and medium sized soap makers are also happy to sell you some of what you need for making your own homemade soap. As a bonus they may even share some of their own experience with said soap making ingredients.

Photo by: Lance and Erin.