Soap is gray and washes white! History of soap making: from antiquity to modern times.

Real estate 16.03.2022

Real estate

Humanity has been using soap since time immemorial: the history of soap making goes back at least 6 thousand years.

In Homer's time, soap was not yet known. The ancient Greeks cleansed the body with sand - especially fine sand brought from the banks of the Nile. The ancient Egyptians washed their faces with a paste of beeswax dissolved in water.

For a long time, wood ash was used for washing.

The honor of inventing soap is attributed to several ancient peoples. The Roman scientist and politician Pliny the Elder argued that humanity owes its acquaintance with detergents not to the highly civilized Egyptians, nor to the resourceful Greeks or Babylonians, but to the wild Gallic tribes, with whom the Romans “became closer” at the turn of our era. According to the historian, the Gauls made some kind of miraculous ointment from the lard and ash of the beech tree, which was used to cleanse and dye hair, as well as to treat skin diseases. The colored medium - red paint - was obtained from clay. They lubricated their long hair with vegetable oil, to which they added dye. If water was added to this mixture, a thick foam formed, which cleanly washed the hair.

In the 2nd century, this “ointment” began to be used for washing hands, face and body in the Roman provinces. The ancient Romans added the ash of sea plants to this mixture, and real high-quality soap came out. And before that, the ancient peoples had to “get out”, as luck would have it: some used ash brewed in boiling water for washing, and others used the juice of soapwort, a plant that became famous for its ability to foam in water. However, recent discoveries by scientists do not coincide with this version. Not so long ago detailed description soap making process was found... in Sumerian clay tablets, dating back to 2500 BC. The method was based on a mixture of wood ash and water, which was boiled and fat was melted in it, obtaining a soap solution.

Another version of scientists says that soap was invented by the Romans. According to legend, the word soap itself (in English language- soap) was formed from the name of Mount Sapo, where sacrifices were made to the gods. A mixture of melted animal fat and wood ash from a sacrificial fire was washed by rain into the clayey soil of the bank of the Tiber River. Women who washed clothes there noticed that thanks to this mixture, clothes were washed much easier. So, gradually they began to use the “gift of the gods” not only for washing clothes, but also for washing the body. By the way, the first soap factories were also discovered by archaeologists on the territory of Ancient Rome, and more precisely, among the ruins of the famous Pompeii. During the archaeological excavations of Pompeii, soap factories were found. Soap at that time was semi-liquid.

Soap has long been a luxury item and was valued along with expensive medicines and potions. But even wealthy people could not afford to wash their clothes. For this purpose, different clays and plants were used. Laundry was a difficult task and was mostly done by men. So, the debate about who owes humanity the invention of soap is still not over. However, it is known that "on stream" production detergents was staged in medieval Italy. A hundred years later, the secrets of this craft reached Spain, and from the 11th century. Marseille becomes the center of soap production, then Venice.

True, it cannot be said that medieval inhabitants of European countries abused cleanliness: only representatives of the first two strata - nobles and priests - used soap, and even then not all of them. The fashion for cleanliness was brought to Europe by knights who visited Arab countries during the Crusades. That is why, in the 13th century, the production of detergents began to flourish, first in France and then in England. The business of soap making was taken with extreme seriousness.

When this craft was learned in England, King Henry IV even passed a law that forbade the soap maker to spend the night under the same roof with other artisans: the method of soap making was kept secret. But soap making developed on a large scale only after the development of industrial soap production. The first bar of bar soap was produced in Italy in 1424.

As for Rus', the secrets of making soap were inherited from Byzantium, and their own master soap makers appeared only in the 15th century. It is known that Gavrila Ondreev opened a “soap kitchen with a soap cauldron and everything in order” in Tver; there was a soap row in Moscow. Industrial production of soap was established under Peter. In the 18th century, the factory in the city of Shuya became famous for its soap. Even the city's coat of arms depicts a bar of soap. The soap from the Lodygin factory was very famous; it was considered the best after Italian. It was cooked in cow, almond, butter - white and colored, with or without perfume. Tar soap was also offered - “from bestial sicknesses.”

IN Western Europe The craft of soap making was finally formed only at the end of the 17th century. Geographical factors played an important role in the development of soap making. The ingredients for making soap varied depending on the region. In the north, animal fat was used when making soap, and in the south, olive oil was used, thanks to which the soap was of excellent quality.

Thus, starting from the 9th century AD, Marseille became the main supplier of soap in Europe, thanks to the presence of raw materials, that is, olive oil and soda, in the nearby territory. The oil obtained after the first two pressings was used for food, and after the third it was used to make soap.

Only from the end of the 14th century did Marseille soap give way to international trade Venetian. Soap making also actively developed in Italy, Greece and Spain.

In the 15th century in Italy, in Sevone, they began to produce for the first time solid soap industrially. In this case, the fats were combined not with ash, but with natural soda ash. This significantly reduced the cost of soap, and, consequently, transferred soap making from the category of handicraft production to manufactory production.

Beginning in the 14th century, soap factories began to appear in Germany. To make soap, they used beef, lamb, pork, horse fat, bone, whale and fish oil, and fat waste from various industries. Vegetable oils were also added - linseed, cottonseed. The history of soap making in Russia goes back to the pre-Petrine era. Craftsmen learned to make soap from potash and animal fats. Thus, the production of this much-needed product in everyday life was established in every home. The number of small soap-making workshops expanded, especially since Russia had all the resources necessary for this, and primarily wood, since potash was based on ash. Potash became a major export product, which led to massive deforestation. By the beginning of the reign of Peter I, the question of finding a cheaper substitute for potash arose. The problem was solved in 185, when the French chemist Nicolas Lebman was able to obtain table salt soda This excellent alkaline material replaced potash.

Due to special economic conditions, the first soap factories began to appear in Russia only in the 18th century. In Moscow at that time there were two known: in the Novinskaya and Presnenskaya parts. By 1853, in the Moscow province their number had grown to eight. Numerous cloth, cotton-printing and dyeing factories became consumers of soap factories.

In 1839, at the highest request of Emperor Nicholas I, the Union was founded for the production of stearin candles, olein and soap.

The famous Moscow perfume factory "Volya" was founded in 1843 by the Frenchman Alphonse Rallet. The factory was then called "Ralle and Co" and produced soap, powder and lipstick.

Children love soap in unusual forms: vegetables, fruits, animals. It turns out that such fancy soap was produced already in the 19th century. Factory

Brokara made it in the form of cucumbers. The soap looked so much like a real vegetable that it was hard for the buyer to resist the funny purchase. The founder of the factory, Heinrich Afanasievich Brocard, was the king of perfumery in Russia, and he started his business from scratch. The original equipment of his factory consisted of three boilers, a wood stove and a stone mortar. At first he made cheap, penny soap, but trade went so quickly that Brocard soon began producing expensive perfumes, colognes and soaps. Steam engines in the factory largely replaced manual work.

At the beginning of the 20th century, many buyers were happy to buy soap that did not sink in water. It kept afloat well due to the air cavity inside the soap bush.

Currently industrial production there is soap everywhere.

Ashes combined with oils are a prototype of soap.

Production of toilet and laundry soap today - automatic and chemical process. In recent years, various aromatic additives and disinfectants have become widespread, especially in America. However, doctors remind: excess disinfection is sometimes dangerous. Regular soap removes germs just as well. And with soaping twice, it almost completely destroys them.

L Legend has it that the word soap itself comes from the name of Mount Sapo in ancient Rome, where sacrifices were made to the gods. Animal fat released when the victim was burned accumulated and mixed with the wood ash of the fire. The resulting mass was washed away by rain into the clayey soil of the banks of the Tiber River, where residents washed clothes and, naturally, human observation did not miss the fact that thanks to this mixture, clothes were washed much easier. That's why for a long time The invention of soap was attributed to the Romans.

But the earliest description of soap making was discovered by scientists on Sumerian tablets dating back to 2500 BC. Judging by these records, soap was made by mixing water and wood ash, which was boiled and then the fat was melted in it, thereby obtaining a soap solution. But, unfortunately, there is no evidence of the use of this solution.

The ingredients for making soap varied depending on the region. In the north, animal fat was used when making soap, and in the south, olive oil was used, thanks to which the soap was of excellent quality.

The history of soap making in Russia goes back to the pre-Petrine era. Craftsmen learned to make soap from potash and animal fats. Thus, the production of this much-needed product in everyday life was established in every home.

Russian soap making developed in an original way. There were very favorable conditions for this: large reserves of lard, huge forests. Entire villages were engaged in the potash business. They cut down trees, burned them in cauldrons right there in the forest, and boiled the ash, made lye, evaporated it, obtaining potash.

Four thousand years ago, a soap-like semi-liquid substance called “sapo” was created. It was used not so much for hygienic as for cosmetic purposes. A sticky, easily drying, quickly washed off mass was used for styling hair.

Washing without detergent

Used for washing washing clays and juices of plants such as soap root, soapwort. After the invention of the washboard in the 16th century, another method of washing became widespread: the laundry was placed in a vat, a linen was spread over it, on which ash was poured. Hot water was poured into the chanter through the canvas - mixing with ash produced lye, and the clothes were washed faster. In Rus' and some other countries They took lye with them to the bathhouse instead of soap.

What was soap made from in ancient times?

Archaeologists have found that soap began to be made 6,000 years ago. In ancient times, soap was made from goat, lamb or bovine fat mixed with beech ash.

There were three types of it: hard, soft and liquid. Moreover They used soap not only for washing, but also for coloring hair. They could not only wash their face, but also dye their hair yellow, pink or red.

The Romans learned this from the Gauls, who wore their hair long, and to make it lie well, they lubricated it with vegetable oil, to which they added red earthen dye. When water fell on this mixture, a thick foam formed, thanks to which the hair became clean and fluffy. This is how one of the methods for producing soap was discovered.

In Russia, soap production became widespread during the time of Peter I, but until the mid-19th century, soap was known mainly to the nobility. The peasants washed and washed with lye - wood ash was poured with boiling water and steamed in the oven.

For ordinary people in those days, soap was inaccessible, and soap making was considered a high art. Previously, at the dawn of history, soap was replaced by water mixed with sand, potash, silt and soda. The Sumerians boiled wood ash with vegetable oils- this recipe was found during excavations on clay tablets. The ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans also knew this secret, but it was mainly used as a medicine and in cosmetics.

Soap base

Today, homemade soap making using soap bases that can be purchased is popular.

Soap base can be transparent and matte, as well as organic.

Soap is a product without which civilized humanity cannot imagine its life for many centuries. Today on store shelves you can find a wide range of detergents for every taste and budget. However, not everyone knows what soap is made from and what alternative there may be to store-bought products, which are not always safe for our health.

Kinds

Before you figure out what soap is made from, you should find out what it actually is.

Currently this product is divided into:

Economic

This soap is used when washing clothes and has a solid consistency. It may be scented, but more often it has its own, unique, not particularly pleasant specific odor.

Dressing

This type of soap has an excellent cleaning effect and foams well even in water of medium hardness at room temperatures. It should have a pleasant smell and color, and also not have an allergic or drying effect on the skin.

Special

There are several types of such soap, of which the most commonly used is medical soap. It contains various disinfectants and medicinal substances, such as sulfur, tar, ichthyol, etc.

In addition, there are types of soap for various industries that are not used in everyday life.

A little history

Scientists believe that soap was made in ancient Sumer, and the first surviving recipe for such a product dates back to 2200 BC. e. The Romans improved the methods of producing detergents and began to include a variety of additives and fragrances in their composition. As for the Middle Ages, until the 14th-15th centuries, a piece of fragrant soap was worth its weight in gold; only aristocrats and representatives of the highest clergy could use it. After this, it took another 2 centuries for detergents to be produced on an industrial scale. The real revolution occurred in the 20th century, when the soap formula was supplemented with numerous chemical additives that reduced the cost of its production.

What was soap made from in the old days?

The basis for such a product in ancient times was ash obtained from burning plants or wood. It was sifted through a sieve, moistened and made into a “slide”, where lime was placed (in a ratio of 1:2), which was quenched and crumbled into powder. After this, the mixture was doused with water, left for a day, then the first, most concentrated lye was drained. It was placed in a special vessel, the ash was doused with water again, drained, and an even weaker lye was obtained. Then the first lye was poured into the cauldron and boiled. In this way, they obtained what soap is made from at home today.

Technology

The production of soap by the production method is based on the hydrolysis of fats with alkalis, resulting in alcohols and alkali metal salts.

To make it, heated fats are saponified with sodium hydroxide in special digesters. As a result of the reaction in digesters, a homogeneous viscous liquid is formed - soap glue from soap and glycerin, which thickens when cooled. A low-grade product is prepared from it, containing 40-60% fatty acids.

To make sound soap, the glue is treated with electrolytes. As a result of this procedure, the liquid is separated into 2 layers:

top layer - contains 60 percent or more fatty acids;
the lower one is soap liquor, with a high content of glycerin and polluting components contained in the feedstock.

As a result of grinding dried kernel soap, a peeled product with an improved structure is obtained, which contains 72-74% fatty acids.

In addition to the above types of soap, solid sodium and liquid potassium soaps are also produced. In the first case, caustic soda is used, and in the second, potassium hydroxide.

What is soap made from in soap factories?

Modern soap factories use a variety of raw materials. Its cost ultimately determines the price that the consumer has to pay for a bar in a beautiful package or a bottle with a dispenser.

Generally speaking, what soap is made from at the factory, regardless of the brand of the product, is largely the same. In particular, traditional types of raw materials include animal and vegetable fats, as well as various fat substitutes, such as rosin, tall oil, synthetic fatty and naphthenic acids. Moreover, most often preference is given to substances of artificial origin.

Composition of laundry soap

As is known, in the Soviet Union great attention paid attention to the safety of consumer goods - all of them underwent strict examination. This fully applied to detergents, in particular laundry soap.

As for modern times, what laundry soap is made from (see composition below) is somewhat different from the ingredients of the Soviet period. In particular, manufacturers often add a variety of fragrances and dyes that are of synthetic origin. However, the main components remained the same. This:

animal fats;
sodium;
water;
alkalis;
fatty acid.

At the same time, another component appeared in the composition of laundry soap, which was missing in the old recipe. This is kaolin - White clay, which softens the effects of alkalis on the skin. True, it is not present in all types of soap, so when purchasing, you should carefully read the composition of the product.

What is handmade soap made from?

The basis of the product, as already mentioned, has not changed over the past centuries. Therefore, even today, what soap is made from at home, in terms of its basic composition, is no different from the recipe used by our ancestors. Another thing is that modern soap makers introduce a variety of additives.

Anyone who is going to make such a product for the first time can use a special white or transparent base, which is sold in specialized stores. If you are confident in your abilities, then you can use the old-fashioned method and extract lye from the ash yourself.

Supplements

To improve the composition of soap and give it additional properties, the following is added to it:

Fixed oils

Such products are taken in a ratio of 1/3 teaspoon per 100 g of soap base. Good choice Can be sunflower or olive oil, which will prevent drying of the skin and give it elasticity.

Chocolate

This supplement is suitable for any skin type. It not only has a beneficial effect on the skin itself, but also improves your mood. You need to add chocolate to soap in the form of small pieces, in the amount of 2 g per 100 g of base.

As you know, caffeine has a tonic effect on the skin. Using a small amount of ground coffee you can make an excellent scrub-like soap for your face and body. To do this, pour boiling water over 2-3 tablespoons of ground coffee and drain off the excess liquid after 5 minutes. The resulting slurry must be transferred to a bowl with melted soap base and other additives, and then mixed thoroughly.

If you are interested in what soap is made from, it is difficult to confuse photos of coffee varieties, since they depict brown bars or circles.

This natural product is a treasure trove useful substances. It is recommended to add 1-3 tsp per 100 g of soap base. honey

Food colorings

These substances are included in soap to give the bars a pleasant color. Usually the dosage is indicated on the sachets, so you are unlikely to go wrong with the choice of their quantity.

Fragrances

If you decide that your homemade soap should be fragrant, then per 100 g finished base you can take 4-7 drops of aromatic oil or perfume. At the same time, experts do not recommend overdoing it and using such substances in quantities of more than 2% of the total weight of the product. Among other things, essential oils have antiseptic, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effects, and some of them help maintain youthful skin and strengthen the immune system.

Now you know what soap is made from (the composition is presented above) and you can make such a product yourself to take care of your appearance using a product that will not contain harmful substances.

Kinds

Before you figure out what soap is made from, you should find out what it actually is.

Currently this product is divided into:

Economic

This soap is used when washing clothes and has a solid consistency. It may be scented, but more often it has its own, unique, not particularly pleasant specific odor.

Dressing

Special

There are several types of such soap, of which the most commonly used is medical soap. It contains various disinfectants and medicinal substances, such as sulfur, tar, ichthyol, etc.

In addition, there are types of soap for various industries that are not used in everyday life.

A little history

What was soap made from in the old days?

Technology

The production of soap by the production method is based on the hydrolysis of fats with alkalis, resulting in alcohols and alkali metal salts.

To make sound soap, the glue is treated with electrolytes. As a result of this procedure, the liquid is separated into 2 layers:

top layer - contains 60 percent or more fatty acids;
the lower one is soap liquor, with a high content of glycerin and polluting components contained in the feedstock.

As a result of grinding dried kernel soap, a peeled product with an improved structure is obtained, which contains 72-74% fatty acids.

In addition to the above types of soap, solid sodium and liquid potassium soaps are also produced. In the first case, caustic soda is used, and in the second, potassium hydroxide.

What is soap made from in soap factories?

Modern soap factories use a variety of raw materials. Its cost ultimately determines the price that the consumer has to pay for a bar in a beautiful package or a bottle with a dispenser.

Composition of laundry soap

As you know, in the Soviet Union much attention was paid to the safety of consumer goods - they all underwent strict examination. This fully applied to detergents, in particular laundry soap.

animal fats;
sodium;
water;
alkalis;
fatty acid.

At the same time, another component appeared in the composition of laundry soap, which was missing in the old recipe. This is kaolin - a white clay that softens the effects of alkalis on the skin. True, it is not present in all types of soap, so when purchasing, you should carefully read the composition of the product.

What is handmade soap made from?

Supplements

To improve the composition of soap and give it additional properties, the following is added to it:

Fixed oils

Such products are taken in a ratio of 1/3 teaspoon per 100 g of soap base. A good choice would be sunflower or olive oil, which will prevent your skin from drying out and give it elasticity.

Chocolate

If you are interested in what soap is made from, it is difficult to confuse photos of coffee varieties, since they depict brown bars or circles.

This natural product is a storehouse of useful substances. It is recommended to add 1-3 tsp per 100 g of soap base. honey

Food colorings

These substances are included in soap to give the bars a pleasant color. Usually the dosage is indicated on the sachets, so you are unlikely to go wrong with the choice of their quantity.

Fragrances

If you decide that your homemade soap should be fragrant, then per 100 g of finished base you can take 4-7 drops of aromatic oil or perfume. At the same time, experts do not recommend overdoing it and using such substances in quantities of more than 2% of the total weight of the product. Among other things, essential oils have antiseptic, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effects, and some of them help maintain youthful skin and strengthen the immune system.

Or rather, what our ancestors made soap from in ancient times. Continuation of the theme of witches' hair, those recipes that were previously available to any woman who was a housewife and took care of her hearth. But they were forgotten and disappeared due to their uselessness in the modern world.

So, an old recipe for soap, it would be better for you not to know this))), I laugh, I note that the high-quality modern cosmetology industry still prepares its perfumed products in approximately the same way, the rest is all vile and harmful chemistry.

Three ways to make soap at home. The three ways to make soap at home below are strange recipes that are still relevant today.

1st method (the simplest and most accessible) . To make a very good free soap, you need to collect a sufficient amount of fern, dry it and then burn it into ashes. Then knead a thick dough from this ashes in water, make balls of any size from it and dry it.

Soap prepared in this way lasts for a very long time, washes clothes very cleanly and does not leave any unpleasant odor.

2nd method. Collect a sufficient amount of all kinds of bones and all kinds of fatty and greasy residues. Then prepare a lye consisting of 4 garnets of ash and one garnet of lime. Prepare the lye in a spacious tub, pour boiling water over it, stir as best as possible and let it stand for two hours, strain it and pour it again onto new ash.. Do this until it becomes very strong, so much so that if you put fresh water in it (!) egg, then it should float.

Then take an iron cauldron, put the cooked bones into it (it is better to grind large bones), pour half of the cauldron with lye and cook over moderate heat, stir as often as possible and add fresh lye from time to time, and remove the floating fat and put it in a separate vessel.. Next, when the bones are completely boiled, throw them out of the cauldron and put greasy and oily substances into the remaining lye, cook them also, stirring continuously and, finally, strain this fatty lye and mix with the previously boiled fat from the bones. Then put this whole mixture back on the fire, cook, stirring thoroughly, and add new lye from time to time. Continue this until the soap has reduced sufficiently. Finally, pour the soap into any shapes you like and dry.

3rd method. Take 50 pounds of water and 100 pounds of lime, moistened with water in such a way that if you take a little of it in your hand, it will not stick to it. Then put it all in a cast iron cauldron, pour 400 bottles of water into it and cook the entire composition for several minutes, stirring thoroughly. Next, strain the mixture and cook until the egg (fresh) placed on its surface floats.

After this, take an arbitrary amount of this lye, add the same amount of water to it and mix it with an equal part of wooden or any other vegetable oil, put it on the fire and stir with a wooden spoon to better combine all the parts.

Then pour into this mixture the same amount of pure lye as the oil was poured in, and continue to cook over low heat, taking samples from time to time. To test, take a few drops of the composition, put it on a piece of glass and when the drop emits water as easily as it separates from the thickness of the soap, in this case the fire should be extinguished and, when the soap is still warm, then pour it into wooden or tin molds to give it the appearance of beams and dry.