Soap making in antiquity. Soap in antiquity

Can you imagine life without soap today? Mankind has been using soap for many centuries. Soap is in every home today, and few of us think about the history of its invention. How did it become the main means of hygiene in our lives? To answer this question, we must go back in time.

According to some sources, the history of soap began six thousand years ago. For example, there is information that the ancient Greeks wiped their body with fine sand, which was brought from the Nile. The ancient Egyptians washed their bodies with beeswax, which was previously dissolved in water. These are just some of the cases where history records the use of "soap".

But it is also interesting that in addition to such use of various mixtures for hygiene purposes, fresh litter, brain bones, and ox bile were used for washing. As disgusting as it sounds, there have been cases of decomposed animal urine, which foamed well due to the presence of ammonia in it!

All this became an impetus for soap making, because all kinds of vegetable components and animal fat were additionally used. So, now let's look at the chronology of the appearance of soap in the form in which we are used to seeing it.

In ancient times

According to one of the versions, the first soap was made in Sumer in the 4th-3rd centuries. BC e. Evidence of this are found tablets dating back to 2500 BC. e. The tablet described a recipe that is very similar to soap making: wood ash was mixed with water and boiled, and then the fat was melted in it.

The Sumerian tablet did not indicate exactly how this solution was used!

According to another version, soap comes from Ancient Egypt, and its age is 6 thousand years. There is also evidence here, as ancient papyri have been found. They specifically indicated what soap was obtained from. Soap was made from vegetable and animal fats, which were heated with soda and alkaline salts.

However, if we start from real facts, then Ancient Rome should be considered the place where the first soap appeared. According to legend, it had the name "sapo". In ancient Rome, there was Mount Sapo, on which sacrifices were made. In the process of burning, the fat was mixed with the ash from the fire. After the rains, this liquid flowed into the Tiber River. Residents who washed their clothes in it noticed that the washing process became much easier. As a result, it was from this word that the word “soap” itself came from:

• soap - in English,
• savon in French
• sapone in Italian.

It is noteworthy that the historian Pliny the Elder spoke of soap making in Rome. During the excavations of Pompeii, rooms were found in which the process of making soap was carried out. But in those days, this mixture was used for washing. It was only in the second century that the physician Galleon pointed out that soap could be used not just as a laundry detergent, but also as a personal hygiene product.

After some time, the profession "saponarius" appeared - a soap maker. This is mentioned for the first time in the work of Priscianus in 385 AD. e.

In the middle Ages

When the Dark Ages of the Middle Ages began in Europe, only the upper classes of society could have soap: the clergy and the nobility. However, the church persecuted those who used soap for personal hygiene, and the Holy Inquisition was preparing for them, since the clergy demanded more attention to the soul than to the body. How then did soap get to Europe?

The Spanish Queen Isabella of Castile used soap only twice in her life: at birth and before her wedding.

The history of soap modern form started in Western Europe. Crusader knights brought soap balls from Damascus for their beloved beauties. So, gradually the fashion for cleanliness returned, but it was already closer to the 17th century.

For example, in England there were several large soap factories. Given the seriousness of the use of this product, Henry IV even founded a special Order. Moreover, the Soap Guild was created. It was not allowed for its employees to sleep under the same roof with people of other trades. Why? It was feared that the secret of the soap-making recipe would be revealed. And this has borne fruit. Soap was patented in 1662 in England.

Another European center of soap making was France in Marseille. In the 14th century, the leadership in the production of soap passed to Venice. And just in Italy, the production of solid soap began. Here they figured out how to reduce the cost of the product by combining fat not with ash, but with soda ash.

The wave of fashion for cleanliness and hygiene gradually spread throughout Europe and reached Germany. In this country for the production of soap used:

• beef lard,
• lamb fat,
• lard,
• horse fat,
• whale oil,
• fish fat,
• bone fat.

Various vegetable oils were added to the mixtures.

The evolution of soap making

In the 17th century, soap making techniques improved significantly. French physicist Nicholas Leblanc opened a production facility in which soda ash was obtained from soda. This made it possible to completely abandon expensive potash. This discovery paid off, as the cost of the soap making process was greatly reduced.

As early as 1808, another French chemist, Michel Eugene Chevrel, established the specific composition of soap. Soap making just got a whole lot easier. But the evolution of soap making did not stop there. Every year the technology of this process improved and more and more new ingredients were added.

Already closer to our times a large number of Soap manufacturers are based on old recipes. Particular attention is paid to the product, made by hand from natural ingredients. Handmade soap today returns to past centuries, where it was appreciated in noble families.

As for our days, handmade soap is a special exclusive work. In its manufacture, natural extracts and essential oils are used.

For cooking good soap it is necessary to collect a sufficient amount of fern, dry it and then burn it into ashes.

Then, from this ashes, knead a thick dough in water, make balls of any size from it, and dry well.

* This soap lasts very long. for a long time, cleanly washes clothes and does not leave any unpleasant smell.

Soap from the bones and fat

It is necessary to gain a sufficient amount of all kinds of bones and fatty, greasy residues. Then prepare an alkali, consisting of 4 garnets of ash and one garnet of lime. (Garnets is an obsolete measure of volume, equal to approximately 3.28 liters, 1 garnets \u003d 1/4 bucket \u003d 12 glasses). Alkali must be prepared in a spacious tub. Pour boiling water over, stir as best as possible and let stand for 2 hours, drain and pour it over new ashes again. Do this until it becomes strong enough, so much so that if you lower a fresh egg into it, 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 alkali and cook over moderate heat. Stir more often and from time to time add fresh lye, and remove the floating fat and put it in a separate bowl.

When the bones are completely boiled, discard them from the cauldron. Put the sebaceous residues in alkali and cook them also, stirring continuously. Next, strain the fatty alkali and mix with the previously boiled fat from the bones. Then put all this mixture back on the fire, cook, stirring thoroughly, and add, from time to time, new alkali. Continue this until the soap is sufficiently reduced. Finally, pour the soap into any molds and dry.

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Soap lime , oils

Take 50 pounds of water and 100 pounds of lime soaked with water in such a way that if you take it a little in your hand, then it should not stick to it. Then put it all in a cast-iron cauldron, pour 400 bottles of water into it and boil the whole mixture for several minutes, stirring thoroughly. Then strain and cook until an egg (fresh) floats on its surface.

After that, take any amount of this alkali, add the same amount of water to it and mix with an equal part of any vegetable oil, put on fire and stir with a wooden spoon for a better connection of all parts.

Then pour as much pure alkali into this mixture as oil was poured in, and continue to cook over low heat. For a test, take a few drops of the mixture, put it on a piece of glass and, when the drop gives out water, in this case, put out the fire and, when the soap is still warm, pour it into wooden or tin molds to give it the appearance of bars and dry.

* It is very important to observe safety measures when cooking soap!!! It is necessary to protect eyes, skin and nose with protective equipment!!!

Cooking soap artisanal way

Take wood ash and weed ash and sift it through a sieve, then scatter it on the floor, moisten and mix until a uniformly moistened mass of ash is obtained. After that, it is collected in a pile, in which a recess is formed on top. Lime is placed in it, which is quenched by the presence of moisture. Lime should be taken in half the amount of the weight of the ash taken. When the lime breaks down into a fine powder, it is covered with ash. Then pour water and leave for 24 hours, after which the alkali is drained. This first lye is the most concentrated.

It is placed in a special vessel, and then the ash is poured over again with water, drained and a weaker alkali is obtained. When this alkali is ready, the strong one is poured into the cauldron and heated to a boil.

Can you imagine your life without soap? It is unlikely, because in everyday life soap is a daily hygiene product, and there were times when it was considered a luxury and was available only to rich and noble people.

History of soap in ancient times

The history of soap begins around 2800 BC. e. During excavations in Babylon were found clay tablets with a recipe that tells about the production of soap based on fat and ash. Soap made according to this recipe was used for medical purposes mainly to speed up wound healing. In addition, it is known about the use of soap in ancient Egypt, 1500 years BC. e., as well as the Phoenicians for 600 years BC. e.

Soap was used in ancient Egypt 6000 years ago

Another theory of the origin of soap is associated with a Roman legend, according to which soap (lat. sapo) got its name from Mount Sapo, on which animals were sacrificed to the gods. When it rained, the ashes and fat of the sacrificial animals were washed into the Tiber River, at the foot of the mountain.

Over time, women washing clothes in the river noticed that mixing ash and fat helps to wash clothes much better than ordinary river water. Thus, the composition of the soap was significantly different from the one we currently use. Usually the soap mixture consisted of oil, ashes and animal fats.

From craft to industrial production

In the 10th century, the first soap factories began to appear in Italy, France and Spain. In the 16th century, Marseille became the main center of production, producing a liquid, scented soap containing a high concentration of olive oil. In 1688, Louis XIV issued a decree, the so-called Edict of Colbert, which banned the use of animal fats and dyes in the manufacture of soap. The demand for soap was great, but the price was high, so only the rich could afford the fragrant mixture.

With the triumph of bourgeois society in the 19th century, healthy lifestyle life and purity are elevated to the rank of moral values. At the same time, the production of soap is gaining industrial momentum, which makes it widely available. The rise in popularity of soap making was undoubtedly influenced by scientific discoveries. In 1791, the Frenchman Nicolas Leblanc invented a method for obtaining alkali from salt.

Years earlier, in 1779, the Swede Carl Scheele obtained glycerol by saponifying fats with lead oxide. And in 1823, the French chemist Michel Chevreul, guided by this discovery, studied the structure of fats and explained their saponification. This caused a real revolution in soap making.

Over centuries chemical formula Soaps have been constantly changing to return to the origins today. Back in price natural soap, free of preservatives, synthetic colors and artificial flavors.

In an age when it is especially appreciated handmade, homemade gifts are great way Express your disposition to the recipient. One of the most versatile gifts, suitable for a person of any gender and age, is handmade soap. Every soap making tutorial provided on the internet is a great opportunity to make a natural skin care product or bathroom decoration.

The first mention of soap making was found on the tablets of the Sumerians, which proves that soap was used already 6 thousand years ago. However, it is not clear whether it was intended for washing or had a ritual character. It is also known that ancient Egyptians, Gauls and Romans used soap for cosmetic purposes.

In Rus', the recipe for making modern soap became known already in the time of Peter I. Then such a tool was available only to persons of a noble family, while ordinary people washed themselves for many centuries with diluted lye, a decoction of soap bark and elderberry berries.

Despite the fact that several centuries have passed since the invention of the first bar of soap, manufacturing technology soap base remains unchanged to this day. Previously, in each country this remedy had its own composition, for example, in Rus', pork fat was mixed with lye, and in Greece olive oil.

How soap was made in the old days:

1. The ashes obtained after the burning of plants were spread evenly over the floor and moistened with a small amount of water.
2. With the help of a broom, the wet mass was driven across the floor from corner to corner until it turned into a wet, thick slurry.
3. Then the ashes were collected in a hill, and a recess was made in it. Lime was poured into the depression, which was quenched when it came into contact with wet ash.
4. After that, slaked lime was sprinkled with wet ash and left in this form for a day.
5. The next day, this mass was transferred to a fine sieve and poured over with water twice. The water drained from the ashes was collected in a separate container.
6. The stronger liquor formed after the first washing of the ash was placed in a cauldron and mixed with animal and vegetable fats.
7. The resulting mixture was boiled, constantly adding weak lye, until the mass turned into a transparent glue-like substance.
8. Salt was added to soap glue, after which clots of sound soap formed on its surface. These flakes were collected and boiled again with thick liquor.
9. After the second detachment, the soap flakes were collected and sent to dry and mature in molds.

This process is very long and rather complicated, so now, not lye, but caustic soda is used to make a soap base. If you don't want to make soap from scratch, you can purchase soap base from a soap shop. There is a simpler hot and cold method for making lye, it is poured with water at a ratio of 2 parts of ash to 1 part of lye and left in this form for a day or boiled for 3 hours. The liquid formed during this time is lye.

Soap making: ingredients and equipment

If you want to make your own natural soap at home, then you do not have to spend time making it from scratch, you can purchase a ready-made soap base. This ingredient is saturated with healthy oils and other products, due to which, useful cosmetics for cleansing and skin care are obtained.

What you need to make natural soap:

1. Soap base. This material can be made independently by mixing soda and fat, or purchased ready-made, in the form of a special soap base or baby soap.
2. Containers for melting the base and mixing the ingredients. Do not store in containers that have been used to make soap. food products, as they can acquire the smell of essential oils.
3. Scrubbing particles.
4. Other useful products It can be cream, eggs, honey, milk or decoctions of medicinal herbs.
5. Accurate electronic scales.
6. Natural dyes and fragrances.
7. Moulds. Soap will get beautiful appearance in both plastic and silicone molds.

A person who wants to learn soap making will always find an opportunity for this. Special shapes can be replaced with muffins or the most ordinary sandbox, a special base with baby soap, and expensive oils with cheaper options or even products that everyone has in the refrigerator. The main thing here is to start!

We cook soap with swirls according to the recipe of Camilla Secrets

Soap with beautiful, flowing into one another, colored layers looks very beautiful and unusual. There are many ways to make soap products with swirls, the famous blogger Camilla Secrets presented her own version of how to do it right colorful soap with beautiful divorces.

If you don't want to bother with a water bath, you can melt the soap base in the microwave, but in this case you need to make sure that the base does not overheat.

For this recipe, you will need a transparent base, dyes and fragrance. You can add oils to soap depending on your skin type, the main thing is not to use too much of them, otherwise the base will become cloudy.

Master class for making soap with swirls:

1. Melt a third of a transparent soap base in a water bath, and add the dye of the first color, such as red, oils and perfume, to it. Pour the soap into the mold in an even layer and leave until it is covered with a sufficiently dense film.
2. In the meantime, melt half of the remaining base and color it in a different color, after adding a few drops of oil and fragrance.
3. Poke a few holes around the perimeter of the first layer and pour a second layer of soap of a different color onto it. Wait until a film forms on the new layer.
4. Melt the rest of the base, enrich with oils, color with the third dye and fill with the third layer in the same way as you poured the second layer.

It will take no more than an hour to make such a product, but it will surprise you with its beauty.

Recipe: how to cook tar soap

Tar soap will help you solve a lot of problems associated with your skin. It has anti-inflammatory, antiseptic and antifungal properties. Its only drawback is a sharp specific smell. Today we will tell you how to make such a soap from the base, and at the same time reduce the intensity of its aroma.

The process of cooking tar soap step by step:

1. Melt 200 grams of natural soap base in a water bath and mix it with 0.5 tsp. calendula oils.
2. When the composition has cooled down a couple of degrees, add 3 tsp to it. birch tar.
3. Now it's the turn of 14 drops of peppermint oil. The ingredients must be added in this order, otherwise the peppermint oil that has fallen into a too hot base will lose its pleasant aroma.
4. Pour the soap into the mold and take out after complete solidification.

Birch tar, for this useful soap, can be bought at any pharmacy. One bottle will last you a long time, as it is added in small quantities. Peppermint oil will partially kill the sharp smell of tar.

How to make soap: a step by step recipe

Soap with herbs will enrich your skin with trace elements. It can be not only useful, but also beautiful. You can use decoctions of herbs or simply dried flowers. How much decoction can be added to the soap base? - 1 tbsp per 100 g.

Herbal soap making:

• Melt 100 g of a transparent soap base in a water bath and add 6 drops of lemongrass oil, 1 tbsp. l strong decoction of plantain and 8 drops of apricot kernel oil;
• Pour half the soap into the mold and sprinkle dried chamomile flowers on top;
• Sprinkle the first layer with flowers with alcohol and fill with the remnants of soap and oils;
• Take the soap out of the mold when it is completely dry.

This soap has a moisturizing and antiseptic effect. It must be used within a month, otherwise it may deteriorate.

How to make soap (video)

Our recipes are very simple and effective. Absolutely anyone can handle them. The main thing is to start!

Or rather, what our ancestors made soap in ancient times. Continuation of the theme of witches and hair, those recipes that were previously available to any woman, the hostess and the shore of her hearth. But they were forgotten and disappeared due to uselessness in the modern world.

So, an old soap recipe, it would be better if you didn’t 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 nasty 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 easiest and most affordable) . To make a very good gift soap, you need to collect a sufficient amount of fern, dry it and then burn it into ashes. Then, from this ashes, knead a thick dough on water, make balls of any size from it and dry it.

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

2nd way. Gather a sufficient amount of all kinds of bones and all sorts of greasy and greasy residues. Then prepare lye, consisting of 4 ash garnets and one lime garnet. Prepare the lye in a spacious tub, pour it with boiling water, stir it as best as possible and let it stand for two hours, drain it and pour it again on new ash .. Do this until it becomes very strong, so much so that if you put fresh (!) 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 liquor from time to time, and remove the floating fat and put it in a separate bowl .. Further, when the bones are completely boiled, throw them out of the boiler and put greasy and oily substances into the remaining lye, boil them also, stirring continuously, and finally strain this fatty lye and mix with the previously boiled fat from the bones. Then put all this mixture back on the fire, cook, stirring thoroughly, and add, from time to time, new lye. Continue this until the soap is sufficiently reduced. Finally, pour the soap into whatever shapes you like and dry it.

3rd way. Take 50 pounds of water and 100 pounds of lime soaked in water in such a way that if you take it a little in your hand, then it would not stick to it. Then put it all in a cast-iron cauldron, pour 400 bottles of water into it and cook the whole composition for several minutes, stirring thoroughly. Next, strain the composition and cook until the laid egg (fresh) floats on the surface.

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

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