EDEN WATER SOAP COMPANY
A Brief History of Natural Soap
The story of natural soap dates back over 4,000 years, recorded recipes from ancient Babylonia details the use of animal fat and ash to clean as early as 2000 BC. Historically, soap was a course affair, made by combining animal fats, saved for months with wood-ash water. This fatty acid/alkaline solution produced a fatty acid salt we call 'Soap'. This 'Soap, although functional at removing dirt and grime, was caustic and would have smelled unpleasant. Although the basic chemistry hasn’t changed, soap throughout history became more refined:
Egyptians, famed for their public bathing and devotion to cleanliness, created aromatic cleansing pastes from vegetable oils, clay and alkaline salts to cleanse and treat skin ailments. Soap-like substances appear in Biblical texts —typically made by boiling fats with ashes to produce a crude but functional cleanser. As trade routes opened, Aleppo in Syria was famed for it's wonderful olive and laurel oil soaps—some of the oldest natural soaps still made there today.
Although our ancestors could not have foreseen it, soap became our most effective defence against invisible pathogens. A drop of ordinary soap diluted in water is sufficient to rupture and kill many types of bacteria and virus. 18th century French soap-makers refined the craft by incorporating oils like olive and lavender and further improved their soapmaking method, french soap was elevated into a luxurious product and exported worldwide.
As the Soap Industry gained momentum in England, it became classed as a luxury item and heavily taxed and soap became inaffordable across society. Early 1900, the British medical profession highlighted the necessity of personal hygiene to keep infectious disease at bay, this tax was decreased and slowly hygiene and health standards improved.
World Wars - as natural resources became scarce and expensive, scientists created a new form of 'Soap' made with synthetic compounds, harsher modern detergents were born and commercial mass produced soap came into existence. These bars are actually detergents aren't permitted under law to be called 'Soap'.
If you see a cleansing bar called 'Body bar, or 'Moisturising bar it isn't actually real soap.
Quality can't be rushed, did you know historically, it takes a ten-year apprenticeship to become a master soap maker?
Thankfully today, natural soap is cherished once again for its purity, tradition, and effectiveness—connecting us to centuries of wisdom in every bar.
Happy Soapers ~ Just add water!
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