Lye Soap
Where would we be today with out soap? The simple commodity we use everyday to clean our bodies, our hair, our clothes, our cars, our dishes and more, is something we tend to take for granted. Have you ever wondered what it is exactly, and how it works? Who discovered soap, and how long have we been using it?
Soap is the word we use to describe a number of different compounds that all basically act in the same way. They are all cleaning compounds that function by a chemical process called ‘emulsification’.
Fats, oils, and greases are very difficult to clean using just water since these substances don’t mix well with the liquid. Soaps are all chemically significant because they mix well with both water and fat based compounds. A portion of any soap chemical is ‘hydrophilic’, or ‘water loving’, and allows it to dissolve freely in water. The other half of soap compounds, however, is ‘hydrophobic’. This part of the soap allows it to mix with fats and oils, since they are also hydrophobic. Most soaps today use a formula involving lye, a caustic solution of potassium hydroxide, and are commonly called ‘lye soaps’.
When water with soap dissolved in it comes in contact with a fat based compound, the hydrophobic portion of the soap molecule attaches to the fat. The fat soon becomes completely covered in soap molecules and then breaks apart due to the soaps mutual attraction to the water molecules flowing around it. On a side note, this emulsification process is actually the same way we digest fat that we eat, with the liver made substance ‘bile’ acting as the ‘soap’. Bacteria, dirt, and other undesirable contaminants to our skin tend to get trapped in layers of oil than won’t readily come off with out using soap.
There are records of soap use that date as far back as ancient Babylon in the third millennium BC. Strangely, the Romans were not known to use soap. Though the word ‘soap’ first appears in a text written by the famous Roman scholar ‘Pliny the Elder’, he refers to it as a kind of ancient hair gel in use in some regions of the time, not for its detergent qualities.
Lye soap of the kind we know today was invented by the Arabs well after the fall of the Roman empire, in either the 6th or 7th centuries AD. The formula is the same basic formula we still use today. Generally, lye soaps are made by mixing animal fats with lye. Because lye is such a caustic chemical, this can be a dangerous process, but the resulting lye soap is of course harmless. Several alternative fats can be used to make a lye soap, many people make their own soaps at home using olive oil. Soap made with olive oil is sometimes called Castile soap, after the region of Spain in which it first became popular.
Whether washing your hands, taking a shower or doing your dishes, lye soap is an extremely useful tool in keeping good hygiene. I don’t even want to imagine what people smelled like back in times when it wasn’t known or used.
Lye Soap related articles:
Ma Huang
Ephedrine was big news a few years ago. Available over the counter everywhere, this stimulant had a variety of uses for which it was popular. It could provide immediate relief from asthma, and was still occasionally used in asthma treatment in spite of ne... Mad Money
Mad money. I didn’t know of it as such when I was growing up. Instead, my gramma would send me ten dollars in a letter she had written on drugstore tablet paper, adding in her letter a p.s. that read she was including some “pin money, hah hah.” I didn’... Madonna
It’s not a novel theory that Madonna’s success is due in large part to her ability to re-invent and thereby re-market herself accordingly. (See “alternative feminist” Camille Paglia’s pieces, for example, which make dubious assertions at times, but which... Make Extra Money
make extra money
There are lots of ways to make extra money in addition to a regular day job. Some ideas to make extra money include taking on a paper route, delivering pizza, baby sitting, shoveling snow, cutting grass and walking dogs. If stude... Make Money Fast
Want to make money fast? It’s not tough to find offers to make quick cash, but unfortunately, most of them are scams. The standard make money fast scam started as an email pyramid scheme near the infancy of the internet. The mastermind of the scam went...
more Pocket Links articles:
Credit Card Deals
All of us know the benefits of using a credit card. They are convenient, a boon when you are strapped for cash, and make buying and selling products and services online a real easy affair. And some of us (I would go so far as to say most) know about the f... How To Train A Dog
There are probably thousands of books on how to train a dog, and all of them will tell you more or less the same things. Training a dog is a pretty simple affair, once you understand its principals. The very first lesson that any expert in how to train a ... Abortion Information
Abortion Information
Abortion is not a pleasant subject for casual discussion. Pro-life and pro-choice supporters both feel strongly about their convictions, and each side holds certain beliefs regarding abortion and the unborn fetus. Abortion in... Career Research
Doing career research obviously takes desire, active or proactive investigation, and as well, a self-knowledge, or an understanding and awareness of what your qualities are, what skillsets you have or have the potential of having, and what jobs call to yo... Kid Songs
Children love music and today there are so many kid songs created by talented artists, it can be difficult to choose a favorite. Music is a wonderful way to help children learn and interact with one another and it is a wonderful way to have some great fun... |