Handmade Soap Chill Out

Handmade soap differs from industrial soap in that usually an excess of fat is used to consume the alkali (superfatting), and in that the glycerin is not removed. Superfatted soap, soap which contains excess fat, is more skin-friendly than industrial soap though if not properly formulated can leave the user with a "greasy" feel to his skin. Often emollients such as jojoba oil or shea butter are added at trace, after most of the oils have saponified, so that they remain unreacted in the finished soap.

Disadvantages: Today, fat-based soaps have mostly been superseded by modern detergents. Washing agents do not contain soap for cleaning fabric, but to reduce foaming.

The disadvantages of commercial soaps are:

* Soap deprives the skin of natural, beneficial oils
* Some antibacterial soaps have chemicals which actually kill some skin cells.
* Soap-based products often contain the additive sodium laureth sulfate, a powerful dehydrating and caustic chemical (which is also used to remove engine oil from the floors of garages).
* Soap can react mildly basically with fabrics resulting in damage over the long term. This is usually due to excess sodium hydroxide (NaOH, an alkali/base) left from manufacture.
* Soap reacts with lime to form an insoluble deposit (soap scum) in "hard water".
Commercially made bar soaps are formulated to mitigate all of these disadvantages:
* A wide variety of emollient materials, such as shea or cocoa butters, are substantive to the skin.
* Poorly finished soaps contain alkali (NaOH) and react mildly basically with skin and fabric; commercial products are finished to neutrality or to a weak acid content to prevent this and be more compatible with the skin's slightly acidic pH.
* Commercial products use chelating molecules (sequestrants), often EDTA derivatives to bind with any free Ca or Mg ions and prevent soap scum. These also help reduce fragrance loss, discolouration and rancidity.

TRIVIA: Bathing habits all over Europe rose and declined with Roman civilization. When Rome fell in 467 A.D., so did bathing. It’s said that the lack of cleanliness and poor living conditions contributed to the many plagues of the Middle Ages.