The History of Soap Making

Records indicate that soap making began as far back as 2,800 B.C. Inscriptions discovered on the sides of clay cylinders excavated from the ruins of ancient Babylon describe the boiling of fats with ashes. Unfortunately the inscriptions do not describe the use of the mixture.

Ancient Egyptians are known to have bathed regularly, a medical Papyrus from about 1,500 B.C. describes the mixture of oils with alkaline salts to form a soap-like mixture used both for washing and treating skin conditions.

According to an ancient Roman legend, soap got its name from Mount Sapo, where the practice of animal sacrifice was carried out. It is said that the rain then washed the mixture of animal fat and ashes down through the clay soil into river Tiber, where women found that the mixture made their washing cleaner and did so with much less effort.

Today the chemical reaction resulting from the combination of fats or oils with an alkaline is still called saponification.

Gary Everson is the Soap Business Guru. In his new e-book: "Soap Making for Profit" he describes in clear, step by step terms how to turn an enjoyable and creative hobby into a profitable business.

Copyright © 2006 Gary Everson