Soap, it’s such a seemingly simple thing that we all use hopefully every day without really thinking about where those sweet smelling, cleansing bars come from. As a matter of fact it’s rather interesting the was we use so many things our entire life and can never really know anything about it. Like pencils or paper or books, how many of us really know how those things or made? That is why I am writing this article about soap, so that the readers can learn what it is they are really trusting with their cleanliness.
First of all let’s take a glimpse at how soap is actually made. Now, soap can be made from a lot of different things, as a matter of fact the soap that most of us use today is not actually true soap because it doesn’t contain the same ingredients as actual soap. Actual soap is made from mixing forms of fat with Lye, the fat could be anything from olive oil to the more commonly used, cow fat. So even though the fat is processed and rendered, I imagine you may be surprised to find that the fat you so cautiously avoid eating is the sweet, cleaning soap you end up rubbing all over your body every day! It sounds pretty disgusting, but the fact is that soap really does clean and is very handy to have, without soap we would all smell like the cows anyway!
The way soap actually works is quite interesting as well, it actually functions on a molecular level as the molecules of soap actually become in a sense like little hooks or hands. When you use soap those little soap molecules actually grab grease and dirt, then the fatty molecules break the dirty ones into a form that can be easily washed away by the running water. So even though it may seem strange that fat is used in soap, it is actually those very molecules that allow the dirt and grease on our bodies to be cleansed! It’s an interesting paradox isn’t it?
So the next time you are taking a bath or a shower, and you have a bar of soap in your hand you will now know what it is. Now, possibly the fact that it is made from fat might make it a little bit harder to use soap comfortably, but if you just think about it in terms of molecules and the way it reacts to those molecules on you that will eventually make you start smelling pretty bad, I think it makes it a lot easier to use. So there you have it, it may be a strange way to stay clean but I’ll always be happy we have soap no matter what it’s made of, cleanliness comes at a price, and that price is the knowledge that it is cow fat!
