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Have you ever wondered just what is in that bar of soap you use? Conversely, do you wonder what should be in your soap that isn’t? Most people don’t know how soap is made or what makes one brand better than another. It is with soap, however, as it is with most things—when you understand the process behind how it is made, you can make smarter choices about what is best for you.

If you grew up on a farm, you probably watched soap being made. They usually took rendered lard and lye then mixed it in a big iron wash pot. Called lye soap, this farm soap had a reputation for being harsh. An old saying associated with it was, “it doesn’t stop at the dirt.”

Technically, soap is still made using the same chemical reaction. The main differences between modern and farm soaps are use of purer oils and lye, a higher understanding of soap chemistry, and a more precise standard of weights and measures.

TECHNICALLY
There are differences, most of which were made to more effectively market and sell these products. So let’s learn a little about soap. This new knowledge may make a difference in your life.

THE CHEMISTRY OF CLEAN
Soap making is based on a natural chemical reaction called saponification. Oils are reacted with a strong alkali or caustic, resulting in soap and glycerine. Fats and oils are all triglycerides. A triglyceride is made up of a glyceride ion attached to three fatty acid chains. When the caustic is mixed with triglycerides, the fatty acids break loose from the glyceride ion and join with the sodium in sodium hydroxide, forming soap. The glyceride ion joins with the hydroxide of sodium hydroxide, turning it into glycerine.

A SOAP MAKING VISUAL:
[ Oils + Caustic ] yields [ Soap + Glycerine ]

GROCERY STORE SOAP
Nearly all of the soap found in grocery stores use an 80 percent tallow and 20 percent coconut oil content. Tallow comes from beef fat and coconut oil comes from the coconut palm. These oils are reacted with caustic soda, and, while the soap is still hot, the glycerine is immediately removed and the resulting soap is cooled and dried. Since most of the world’s major soap makers use this 80/20 base, the only real differences among all of them are fragrances, colorants, and other additives.

The following is a list of additives used in typical bar soap formulas: Fragrances and perfumes, colorants and whiteners —titanium dioxide, antioxidants (BHT, etc.), preservatives and sequesterants (EDTA, DTPA, etc.), deodorants and antibacterials (Triclosan etc.), skin-feel additives (polyacrylates, etc.), lather stabilizers (cocoamides), fillers, and salts to harden the bar.

Notice that none of these have anything to do with getting you clean or caring for your skin. These are ingredients dictated by marketing departments to make the bar look, feel, and smell a certain way. Those ingredients may also give you a headache, make you sneeze, or cause your skin to itch. They don’t necessarily get you any cleaner.

WHAT ABOUT THE GLYCERINE?
Soap making naturally produces glycerine. Glycerine is called a humectant, meaning that it retains moisture, which makes it a natural skin moisturizer. Curiously, most of the bars of soap at the grocery store don’t list glycerine as an
ingredient, because it has been removed. The problem with soap without glycerine is that it is more drying to your skin.

Why has the glycerine been removed from nearly all mass-produced soap? Because glycerine can be sold as a separate commodity. It’s used in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, food products, and cellophane—with greater financial gain than leaving it in the soap.

Another thing that needs clarification: The term glycerine soap has become synonymous with transparent soap. But glycerine cannot create transparency in soap by itself. Soap is made clear by adding certain alcohols and sugars like sorbitol. Pure soap is dissolved in them, resolidified, and the change in the molecular structure allows the light to come through. Pure soap, even with significant amounts of glycerine in it, remains opaque.

And further, some transparent bars are not even soap. Triethanolamine (TEA) is an example of a surfactant—a synthetic detergent—that is also transparent, and it is used in some cleansing bars, but it is not soap.

SOAP VS. DETERGENT
Next time you are in the grocery store, pick up a product that advertises itself as a “beauty bar” or “deodorant bar” or “body wash,” and look at the ingredient list. It may say something like “sodium cocoyl isethionate” or “sodium lauryl sulfate.” What you have in your hand is synthetic detergent, not soap.

CONCLUSION
Most soaps are really not soap at all. Many of them are detergents with many additives and no glycerine. What your skin needs is the opposite: Pure, natural soap with no additives and lots of moisturizing glycerine. Read labels and try to avoid bars with additives that may lead to headaches, sneezing, and itching, and choose a bar that cleans and moisturizes—the old-fashioned way.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Richard M. Hamner, Ph.D., is the president of Green Mountain Soap Co., Inc., inc Huntsville, AL. For more information, visit www.gmsoap.com.