WHAT IS SOAP?

tan__tanoto · Nov 22, 2012

What Is Soap? - Part 1

It seems like quite a redundant question, asking about something that has been used for so long, and in every household. But think about it, what do you know about soap? The stuff that smells nice and cleans? Makes bubbles, and the bubbles cleanse you? I will always remember what one customer ever said

"NO! Bar soap is liquid soap mixed with wax!" (actual words, I kid you not)

So, What IS Soap?
Soap, by definition is a salt. What is a salt? A salt is what you get when you mix an acid and an alkali together. Fats = ACID, Sodium Hydroxide = ALKALI

Yup, it is pretty much like that.

How Does it Work?
Before we look at how soap works, we need to look at how we get dirty. (I mean, if we don't know how dirt sticks, how can we remove it?) Rewind human history about 5000 years ago, soap existed, but nobody used it. People used water, handfuls of sand, rubbed oil all over their bodies and scraped it off ... Anything and everything, but just not soap. Where was soap? It was used to remove oils from sheep wool, to prepare it for the loom, before being made into wonderful clothing. Soap was an industrial use item.

But I digress. Over time, early medical practitioners started to embrace the idea that keeping clean, would reduce likelihood of illnesses. Some even proposed:"Why not use some soap?" And the rest was pretty much history.

Most dirt that sticks to us, are generally oily stains. Our skin is made to retain oils at the surface, to form a waterproof layer that keeps nasties out (skin's pH is slightly acidic, making it unfriendly for bacteria) and to retain vital moisture. If you could remove that oil (or "glue") that keeps dirt stuck to us, then the dirt will fall off your body. Soap doesn't remove dirt, it removes the glue that makes dirt stick.

Soap Removes Oil? But How!?
Soap is an amphiphilic molecule. That means the same molecule is attracted to both water, and oil at the same time. There within lies soap's magic.

For a better mental picture, try this. If you were to stand with your both arms outstretched to your sides. Your right hand is always grabbing for oil, and your left hand is always grabbing for water. Now you've arrived on the skin's surface, and your right hand has reached under a big clump of dirt, and you got a kung-fu grip on the oil that is sticking the dirt to the skin. You've got it, and not letting go. Now, as water is used to rinse off the soap, your left hand, has caught a water molecule, with the same kung-fu grip.

What happens now?

As the water is rinsed off, it pulls you along. As you are pulled along, you pull the oil along. Now, the clump of dirt has no more oil (glue) to stick anymore. It falls off! Logical?

How About That SLS That Has Been Sent By The Devil To Kill Us All?

I personally think SLS or Sodium Laureth Sulfate has been witch hunted by soap sellers who just have no one else left to blame. I personally think SLS is a near magical substance, that is just amazing at cleaning. But where did SLS appear from?

As history would dictate, that SLS was a German invention. Why invent artificial detergents, when soap is so popular? (Did you know, SLS is mixed with foamers, just to resemble soap? SLS does not foam!) Anyways, it was World War 2, Germans needed everything they could to fight their war. Unfortunately, one of the many things that the military took from the civilians, was soap. Soap contained glycerine, which in turn was extracted to make nitro-glycerine. A key component in explosives. Now you can't make bombs without explosives right?
After all the soap was taken, you can't have stinky germans walking about with smelly clothes! Hence, SLS was invented as a laundry soap replacement. Being a German invention, it was near magical. It could perform in all water conditions, hard & soft water, hot and cold water, and remove all kinds of stains.

How did artificial detergents get into my bathroom?
Fast forward to today, many SLS based products have permeated nearly every aspect of our lives. Dishwashing liquid, shower gel, toothpaste, pet shampoo, even shampoo. Why?! You may ask, why has this fiendish chemical that so many soap sellers have been knocking on so widely available?! Shouldn't people know what that organic products website said about the evils of SLS?!

That, will be in my next post...

babydoeee · Nov 24, 2012

Its 545am on a saturday.... im reading this and cant wait for the next post by thread starter.... its a good morning read... light yet informative.... much appreciated for now...

tan__tanoto · Nov 24, 2012

What Is Soap? - Part 2

 What Is SLS? 
SLS is a pure crystalline powder, commercially manufactured and sold in huge drums or sacks. (And to the moron who said SLS is one atom away from being plastic, the difference between Oxygen (O2) and Ozone (O3) is also one oxygen atom. You can breathe oxygen, but ozone will kill you faster than you can finish reading this sentence. One atom IS a BIG difference) Ah yes, back to what I was saying. SLS or Sodium Laureth Sulfate cleans you because it is a surfactant that also emulsifies.

How Does It Work?
Water molecules are always attracting each other, that's why they form little beads and drops where possible. That's called surface tension. Now imagine taking a bouncy little ball of water, trying to get it to reach all those tight spaces and to mix with oily stains (that repel water to begin with) You get the idea how difficult it can be to clean with just water alone. So, emulsifiers and surfactants take it to the next level. A surfactant breaks the surface tension of water, meaning it attaches itself all over the the ball of water, until a round ball becomes flat like a pancake. This allows water to wiggle and squeeze itself into tight spaces. Emulsifiers coat your oily stains, and allow it to now mix with water! (High chance you've seen emulsifiers at work before, like mayonnaise, or milk)

That being said, SLS really cleans you with almost no scrubbing at all, and it just makes all the oily stains mix with water, ready to be rinsed off.

How Is It Used?
SLS is hardly used alone. (Have you ever recalled bathing in white crystalline powder?) SLS is actually pretty inexpensive, can be mass produced, and it forms a component of many toiletries and cosmetics we use today. If used in safe concentrations, it is recognised by the FDA as GRAS (Generally Recognised As Safe) Wow, FDA said so? Well, every government regulation always has to balance acceptable risk, as well as economical benefit. Imagine if HSA (Health Science Authority) tightened their grip and listened to all the soap sellers here ... We'd all be using like one type of soap.

But ... But All The Retailers Called SLS Harmful!
It wouldn't be right for me to speak on behalf of everyone, and sway everyone's opinion. Hey, I am a soap seller myself! But we all have to break that mindset that anything chemical sounding is harmful. Sure SLS is an irritant. But what substance, in it's pure form, isn't? SLS irritates the eyes and skin? Take any soap from the most advertised-as-safest-most-organic brand and break off a small little piece. Now rub it in your eyes. It burns doesn't it? Suddenly the best-most powerful-organic-natural soap burns exactly how SLS would.

Look Out For Part 3!

WHAT IS SOAP?

tan__tanoto

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babydoeee

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