No one knows the origin of soap making. It may have begun when practitioners of ancient religions made animal sacrifices, burned the sacrifice with hard woods and washed the area with water. Soap was originally made with the ash of hard woods soaked in water and animal fat. The ashes of hard wood, when soaked in water, make lye. Fat and lye are still the main ingredients in soap. When combined at the correct temperature, about 110 degrees F, a chemical reaction takes place and the lye and fat become soap and glycerin. When the reaction (called saponification) is complete, there is no longer any lye present in the soap.
Lye
Lye is essential in soap making. No lye, no soap. American pioneers saved their hardwood ashes in a barrel. They would fill the barrel with water and allow it to soak for days, then strain out the lye that was formed. They tested the strength of the lye by floating a hen's egg in it; if an area the size of a quarter showed above the surface of the lye, the strength was correct. Modern lye can be purchased easily, from soap making suppliers such as Majestic Mountain Sage or Snowdrift Farm. There are limits to the amount of lye that can be shipped but a lb. of lye makes a lot of soap.
Fats and Oil
American pioneers saved animal fat for soap making. When it came time to make soap, they would boil the fat to clean it. The clean fat would float and any contaminants would sink to the bottom of the pot. They combined the fat with approximately an equal amount of homemade lye. You can still use animal fat, although if you don't clean it thoroughly your soap might smell like roast beef. You can also use shortening, or any combination of vegetable or nut oils. Coconut oil improves the quality of soap bubbles. Palm oil is hard at room temperature and makes harder bars of soap. Olive oil is a classic ingredient in soap and makes a rich soap that is good for your skin. Butters can be used also, such as shea butter which is an oil that is hard at room temperature.
Fragrances
For fragrance you can add essential oil, fragrance oil, or real or synthetic perfumes. Real perfume is a combination of essential oils, distilled from flowers and plants. Soap can be sweetly perfumed with flower oils, scented with resinous essential oils such as pine or cedar, made with medicinal scents such as eucalyptus and rosemary, or spicy scents like cinnamon and clove.
Exfoliants
Powdered herbs, clay, ground oats and other fibrous ingredients add texture and make an exfoliating soap that will polish your skin and make it smooth. Powdered herbs are a little harsher than clay or ground oats. Oats make a particularly soothing soap for sensitive skin.
Other Ingredients
Colors can be added, natural or synthetic, to tint your soap to your preference. Some soap makers add preservatives such as grapefruit extract, although home made soap can last for a year or more without preservatives. You can add glitter for sparkle, silk protein for an extra creamy and smooth soap,or flower petals to make the bar of soap pretty.
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