Much of what is called soap today is not really
soap at all, but harsh, petroleum-based detergent that dries and irritates our
skin and can cause inflammation, itching, and burning. The most common
fragrances used are also synthetic petro-chemicals that trigger allergic
reactions in many of us. Toxic colorants and other substances are also often
added to what is sold as “soap.” How did we come to this.....

Well Soap is made by combining fats and oils, which
contain fatty acids, with lye, which is alkaline. The strong alkali splits the
fats/oils into fatty acids and glycerin. Then the sodium (or potassium) part of
the alkali joins with the fatty acid part of the fat or oils, forming a salt
that we call soap. Technically, soaps are sodium or potassium fatty-acid salts,
produced from the hydrolysis of fats in a chemical reaction called saponification.

The earliest known soap recipe is found in the
Egyptian Ebers Papyrus, a medical document from about 1500 BC, which describes
combining animal and vegetable oils with alkaline salts to form a soap-like
material used for washing and also for treating skin diseases.

Early soap making was more an art than a science
because the chemical process was not understood and the quality of the alkali
was not standardized. In the early 1800s a French chemist Michel Chevreul,
discovered the chemical nature and relationship of fats, glycerin and fatty
acids, establishing the basis for soap chemistry. In the mid 1800s, a way of
making soda ash from common table salt was discovered, which increased both the quality and quantity of ash available for making soap. These discoveries, with the development of power to operate factories, made soap making one of America's fastest-growing industries by 1850. Soap was no longer considered a luxury, but an everyday necessity. Milder soaps were developed for personal use, and soon we even had washing machines to wash our clothes....

Synthetic detergents have now almost entirely replaced
soap-based products for washing dishes and laundry and doing household cleaning.
Phosphates are nutrients that stimulate overgrowth of algae, which deplete the supply of oxygen in contaminated waters, destroying plant and fish life. It is estimated that 50 to 75 per cent of the phosphorus in our lakes and rivers comes from detergents. By 1983 over 2 million tons of phosphorus were used annually in the US for detergents, with the average
American contributing from 1.5 to 2 pounds of phosphorus per year to our surface waters. Today’s use is even greater. One pound of phosphorus can stimulate the growth of 700 pounds of algae.

In 1970 Congress strongly recommended that the
phosphate content of detergents be immediately reduced, and that it be phased out entirely by 1972. We have even taken thoughtlessly to washing
ourselves with detergent. Most of the products now used for bathing (as well as for shampooing and cleaning our teeth) are actually synthetic detergents. They are popular because they foam abundantly, work well in hard water, and don’t leave the “soap scum” that forms when soap reacts with the calcium in hard water. Because their advertising refers to them as “soap,” few people realize that they are in fact detergents.

The bar soaps contain additional chemicals added to make them hold their shape and move smoothly through factory machinery, and
the naturally humectant glycerin that is a byproduct of natural saponification
is removed.

The liquid soaps are composed almost entirely of chemicals of
varying toxicity. Both the bars and liquids are harsh and drying to our skin.
They also contain petrochemical fragrances and colorants, many of which are
toxic and some of which are actually carcinogenic.

It is a popular misconception that the FDA regulates the cosmetics industry and is looking out for our well being. Unless a
product makes health claims, it is not regulated by the FDA. The personal
products and cosmetics industries are “self-regulating.”