Casey Makela - Milk-Based Soaps: Making Natural, Skin-Nourishing Soap

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Ebook version 1.0

December 16, 2014

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What joy in life could there ever be without good friends and loving family?

Kimberly Ann Walker

My family patiently and lovingly allows me to be a writer and my good friends spur me on. I am forever grateful to them all.

To William, my beloved thank you for your endless patience. You are so much more than just a husband. Your encouragement and support are a lifeline to me.

To my children: Marion, your beautiful freckle-faced smile illuminates my imagination. You are my rose in bloom. I love you. John, thank you for your bear hugs and sharing your dreams about tractors. I love my little farmer man. Patti, thank you for making me laugh when I lose my sense of humor. I love you to the Max. Lori, your motivation is an inspiration to me. I will always love my Bubbles and look forward to calling you Dr. Bubbles! Sara, my Indian Woman. I love my darling girl. You are very special and a precious gem to me. Dani, you share my love of writing and I know you understand. I love you and we will travel through Europe together someday. Wes, you redefine humor and make us all laugh, and I love you for that. To all of you, thank you for being my children and giving me the joy of motherhood. You are my greatest accomplishments in life.

Mom I know you are always there. Thank you for loving me when I need it most.

Maryanne thank you for the many long hours you spent helping me, editing, and telling me I could. You are a gifted writer and a true friend.

Edie your enthusiasm and joy for life are infectious. Thank you for making me feel special and being my friend.

Denise thank you for showing me the lighter side of life and reminding me to laugh at impossible situations. Just keep the angel food cake coming!

Dean thank you for baby-sitting me through the trials and errors of my first computer. I wish you great success with I-STAR.

There is nothing in this world except the history you do not know.

Harry S. Truman

Soapmaking is a unique marriage of science and art. As a science, soap is the chemical combination of fat (either vegetable or animal) and alkali; in home soap production, the alkali used most often is sodium hydroxide, known commonly as lye. The soapmaking process is called saponification, meaning to convert a fat or oil into soap by the action of an alkali.

As an art, it inspires experimentation with colors, textures, scents, and shapes, offering an open invitation to be creative.

Cleansing agents are mentioned in the Bible in Job 9:30, Jeremiah 2:22, and Malachi 3:2. Malachi mentions the lye of laundrymen. A more specific description of soap is found in the writings of a first-century naturalist-historian, Pliny the Elder, in 77 a.d. Pliny described various forms of hard and soft soaps renowned as rutilandi capilli, making hair shine. These soaps were used by women to cleanse and enhance hair color.

Ancient history reveals that soap in its early forms was regarded as a mere necessity and was in no way comparable to the giant cosmetic counterpart of today, in either development or commercial popularity. When advancements in the production of soap led to increased public demand and created new markets, the soap industry grew by leaps and bounds. With a heritage steeped in the lavish history of the famous bath-houses of Rome, soap became a valuable article of commerce in early Europe, despite efforts by the early Christian church to discourage bathing as an immodest practice.

In the thirteenth century the soap industry was introduced to France from Italy. At that time most soap was made by boiling goat tallow with beechwood ash (the source of the alkali or lye) and water. Inspired by what they had learned from Italian soapmakers, French soapmakers experimented further to improve soap quality and developed a method of making soap from olive oil instead of animal fats. Around the year 1500 they introduced their discoveries to England, where the industry grew rapidly.