Bath soap is a cleansing agent used as toiletry. It is made from the salts of vegetable or animal fats. Soap in the form of a bar or in liquid form, soap is an anionic surfactant used in conjunction with water for washing and cleaning. The earliest recorded evidence of the production of soap-like materials dates back to around 2800 BC in Ancient Babylon. Soaps made from vegetable oils such as olive oil, aromatic oils such as thyme oil and lye were first produced by chemists. Many of these soaps are still produced, both industrially and by small scale artisans. In modern times, the use of soap has become universal in industrialized nations due to a better understanding of the role of hygiene in reducing the population size of pathogenic microorganisms. The soap making process can be divided into four process and they include hot process, cold process, molds, purification and finishing. Many commercially available soaps use various types of plastic, although many soap making companies may use cardboard boxes that are lined with plastic wrap and attractive brand names. Soaps can be made in long loaves that are cut into individual bars, block molds that are cut into loaves and then bars, or individual molds. |