Before we dive into the wondrous history of soap, we must first answer the question, What is soap? While the answer may seem obvious, you may be surprised to find out what you have sitting next to your bathroom sink, or wash your clothes with may not technically fall under the definition of "soap."
Soap:ˈsōp -a cleansing and emulsifying agent made usually by action of alkali on fat or fatty acids and consisting essentially of sodium or potassium salts of such acids
Essentially, soap is made from an alkali substance combined with animal fats or oils. The first soaps were made with lye. Lye is a very dangerous chemical that can be made by soaking ash in water. The lye is what gives the soap its cleaning power, but must be used with caution as it can burn your skin. We'll talk more about lye and its role in soap a little later on.
The History of Soap:
The history of soap has various legends attached to it, making it difficult to really pinpoint the origin of soap. Archaeologists have discovered the first recipes for soap from the Babylonians. Those recipes date back to 2800 BC. Zooming ahead to 1500 BC, ancient Egyptians well documented their use of soap and even bathed regularly due to their access to the product. The Romans were very fond of soap, and is where we'll really begin the journey of soap and soap making.
The Romans:
As Roman legend goes, women noticed one day that their clothes got surprisingly cleaner when they did their wash in a specific portion of a river after a heavy rain near Mount Sapo. But why? Mount Sapo was volcanic, hence plenty of ash was available. After heavy rains, the ash would wash down into the river and create a chemical similar to lye, which previously mentioned is an important ingredient for soap making. Now lye on its own does not clean clothes, you need the chemical to interact with animal fat or oil. Well, it just so happened that Mount Sapo was also an important animal sacrifice site. That meant, when the Roman's performed animal sacrifices, some of the left over animal fat would melt and eventually end up in the river where the women washed. Once discovered, the Romans were able to harness this knowledge and produced soap on large scales. A soap factory was even uncovered at Pompeii, the site of the devastating volcanic eruption that encapsulated the entire city.
The 17th and 18th Centuries:
Soapmakers appeared in Spain and Italy, who commonly used Beech wood and animal fats to make their version of soaps. Around the same time, France picked up soap making, and replaced animal fats, with locally sourced oils. The French recipe was officially recognized in 1688 by King Louis XIV. There are even reports that Louis had three soap makers executed because their soap irritated his sensitive skin. Shortly after, fragrances were added to the recipe to make the soap more pleasant.
During the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, soap was incredibly popular in England. As the soap industry grew, so did the taxes on the product making it hard for everyone to gain access to. It wasn't until the Victorian Era that the soap tax was abolished and soap became available to the masses.
During the late 1700's and early 1800's, French chemists devised a methods that would allow soap makers to mass produce soaps to a greater extent.
World War I and the Modern Era
During the first World War, there was an increased need for cleaning agents, but a lack of soap making materials. That need lead to German scientists discovering a new form of "soap." The scientists found you could create synthetic compounds that had cleaning properties. Those compounds were called detergents and quickly took off. By the 1950's, detergents had surpassed soap sales in the United States. Today, most soaps are actually a detergent. So the next time you're in the store looking for a new "soap" notice how many products call themselves "body bars" since they can't legally be called soap.
Magical Applications:
In the magical world, who needs soap when you have spells and charms to do the work for you? You may have heard of the Scouring Charm, or the Skurge Charm. The scouring charm's incantation Scourgify can be used to clean various objects or even get rid of small infestations bundimuns. You may need the Skurge charm if you need to clean up the sticky green ectoplasm left behind by ghosts. I suggest to learn both charms if you're going to be a magical janitor.