For the ultimate sustainable cleansing solution, you cannot beat a bar of soap, a cotton face cloth and hot water. There is literally nothing that cannot be wiped away using this simple zero-waste combination, including stubborn waterproof make up.
Traditional soap is made from natural ingredients that can include both plant and animal products such as tallow (animal fat) or vegetable oil; castor, olive, or coconut oil. The word soap may have derived its name from Mount Sapo in Rome. The word sapo, Latin for soap, first appeared in Pliny the Elder’s ‘Historia Naturalis’. The early references to soap making were for the use of soap in the textile industry and medicinally in about 2800 BC by the Egyptians and Babylonians.
One of the most famous soaps in a historical context emanates from the Silk Road city of Aleppo, Syria and brought to Europe by the Crusaders, where it was a luxury item for the wealthy. This highly regarded soap (pictured below) has been made by generations of merchants using a recipe of plant oils that remains unchanged for thousands of years. Some soap manufacturing has recently returned to the city after nearly a decade of conflict.
In the 19th Century, it is soldiers fighting wars in Middle Eastern lands that brought the use of soap back to ordinary family homes for use as a regular healthy habit. Battlefield wounds were rife and soap was adopted as a new hygiene method to combat the spread of infection.
Here in modern-day London, we are introducing a one-day boutique workshop to teach the historic art of cold process soap making. This is proper soap making not a simple ‘heat and pour’ method. You will learn a traditional method using plant oils, sodium hydroxide (lye), essential oils and botanicals to make a unique soap recipe of your own.
Guided by professional soap maker Alex Dudal, you will produce a kilo of soap to take home – that’s a lot of luxurious presents sorted although you may feel like keeping it all for yourself.
