Soap is probably the most essential hygiene article for body cleansing. It is therefore hard to imagine everyday hygiene without it.
What is a soap
The term "soap" comes from Old High German. "Soap" means something like "resin", which was previously used, among other things, to wash the body, but also to clean clothes and surfaces. Nowadays, the term soap is generally understood to mean fine soap or toilet soap, which is used in the field of personal care.
It has largely lost its importance for washing clothes and objects, as more effective preparations have been found. In contrast, it has remained indispensable for daily body cleansing. Their exact composition was constantly modified, so that a large number of types of soaps have been created, some of which are very precisely adapted to special skin care needs or to special areas of application.
Shapes, types & types
Although the principle of the soap is very simple, there are many different types that are suitable for very different areas of application. Examples include glue soap, curd soap, soft soap, shaving soap, fine soap, paper soap, gall soap, moisturizing soaps, petrol soap, antibacterial soaps and pH-neutral soaps.
In the manufacturing process of glue soaps, glycerine, which has skin-caring properties, is not removed. In contrast, with curd soaps, the glycerine is poured off in a special work step. This means that curd soap has a better cleaning effect. Soft soaps are made from potassium salts and cheap fats and oils. Therefore they are often very inexpensive, but their cleaning power is usually not as pronounced as with other types of soaps. Above all, shaving soap should be supple and lather up well in order to enable a problem-free shave. That is why it contains stearin and coconut oil as special ingredients. Often, potassium hydroxide is also added, which gives the shaving soap a smooth, firm foam. Fine soaps are preparations based on pure and odorless curd soaps. They are the most common soaps used for hand washing.
Nowadays soaps are mainly in liquid form and can be used as shower gel, shampoo or bath additive, for example.
Structure & functionality
From a chemical point of view, the basis of soaps is formed by the sodium salts of fatty acids. In addition, there is a mixture of different long-chain alkali salts, most of which consist of fatty acids. So soaps are among the anionic surfactants.
Soap molecules acquire their cleaning properties from the fact that they have water-repellent, i.e. hydrophobic, and water-attracting, technically hydrophilic, parts. As a result, they do not dissolve in water, but instead form so-called micelles. These micelles are so small that they cannot be seen by the naked eye. Inside the micelles there are hydrophobic hydrocarbon chains that are able to bind fats. On the other hand, the polar, hydrophilic ends are on the outside. During the washing process, the hydrocarbon chains bind fat droplets to themselves. Once this is done, they can simply be rinsed off with fresh water and cleaning is complete.
In addition, soaps reduce the surface tension of water due to their apolar structure. They do this by arranging themselves on the surface of the liquid. This enables the water to come into contact with substances much better. In addition, the soap also reaches otherwise inaccessible areas.
Increased calcium or magnesium concentrations in the water used can restrict the functional principle of soaps. These substances block the polar ends of the soap so that it no longer cleans to the usual extent. Such a water condition is also referred to as "hard" water. In this case, lime deposits sometimes form on the water, which indicate that the composition is not optimal.
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➔ Drugs against sweating and sweatingMedical & health benefits
Soaps are very important for health, as without them adequate personal hygiene is almost impossible in the long term. When washing with soap, for example, sebum deposits, but also powder and cream residues are removed from the skin pores. If these remained on the body surface, normal skin breathing would not be possible. Inflammation would then occur more frequently. Washing with soap also removes harmful bacteria and viruses, which helps prevent infections.
The problem with the soap effect is that it also removes part of the physiological fat film. However, this is necessary to keep the skin from drying out. If too much is removed from it, the skin becomes dry and cracked. This phenomenon can be prevented on the one hand by not using it too frequently, but on the other hand by using suitable types of soap.
Soaps with a high glycerine content, for example, have a positive effect on the natural skin fat layer. This includes glue soap. Curd soap, on the other hand, should be avoided. PH-neutral soaps also protect the skin's greasy film. They have a pH of 5.5, which corresponds to that of the body. As a positive additional effect, the skin's natural protective acid mantle is retained when using pH-neutral soaps. Since it also houses bacteria and microorganisms that defend against harmful influences, its preservation is important for a good immune defense.
After washing with soap, skin regeneration can be supported by using nourishing creams and oils. The most important thing is to find a good balance between washing frequency and skin care. Then washing with soap is an indispensable means of maintaining hygiene and health.
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