Just as bread bakers yearn for the impeccable crust and wine sommeliers search for the right bouquet, soap makers attempt the perfect bar. Gentle or astringent, perfumed or unscented, soap is an ancient craft. If making soap is a reminder of pioneer women stirring giant vats of lard and wood ashes, you ve studied history. Soap making has a messy past based on a chemical reaction that appeared magical. The substance no longer is fat or lye, but a new product capable of cleaning dirt from skin and clothes.
Saponification remains the basic chemistry.
But modern soap makers experiment with exotics like avocado or walnut oils. Although tallow and lard are available, the mixture of vegetable oils like olive, palm or coconut has become a favorite. Homemade soap is nothing like the chalky bars of pioneer days. It may look like stained glass or be studded with oatmeal. Modern soap makers have turned soap into a hobby that produces the finest, silkiest bars.