Curious About Soap

PODCAST 135: CURIOUS ABOUT SOAP
RELEASE DATE:  MAY 2ND, 2021

D:  HELLO, AND WELCOME BACK TO THE CURIOUS KID PODCAST.  AS A PARENT, THERE ARE A LOT OF THINGS I FIND MYSELF SAYING ALL THE TIME.  THESE DAYS, AS WE ARE STILL DEALING WITH THE CORONAVIRUS, THERE IS SOMETHING I’VE BEEN TELLING MY KIDS QUITE FREQUENTLY.  I SAY “HEY OLIVIA, DID YOU REMEMBER TO WASH YOUR HANDS?”  I’VE EVEN HAD TO SAY “OLIVIA AND NOAH, YOU CAN’T PROPERLY WASH YOUR HANDS IN JUST 3 SECONDS.”  THIS WEEK, WE ARE GOING TO REVISIT SOMETHING WE LEARNED ABOUT BRIEFLY IN EPISODE 58, CURIOUS ABOUT CLEANLINESS.

O:  MAILBAG!

D:  MAILBAG!

“HI!  MY NAME IS NIKKI AND MY DAUGHTER’S NAME IS JOJO.  SHE IS 6 YEARS OLD AND LOVES YOUR PODCAST.  SHE IS INTERESTED IN SOAP.  WE WOULD LOVE TO HEAR A PODCAST ABOUT SOAP.  HOW IS SOAP MADE?

THANK YOU FROM SAN FRANCISCO!”

O:  THANKS FOR THE AMAZING E-MAIL, JOJO.  WE ARE GETTING CURIOUS ABOUT SOAP THIS WEEK FOR YOU.

D:  SOMETHING ABOUT THE E-MAIL FROM JOJO OF SAN FRANCISCO REMINDS ME OF ONE OF YOUR FAVORITE BEATLES SONGS.  ANY GUESSES?

O:  IT PROBABLY REMINDS YOU OF GET BACK.  I LOVE THAT SONG.

D:  THAT’S RIGHT!  “JOJO LEFT HIS HOME IN TUSCON, ARIZONA FOR SOME CALIFORNIA GRASS”.  IT’S FUN TO GET AN E-MAIL FROM JOJO OF CALIFORNIA.  LET’S GET CURIOUS ABOUT SOAP.  WHAT’S THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK?

O:  THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK IS, HOW MUCH  IS THE MOST EXPENSIVE BAR OF SOAP IN THE WORLD?

D:  SO, I USUALLY KNOW I’M GETTING A PRETTY GOOD DEAL ON SOAP WHEN I’M SPENDING LESS THAN ONE DOLLAR PER BAR.  SOAP ISN’T REALLY ALL THAT EXPENSIVE.  CAN YOU TAKE A GUESS HOW MUCH THE MOST EXPENSIVE BAR OF SOAP IN THE WORLD COSTS?  WHILE YOU’RE THINKING ABOUT THAT, LET’S LEARN ABOUT THE FASCINATING HISTORY OF SOAP.

O:  SOAP HAS BEEN AROUND FOR ALMOST 5,000 YEARS.  

D:  AND THE SOAP FROM WAY BACK THEN HAS SOME SIMILARITIES TO THE SOAP WE USE TODAY.  SOAP IS MADE BY COMBINING AN ACID, A BASE, AND WATER.  WE’VE NEVER DISCUSSED ACIDS AND BASES BEFORE, SO LET ME EXPLAIN A BIT MORE.  LIQUIDS CAN EITHER BE ACIDS, BASES, OR NEUTRAL (WHICH MEANS THEY ARE IN THE MIDDLE).  THERE IS SOMETHING CALLED A pH SCALE THAT MEASURES HOW STRONGLY ACIDIC OR BASIC A LIQUID IS.  THE SCALE GOES FROM 0 TO 14.  THE NUMBER RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE 7 IS NEUTRAL.  DISTILLED WATER IS AN EXAMPLE OF A NEUTRAL LIQUID.  THE CLOSER YOU GET TO 0, THE MORE ACIDIC SOMETHING IS.  HAVE YOU TASTED TOMATO JUICE BEFORE?  IT’S PRETTY ACIDIC.  IT HAS A pH of 4.  ORANGE JUICE IS EVEN MORE ACIDIC.  IT HAS A pH of 3.  OLIVIA, YOU’VE TRIED LEMON JUICE BEFORE.  WOULD YOU SAY IT’S MORE OR LESS ACIDIC THAN ORANGE JUICE?

O:  IT’S DEFINITELY MORE ACIDIC.  IT’S HARD FOR ME TO DRINK LEMON JUICE BECAUSE IT’S SO ACIDIC.

D:  THAT’S WHY LEMON JUICE HAS A pH OF 2.  GASTIC ACID HAS A pH OF 1.  GASTRIC ACID ARE THOSE JUICES IN YOUR BODY THAT BREAK DOWN THE FOOD YOU EAT.  THEY ARE EXTREMELY ACIDIC.  ON THE OPPOSITE END OF THE pH SCALE ARE BASES.  LOTS OF THE STRONG BASES WOULD BE VERY HARMFUL IF YOU SWALLOWED THEM.  BLEACH… THAT STUFF THAT TAKES STAINS OUT OF CLOTHES, HAS A pH of 13, SO IT’S VERY BASIC, MEANING THAT IT’S A STRONG BASE.  SO, NOW THAT YOU KNOW WHAT AN ACID AND BASE ARE, YOU CAN UNDERSTAND THAT SOAP IS MADE BY MIXING AN ACID, A BASE, AND WATER TOGETHER.  

O:  THE PROCESS IS CALLED SAPONIFICATION… THAT’S A FUN NAME!

D:  THAT IS PRETTY NEAT.  SO, SOAP HAS ALWAYS BEEN MADE BY MIXING AN ACID AND A BASE… WHAT’S CHANGED OVER TIME IS WHAT IS BEING USED AS THE ACID AND THE BASE.  THE EARLIEST SOAPS WERE MADE BY BOILING ANIMAL FAT AND ASHES TOGETHER.  

O:  FOR A LONG TIME, SOAP WASN’T USED TO CLEAN HUMAN SKIN, BUT WAS USED TO CLEAN CLOTHING.  

D:  AND THAT’S BECAUSE SOAP FROM THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO WAS OFTEN COARSE.

O:  WHICH MEANS THAT IT DIDN’T FEEL NICE AGAINST THE SKIN.  IT WASN’T NICE AND SMOOTH.

D:  IT WAS ALSO REALLY SMELLY.

O:  OF COURSE IT WAS.  THEY WERE USING ANIMAL FAT.  P.U.!

D:  EVEN THOUGH SOAP HAS BEEN AROUND FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS, IT ISN’T UNTIL RELATIVELY RECENTLY THAT SOAP HAS BEEN USED THE WAY WE USE IT TODAY.  HERE IS AN INTERESTING PIECE OF HISTORY.  BACK IN 1837, A COMPANY BY THE NAME OF PROCTER AND GAMBLE WAS CREATED BY SOAP MANUFACTURER JAMES GAMBLE AND CANDLEMAKER WILLIAM PROCTER.  PROCTER AND GAMBLE STILL EXISTS TODAY AND, CHANCES ARE, YOU’VE USED A PROCTER AND GAMBLE PRODUCT.  IF YOU’VE USED BOUNTY PAPER TOWELS (YUP), CHARMIN TOILET PAPER (YUP), CREST TOOTHPASTE (YUP), GILLETTE SHAVING PRODUCTS (NOPE), HEAD AND SHOULDERS SHAMPOO (NOPE), PAMPERS DISPOSABLE DIAPERS (YUP), TIDE LAUNDRY DETERGENT (NOPE), VICKS COUGH AND COLD MEDICINE (YUP), AND SO MUCH MORE, YOU’VE USED A PROCTER AND GAMBLE PRODUCT.  THEY ALSO MAKE LOTS OF SOAP PRODUCTS, INCLUDING THE VERY POPULAR IVORY BAR SOAP.  WELL, ABOUT 100 YEARS AGO, THE PEOPLE OVER AT PROCTER AND GAMBLE WERE LOOKING FOR A WAY TO MARKET THEIR SOAP PRODUCTS.  THEY DECIDED TO SPONSOR RADIO BROADCASTS, AND LATER T.V. SHOWS, THAT WERE WATCHED BY LOTS AND LOTS OF HOUSEWIVES.  THOSE T.V. SHOWS CAME TO BE KNOWN AS SOAP OPERAS BECAUSE OF THE MANY SOAP SPONSORSHIPS THEY RECEIVED.  

O:  WELL, IT WORKED.  DIFFERENT TYPES OF SOAP CAN BE FOUND ALL OVER OUR HOUSE.  

D:  YOU’RE RIGHT.  THERE’S DISH SOAP, HAND SOAP, BODY SOAP, AND MORE.  SO, SOAP BECAME SOMETHING WE USE ALL THE TIME THANKS TO THE FOLKS AT PROCTER AND GAMBLE, BUT WE’VE BEEN USING IT MORE AND MORE FOR ONE VERY IMPORTANT REASON… IT WORKS!  IN ORDER TO UNDERSTAND HOW SOAP WORKS, IT HELPS TO KNOW HOW WE GET DIRTY.

O:  THAT’S EASY, DADDY.  I CAN GET DIRTY BY JUMPING IN THE MUD, SPILLING A DRINK ON MYSELF, PLAYING WITH BUGS…

D:  OH, I KNOW YOU CAN THINK OF LOTS OF WAYS TO GET DIRTY, BUT LET’S LEARN ABOUT WHAT’S ACTUALLY HAPPENING WHEN WE GET DIRTY.  OUR SKIN MAKES OIL AND SWEAT.  SWEAT IS MADE UP OF SALT AND WATER.

O:  THAT’S WHY MY DOG KHLOE LOVES LICKING ME AFTER I PLAY SPORTS.  

D:  THAT’S EXACTLY RIGHT.  SHE LIKES LICKING THE SALT OFF YOUR SKIN.  WHEN THE WATER FROM YOUR SWEAT DRIES UP TO COOL YOU OFF, YOUR SKIN IS LEFT WITH OIL AND SALT.  WHEN YOU GO OUT AND PLAY, DIRT AND OTHER JUNK STICK TO THE OIL AND SALT ON YOUR SKIN, MAKING YOU DIRTY.  

O:  THAT’S PRETTY GROSS.  

D:  IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE.  THAT’S WHY WE WASH OURSELVES OFF BY TAKING A BATH OR A SHOWER.  IF WE WASH WITH WATER ONLY, A LOT OF THE SALT AND DIRT WILL GET WASHED OFF YOUR SKIN, BUT SOMETHING WILL BE LEFT THAT WATER CAN’T GET RID OF.

O:  YOUR SKIN WILL STILL HAVE OIL ON IT.  OIL AND WATER DON’T MIX, SO WE NEED SOMETHING ELSE TO GET RID OF THE OIL ON OUR SKIN.

D:  YOU CAN SEE FOR YOURSELF THAT OIL AND WATER DON’T MIX BY DOING A LITTLE EXPERIMENT.  ALL YOU NEED FOR THE EXPERIMENT IS AN OIL… VEGETABLE OIL WORKS GREAT FOR THIS.  YOU ALSO NEED WATER, FOOD COLORING, CUPS, AND DROPPERS.  THIS IS WHAT YOU DO.  ADD WATER TO A FEW CUPS AND THEN ADD A DIFFERENT FOOD COLORING TO EACH CUP OF WATER.  ADD OIL TO ANOTHER CUP UNTIL IT IS ABOUT HALF FULL.  THEN, USE DROPPERS TO DROP THE COLORED WATER INTO THE CUP OF OIL.  IF YOU DO THIS, IT WILL BE EASY TO SEE THAT OIL AND WATER DON’T MIX.                    

O:  WATER IS MORE DENSE SO IT MAKES A LAYER ON THE BOTTOM AND OIL IS LESS DENSE SO IT MAKES A LAYER ON TOP.  

D:  SO, AFTER WASHING WITH WATER ONLY, WE STILL HAVE STUBBORN OIL ON OUR SKIN.  HERE COMES SOAP TO THE RESCUE.  SOAP MIXES WITH THE OIL ON YOUR SKIN REALLY WELL, WHICH HELPS WASH IT AWAY.  SOAP WORKS SO WELL AT CLEANING THE SKIN BECAUSE IT IS MADE OF TINY PARTICLES THAT HAVE 2 IMPORTANT CHARACTERISTICS… THEY ARE HYDROPHILIC AND LIPOPHILIC.  THOSE ARE NEW WORDS.  HYDROPHILIC MEANS THAT THE PARTICLES IN THE SOAP ARE ATTRACTED TO WATER AND LIPOPHILIC MEANS THAT THE PARTICLES IN THE SOAP ARE ATTRACTED TO OIL.  THESE 2 CHARACTERISTICS OF SOAP MAKE IT PERFECT FOR MIXING WITH THE WATER IN THE SHOWER OR TUB AND THE OIL ON YOUR SKIN TO WASH THE OIL, AND OTHER YUCKY STUFF, OFF YOUR SKIN.  

O:  WASHING YOUR HANDS HAS BECOME EVEN MORE IMPORTANT BECAUSE OF THE CORONAVIRUS.  

D:  YOU SHOULD WASH YOUR HANDS FREQUENTLY.  I REMIND OLIVIA AND NOAH TO WASH THEIR HANDS BEFORE THEY EAT, AFTER THEY PLAY OUTSIDE, AND NOW, BECAUSE OF THE CORONAVIRUS, I REMIND THEM TO WASH THEIR HANDS ANY TIME THEY’VE TOUCHED SOMETHING THAT COULD HAVE BEEN RECENTLY TOUCHED BY SOMEONE NOT LIVING IN OUR HOUSE.  

O:  WHEN YOU WASH YOUR HANDS, BE SURE TO WASH FOR AT LEAST 20 SECONDS WITH SOAP AND WATER TO MAKE SURE YOUR HANDS ARE NICE AND CLEAN.

D:  IF YOU SING THE ABC’S, NICE AND SLOWLY, WHILE YOU WASH YOUR HANDS, IT SHOULD TAKE YOU ABOUT 20 SECONDS.  THE NICE AND SLOWLY PART IS REALLY IMPORTANT.  IF YOU SING IT AS FAST AS YOU CAN, YOU PROBABLY WON’T DO A GREAT JOB WASHING YOUR HANDS.  ALRIGHT OLIVIA, LET’S GET TO THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK.  HOW MUCH WOULD IT COST FOR ME TO BUY THE MOST EXPENSIVE BAR OF SOAP IN THE WORLD?

O:  THE MOST EXPENSIVE BAR OF SOAP IN THE WORLD COSTS $2,800.

D:  YOU CAN’T BE SERIOUS.  I WOULD RATHER TAKE THE FAMILY TO DISNEY WITH THAT MUCH MONEY, BUT MAYBE THAT’S JUST ME.  IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN BUYING THE $2,800 SOAP, IT IS CALLED THE BADER HASSOUN AND SONS SOAP.  IT IS MADE IN LEBANON AND INGREDIENTS INCLUDE OLIVE OIL, VIRGIN HONEY, PURE GOLD DUST, AND IT IS EMBEDDED WITH DIAMONDS… WELL, THAT SEEMS UNNECESSARY.  I WONDER IF I’VE EVEN SPENT $2,800 TOTAL ON SOAP IN MY LIFETIME.  THAT’S A WRAP FOR THIS WEEK’S EPISODE.

O:  135 - SOAP.
D:  GREAT JOB, OLIVIA AND GREAT JOB JOJO FOR THE SQUEAKY CLEAN TOPIC SUGGESTION.  LET US KNOW WHAT YOU ARE CURIOUS ABOUT BY SENDING AN E-MAIL OVER TO CURIOUSKIDPODCAST@GMAIL.COM OR LEAVING A VOICEMAIL FOR US AT 856-425-2324.  NEXT WEEK, WE ARE GOING TO COVER A TOPIC THAT IS NOT QUITE AS CLEAN AS SOAP.  WE ARE GOING TO GET CURIOUS ABOUT GASOLINE FOR A LISTENER IN NORTH CAROLINA.  AS ALWAYS, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR LISTENING AND GETTING CURIOUS WITH US.