In 1961 the Jarmels released the song, A Little Bit of Soap reaching #12 on the R&B charts; later it became a cover for a fair number of bands. Its catchy tune and poignant message of tortured love captured lonely hearts; A little bit of soap / Will wash away your lipstick on my face / But a little bit of soap / Will never never never ever erase / The pain in my heart, and my eyes / As I go / through the lonely years / A little bit of soap / Will never wash away my tears. But Grandma’s Lye-soap will bring even more tears—more about that later.
B. O. Plenty–a soap-o-phobe—was a character in the long running Dick Tracy comic strip, which ran for decades in the mid 20th century—a cultural indication that people not only noticed body odor, but also were able to joke about it. I find it interesting that the “health issue” of body odor developed long after bathing became a common practice. Regular baths emerged as society became more crowded and indoor plumbing was refined. Soap evolved from harsh lye soap for laundry and floor scrubbing into more delecate and scented bath aide.
Offensive body odor did not become a human hygiene/health issue until the mid to late 19th century. Until that time only minor attention was paid to smelly bodies. However, some form of soap has been used for nearly three thousand years. Royals and other wealthy people were able to afford spices, etc to tame, well, body odor sans soap. An example of perfume expense shows up in the Bible. Before the 1800’s soap was made from animal fats and alkalis—a soluble salt obtained from the ashes of plants and consisting largely of potassium or sodium carbonate.
From about 1200 to the early 1800’s, society began grouping into villages, and social interaction; by then, improvements were developing in soap making. Soap used before modern day versions—which likely your grandmother used—was called “lye soap.” Lye soap is a bit more refined than the first soaps. Here’s a humorous ditty —likely written by someone who knew of Lye soap personally—“Grandma’s Lye Soap”-came out in the 1950’s as a camp song, Here’s a verse; Little Therman, and Brother Herman, /Had an aversion to washing their ears… / Grandma scrubbed them with her lye soap, / And they haven’t heard a word in years!
One novel use of soap in the18th through the mid 20th centuries was to curb profanity, lying, biting, tobacco use, or verbal disrespect. Soap or soapy water was not only a threat, but also actual punishment—“I will wash your mouth out with soap!” as punishment for such offenses was effective.
Happily current society craves pleasant smelling interactions—we spend billions to smell good! The ubquitous industries—skincare, haircare, makeup, fragrances, toiletries, and oral cosmetics verify society’s wide acceptance of pleasant smelling humanity. It all starts with soap–a soapy cleansing.
Copyright© Willis H. Moore 2025
Willis, I remember my mother making lye soap, which was always one of the things done in hog-killing week. I was too young to get close to the big pot itself. This denial only made the experience even more memorable.