It is believed that the ancient Mesopotamians were the first soap makers. Using the fat rendered from slaughtered farm animals such as cows, sheep or goats together with a lye type of alkaline substance made from the ashes of burnt wood.  The soap created was a greasy smelly substance that lifted dirt. 

This soap was not used for personal hygiene but was used to clean the fibres used to make clothing. 

At this stage, the Romans and Greeks (who had invented running water and public baths) were still using fragranced oils to clean their bodies, in particular, olive oil. 

In the Middle Ages, the Christian Crusaders and traders returning to Europe from Syria and the Middle East brought with them a soap made of olive oils and infused with laurel oils and this was named Aleppo soap. It was predominantly used by the upper classes and was considered a luxury item. It wasn't until the Europeans started to make their own versions of Aleppo soap such as the famous Castile soap, that the use of such products started to spread.

Castile soap was named after the region of Spain where it was produced and was a white, olive oil-based bar soap that became widely popular with European Royalty. The name Castile soap became a term used for all hard soap of this type.  

For a long time, soap for personal hygiene was primarily used by the upper classes as the lower classes still believed that water used for bathing spread disease! 

Soap was used for cleaning and washing clothing and making soap had become a regular domestic chore carried out mostly by women.

When bathing for personal hygiene started to become more acceptable around the mid eighteen fifties, demand for inexpensive toilet soaps increased dramatically.