The use of soap for constipation has several main indications that should not be overlooked when treating any form of constipation.
So, severe forms illnesses that are accompanied by additional symptoms require the intervention of a professional gastroenterologist, who will prescribe a comprehensive comprehensive treatment.
Accompanying symptoms for which you should not use soap:
- Modification of stool forms;
- Increased gas formation;
- Heaviness and bloating in the abdomen.
In adults, it can be used only for minor intestinal dysfunction. Soap acts on the intestines as an irritant, which provokes a reaction that forces it to push out everything that is inside.
A person must be sure that he does not have a more serious disease that could lead to constipation.
What are the risks and dangers of using soap?
It is worth noting separately that soap for constipation can only be used as additional help. Regular use of soap can easily cause disorders that can turn into irritations, burns of the intestinal mucosa, and ulcers.
Soap in its composition assumes the presence of alkali and fats. When soap is used frequently, alkaline compounds leave behind traces. By giving preference to ordinary toilet soap, you risk developing tenesmus, which involves a false urge to defecate caused by irritation of the intestinal nerve plexuses.
A one-time use of soap can help achieve the expected relief, but it is strictly forbidden to use it on a regular basis. Constant constipation indicates the presence of a certain disease, so it is better to postpone the soap for later and go to the doctor.
Single constipation is a malfunction of the body that can occur due to poor nutrition or insufficient fluid intake. There are also frequent cases of constipation when using certain types of medications.
For the procedures, soap is used, which does not contain synthetic additives that can aggravate our problem. So, laundry and baby gentle soap are suitable.
Ways to use soap for constipation
If you decide that your intestines are completely healthy, but require a little shake-up, then you can use the main two methods that most quickly and accurately relieve constipation:
1. Soap candle.
Should be made from a piece laundry soap candles small size. Give them an elongated shape and insert them into the anus. Natural soap and candles made from it are effective for 30-35 minutes.
Trying to get rid of constipation in newborns using soap does not promise anything favorable. Chemical burns, irritations, chronic ulcers- a small list of ailments that can occur when using soap candles.
Today, there are a huge number of drugs designed specifically for the treatment of constipation in infants. You can also buy special glycerin suppositories, completely abandoning soap.
Soap for the treatment of constipation in pregnant women
Pregnancy involves taking and using a narrow range of medications. Restrictions are also placed on remedies for constipation and intestinal problems. Soap to relieve constipation during pregnancy is used in extremely rare cases.
This method is traditional and has been tested by many young mothers; its effect on the body can be purely negative.
The pharmacy can offer a variety of products for pregnant girls. However, if constipation during pregnancy occurs due to hormonal changes, then baby soap can help solve this delicate problem
Stearin(French stearine, from Greek stear - fat) - an organic product obtained from fats. It consists of stearic acid with an admixture of palmitic, oleic and other saturated and unsaturated fatty acids. Used in soap making, paper, rubber, textile industries, and for making candles. A mixture of kerosene and stearin is used as a lubricant during molding work. As a component it is part of wax used in the foundry industry.
Try making your own stearin candle using a bar of laundry soap.
Use a knife to cut about half a piece of laundry soap and place it in a clean tin can or an old saucepan. Pour enough water to cover the soap shavings and place the mixture in a water bath. Stir the contents of the saucepan from time to time wooden stick so that the soap dissolves in the water as quickly as possible.
When this happens, remove the vessel from the heat and pour vinegar into it. Under the action of acid, a thick white mass will separate from the solution and float to the surface. This is stearin - a translucent mixture of several substances, mainly stearic C17H35COOH and palmitic C15H31COOH acids.
It is impossible to name the exact composition; it is different and depends on the substances that went into making the soap.
As you know, candles are made from stearin. Or rather, they did it before, because now there are candles for the most part not stearic, but paraffin - paraffin obtained from oil is cheaper and more accessible. But since we have stearin at our disposal, let’s make a candle out of it.
When the jar has cooled completely, scoop the stearin from the surface with a spoon and transfer it to a clean container. Rinse the stearin with water two or three times and wrap it in a clean white cloth or filter paper to absorb excess moisture.
When the stearin is completely dry, let's start making the candle. The simplest technique is probably this: dip a thick twisted thread, for example from a kerosene wick, into slightly heated molten stearin several times, each time allowing the stearin to harden on the wick. Do this until the candle grows to a sufficient thickness on the wick. This good way, although somewhat tedious; in any case, in ancient times candles were often prepared this way.
There is an even simpler way: immediately coat the wick with stearin heated until soft (you can even just prepare it, not yet cooled down). True, in this case the wick will be less saturated with the fusible mass, and the candle will not turn out very good, although it will burn.
For beautiful shaped candles, the manufacturing methods are not easy. First of all, you need to make a mold - wooden, plaster, metal. In this case, it is advisable to first soak the wick with one or two layers of stearin; it is then secured in the mold so that it runs exactly down the middle. It is advisable that the wick be slightly stretched. And after that, hot stearin is poured into the mold.
In this way you can make candles from paraffin, i.e. from store-bought candles, melting them and giving them the shape you like.
You can do exactly the opposite - make soap from a stearin candle:
Making soap from stearin
From paraffin candle soap cannot be obtained. Only a stearin candle is suitable; natural beeswax will also work.
Heat a certain amount of stearin in a water bath, hot enough, but not brought to a boil. When the stearin is completely melted, add a concentrated solution of washing (soda ash) to it. The resulting white viscous mass is soap. Keep it in a water bath for a few more minutes, and then pour the still hot mass into some form.
The soap was obtained, but we do not know how pure the substances that were part of the candle were, so this soap is extreme case, or for washing.
Antique stearin candles - how to make
Production of stearin candles without the use of presses and other expensive machines
Heat 10-12% of good lard in clean boiled water. When it melts, turn off the fire and let the lard stand until a thin film forms on the surface. Then add 2% soda solution 30° Baume and stir until the mass acquires the consistency of cold process soap. Light the fire again and bring the mixture to the boiling point. When boiled, the soap decomposes again and a precipitate is formed in the form of flakes, containing impurities contained in the lard. If you let the lard sit for some time, it becomes transparent and almost colorless. In this state, it can be successfully used for lubricating machines, but for making candles it requires further processing, since it still contains traces of soap. It is placed in a copper cauldron and cleaned with acidified water 1-2% B. As long as the lard contains traces of soap, foam appears on the surface and does not dissolve.
Acidified water is added until the foam completely disappears. But it is better to make a test to be sure that the soap has decomposed. For this purpose, take a small amount of liquid from the bottom of the boiler and make a test using litmus paper. If it does not turn red, then boiling should continue with further addition of acidified water. If the litmus paper turns red, then the lard is allowed to settle, after which the acidic water is drained and the fat is boiled again with fresh water.
Then olein and stearin are separated as follows: take a boiler with a double bottom, which is placed at a distance of 10 cm from the real bottom of the boiler. The double bottom is equipped with holes 1.25 cm in diameter, and there is a tap between the bottoms.
Place equal parts of lard and boiling water into the cauldron and cover the cauldron with a lid to prevent too much cooling. The mass is allowed to stand for two or three days, depending on the quantity, until a thermometer immersed in upper layer lard, will not show a temperature of 22-25°C. Then the tap opens and first water flows out from the lower room, then olein, while the crystallized stearin remains on the double bottom and is ready for molding candles from it. This is done in the same way as making tallow candles, but with more high temperature. The mass, which looks like milk, must be stirred all the time.
Make your own candle!
Complexity:
Danger:
Reagents
Safety
Wear gloves before starting the experiment.
Conduct the experiment on a tray.
Remove gloves before lighting a candle.
General safety rules
- Do not allow chemicals to come into contact with your eyes or mouth.
- Keep people away from the experiment site without protective glasses, as well as small children and animals.
- Keep the experimental kit out of the reach of children under 12 years of age.
- Wash or clean all equipment and fixtures after use.
- Ensure that all reagent containers are tightly closed and stored properly after use.
- Make sure all disposable containers are disposed of correctly.
- Use only the equipment and reagents provided in the kit or recommended by current instructions.
- If you have used a food container or glassware for experiments, throw it away immediately. They are no longer suitable for storing food.
First aid information
- If reagents come into contact with your eyes, rinse thoroughly with water, keeping the eye open if necessary. Contact your doctor immediately.
- If swallowed, rinse mouth with water and drink a little clean water. Do not induce vomiting. Contact your doctor immediately.
- If reagents are inhaled, remove the victim to fresh air.
- In case of skin contact or burns, flush the affected area with plenty of water for 10 minutes or longer.
- If in doubt, consult a doctor immediately. Take the chemical reagent and its container with you.
- In case of injury, always seek medical attention.
- Improper use of chemicals can cause injury and damage to health. Carry out only the experiments specified in the instructions.
- This set Experiences are intended only for children 12 years of age and older.
- Children's abilities vary significantly even within age groups. Therefore, parents conducting experiments with their children should use their own discretion to decide which experiments are appropriate and safe for their children.
- Parents should discuss safety rules with their child or children before experimenting. Special attention Care should be taken to safely handle acids, alkalis and flammable liquids.
- Before starting experiments, clear the experiment site of objects that may interfere with you. Storage should be avoided food products near the testing site. The testing area should be well ventilated and close to water tap or other water source. To conduct experiments you will need a stable table.
- Substances in disposable packaging must be used completely or disposed of after one experiment, i.e. after opening the package.
Other experiments
Step-by-step instruction
Take regular laundry soap (a medium-sized bar weighs about 200 g). Toilet soap is also suitable for the experiment. However, the fewer additives and fragrances in the soap you use, the better. Make notches on a piece of soap, dividing it into 6-8 equal parts. Grind about 30 grams of soap (one part) with a knife or grater.
Pour soap shavings into a beaker up to the 75 mark. If you don't have enough soap shavings, grind a little more.
Pour water into the glass up to the “75” mark. It is better to use warm water.
Now you need to get the soap to dissolve in water. As a result, you will get a homogeneous thick soap mass. To do this, place a glass with soap shavings and water in a heated water bath. Mix the soap using a plastic stick.
It is easy to make a water bath from a deep plate or small saucepan. To do this, just place them on a heat-resistant surface and pour boiling water over them so that when you put a glass of soap in the container, the water level outside is slightly below the “75” mark.
If the water bath has cooled down and the soap has not yet dissolved, remove the beaker from the bath (only hold it by the top part, which was not immersed in water!). Carefully drain the cooled water from the bath and pour in fresh boiling water.
You will need 30-40 minutes for the soap to completely dissolve.
Attention! Take precautions when working with boiling water.
Once the soap has dissolved, wipe the plastic stick with a paper towel, which will be useful in the next steps.
Take the plastic cup from the starter kit. Pour the contents of a jar of anhydrous water into it. citric acid C6H8O7 (10 g).
Fill the glass with citric acid halfway with water.
Stir the contents of the glass with a plastic stick for 1-2 minutes until the citric acid is completely dissolved.
Pour the contents of the plastic cup into a glass glass with dissolved soap.
Stir the mixture for 2-3 minutes using a plastic stick.
Leave the mixture for 10 minutes. Then carefully drain the water from the glass. If the mixture does not separate, wait another 10–15 minutes, then drain the water.
Use a plastic skewer to drain the contents of the glass onto paper towels. Leave the workpiece to dry for 1 day.
Make sure the workpiece is dry. First treat the wick with the resulting substance: apply a small amount of the mixture to the wick. Fill the candle mold with the resulting substance, inserting the wick as shown in the picture. Compact the substance in the mold.
Attention! Remove protective gloves before lighting a candle.
Light the candle.
Expected Result
By isolating stearic acid from soap, you have a homemade candle.
Disposal
Dispose of experiment waste with household waste.
What happened
What is soap and what does it consist of?
Soap is a well-known solid or liquid detergent. What does it consist of and why does it help cleanse the skin of dirt? No matter how strange it may sound, soap is a mixture of quite complex molecules. One such molecule contains the already well-known positively charged sodium ion Na + (potassium K + in the case of liquid soap) and a large negatively charged organic fragment (anion).
These anions are structured almost like tadpoles: at one end they have a negative charge, and the rest is a long chain of carbon atoms (15-20 atoms), a kind of tail. When soap is dissolved in water, the charged tips of these anions are easily immersed in water and take on the same “water coat” as, for example, some Cl - .
But the long tail of the molecule feels very uncomfortable in the water and tries to slip out of it. It turns out that most of the dirt is structured in much the same way as this tail, and therefore is so difficult to wash off with water. When dirt gets into soap solution, like reaches out to like: the anions from the soap turn their tail towards small pieces of dirt, and leave the charged “head” in the water. Thanks to this mediation, dirt is washed off much better with a soap solution than with ordinary water.
Molecules similar to those described above, along with the familiar copper sulfate CuSO 4 or ammonium chloride NH 4 Cl, are called salts by chemists. Salts usually easily disintegrate in solution into positively and negatively charged fragments:
NH 4 Cl → NH 4 + + Cl -
CuSO 4 → Cu 2+ + SO 4 2-
NaCl → Na + + Cl -
It's funny that ordinary table salt, the very substance that we used to call salt (and not some copper sulfate!) is sodium chloride NaCl, which also belongs to the class of salts. It's not easy not to get confused!
And the complex molecules that make up soap are called salts of fatty acids. But more on that a little later.
What is stearin?
In our case, stearin is the base for the candle. If you replace sodium ions Na + with protons H +, then the mixture of those very complex organic molecules from the previous question will turn into ... stearin - a mixture of so-called fatty acids! They are arranged as follows: at the end of the molecule of such an acid there is a group of carbon, oxygen and hydrogen atoms, which, in fact, makes it an acid. And the rest of the molecule is a long chain of carbon atoms, similar to a tail. By changing just one atom in each of the large molecules, we got two very different substances: one is capable of washing away dirt, and the second, after a little processing, turned into a candle!
Why do we use citric acid?
Soap is salts of fatty acids, and the candle should consist of stearin, that is, of these acids themselves. This means that to create a candle we need to act on the soap solution with some kind of acid. In this case, the following reaction occurs: citric acid takes Na + from fatty acid salts and gives them H + in return, converting their fatty acids (in other words, into stearin). It dissolves very poorly in water and forms a thick sticky mass. After the stearin is dried, you can make a candle out of it.
Why is it important to dissolve the soap before adding citric acid?
In order for citric acid to turn into salt, and salts of fatty acids into these acids themselves, it is necessary that nothing prevents them from reaching each other. If the soap is poorly dissolved, then part of it in large pieces will not be able to come into contact with citric acid and will remain unchanged. After all, stearin forms on the surface of such pieces. And it is insoluble in water and isolates the remaining soap, stopping the reaction. This is why it is so important to dissolve all the soap before adding the citric acid solution.
By the way, the heating and stirring carried out in the experiment are precisely necessary to ensure that the soap dissolves in water faster.
A small child often behaves restlessly, from which parents conclude that something hurts. If he has recently been fed, given water, and is dry, then there is a problem with the tummy; this is how the whole range of problems that a baby may have is most often classified. But they somehow don’t remember that he still has a head and all the other organs.
What could be wrong with your tummy? There are two extremes: diarrhea or constipation. If the first one is not diagnosed, then the problem is the second one. The problem has been found, we will treat it, and quite often in these cases young mothers put soap in the child’s butt instead of a candle. How safe the remedy is, why it helps and what can be considered a worthy analogue, we will talk to you now.
What can be considered constipation?
Every mother should start with this. Before giving your baby drugs or performing certain manipulations on him, you need to find out what’s wrong with him. Maybe you're trying to treat the wrong symptom. You can put soap in the butt a little later, if it is really necessary. There are criteria and certain signs by which you can tell whether everything is okay with the baby.
Main criteria
First of all, you need to assess the frequency of stool. To do this, you can keep a record so as not to panic ahead of time. It is normal for a breastfed baby to have a bowel movement every 1-5 days. And here everything is individual. You need to monitor the condition and behavior of your baby. If he is cheerful, eats normally, and his tummy is soft, then there is no need to take any action. additional measures. As soon as a fecal sausage of sufficient size is formed, it will leave the intestines on its own.
Constipation in a newborn with artificial feeding is a more common occurrence. At the same time, the timing of the act of defecation here is from 1 to 3 days. Less often, this is already a reason to consult a doctor. The fact is that mixtures are absorbed worse, which means there are more substances left for disposal. As we have already noted, everything is individual. If a child has not gone to the toilet every other day, but at the same time systematically cries, strains heavily, and grunts without any visible result, then this may well indicate constipation.
Additional factors
What to consider
Only a few of the listed factors indicate that the child is constipated. Therefore, if feces appear in the form of hard balls, with a delay of 1-2 days, and the baby cries a lot, this is constipation. If bowel movements do not occur every day, but the consistency of the stool is within normal limits and the child grunts and strains, this is normal. Most babies kick their legs and strain their whole body, pushing feces out. For the first year of life, this is the norm, since intestinal functions are just developing. Therefore, if a child behaves calmly and smiles, eats and farts regularly, then he does not need any additional stimulation, and even more so there is no need to put soap in his butt.
Possible causes of constipation
In small and large children, intestinal function can sometimes be disrupted, as a result of which episodic constipation develops, which then also goes away on its own. In this case, children look healthy, develop correctly and gain weight well. Changes in the nature of intestinal function that are not associated with any diseases can be caused by the following reasons:
- Insufficient fluid. This point is especially important for artificial people. It’s not for nothing that when complaining about rare bowel movements, pediatricians recommend giving children more water.
- Maternal malnutrition. Sometimes the same principle forms the basis baby food. At six months the baby begins to receive semolina porridge, buns, rich, thick broths. Abuse of baked goods, rice, processed meats and refined foods provokes constipation in children and adults.
- Reception medicines. These can be antibiotics and anticonvulsants, antispasmodics and NSAIDs.
- Constipation in a newborn with artificial feeding may be associated with incorrect selection of a formula that is not suitable for him.
Soft stools and constipation
Sometimes it happens. The child constantly feels anxious, cries, but cannot go to the toilet. After stimulation, parents find that the stool is very soft and even runny. Is the child really constipated and what should I do? Yes, this happens with congenital diseases, defects in intestinal development, diabetes mellitus and adrenal insufficiency. This also includes disturbances in the functioning of the digestive organs, most often the pancreas and liver or gall bladder.
If the stool remains soft, and the child is apathetic and lethargic, and at the same time he experiences difficulty in defecating, rickets and lactose deficiency, hypothyroidism and some other problems can be assumed. Do not forget that only a qualified doctor should pronounce a verdict that the child is constipated. What to do will become clear during the examination.
How can you help?
Soap for constipation is a reliable measure, but has long been outdated. Today there is a lot more effective methods that will help solve the problem. An examination by a pediatrician is the first thing you will need. At the same time, try one of several methods:
Emergency relief of constipation
The first thing you must remember is that you need to eliminate the cause, and not fight the effects. Delay in bowel movements for more than a day, accompanied by anxiety and crying, should be a reason to call your local doctor. All recommendations regarding the need to introduce soap into a child’s bottom should be immediately rejected. At the very least, consider consulting with a specialist first.
In ancient times, candles were made from stearin, so it is logical to assume that having obtained it, we will be able to make a candle ourselves. Stearin can be easily obtained from the well-known laundry soap. And then we’ll get to work on the candle. This is an interesting activity, and a homemade soap candle is a great gift! So let's get started.
Extracting stearin from soap
In order to isolate stearin from soap you need to take:
- laundry soap,
- unnecessary pan,
- table vinegar,
- wooden spoon for stirring.
We chop the prepared laundry soap (half a piece is enough) quite finely with a knife into some old unnecessary (but clean) pan. Then add water so that the soap shavings are covered with it. We begin to melt the contents of the pan in a water bath. For better dissolution, stir the mixture from time to time wooden spoon. When the soap is completely dissolved in the water, remove the pan from the heat.
Now carefully pour vinegar into the mixture. Gradually a yellowish mass will appear on the surface of the mixture. This is stearin. Once cooled, use a spoon to scrape it off the surface. Then rinse it under running water and wrap it in paper towel to remove excess moisture.
Stearin
Making a candle from soap with your own hands
Now let's start making the candle. Melt the stearin (decide for yourself how it is more convenient to do this). Then take a fairly thick piece of string and dip it into the melt. Wait until the stearin on the wick hardens. Repeat the procedure until the soap candle reaches the desired thickness. The soap candle is ready! The method that we have given, of course, requires perseverance, but this is exactly the way candles were made before!
Making candles from stearin at the Havi Oy Ab factory (Vyborg, 1830s) A soap candle can also be shaped. But to make it you will need a mold. We prepare the mold, saturate the wick with a couple of layers of stearin, secure the wick and pour in the melted stearin, which completely fills the mold. After hardening, you will get a shaped soap candle. As you can see, nothing complicated either!
Do you know that?
Stearin is a mixture of various fatty acids, mainly stearic, palmitic, oleic, etc.
Currently, most candles are made not from stearin, but from paraffin, which is extracted from petroleum. Vaseline is also obtained from paraffin.
