Eli5: How does soap remove oil from surfaces?
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Soap is made of compounds that are able to solubilize the particles on your skin and hair. It finishes the process by washing it off with water.
Think of soap molecules as having two ends, one bonds to fats and one bonds to water, this allows the fat particles to be washed away with the soap using water.
Soap molecules have a water-sticking end and a water-repellent end, and tend to cluster into tiny bubbles around stuff suspended in water. These are called micelles. With the sticky ends all pointed out these micelles flow away with the water when you rinse something.
It doesn’t. It *convinces* the oil to let the water wash it away. Here’s the explanation: https://youtu.be/YJeWklggSpY
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