subject: Learn All About Your Main Ingredient Before You Start Lye Soap Making! [print this page] Lye can be brought from many suppliers, The health benefits of lye soap can be wonderful and it be amazing for your skin. Although a lot of people doubt the benefits of lye soap, it is a product that is natural and gentle on your skin. Lye is caustic, and dangerous so it is vitally important for anyone making lye soap to be aware of and dangers, be careful and concentrate on the task. Too much lye can cause burns, and too little can keep the soap from going hard. However, nowadays with easy directions from soap mentors, recipes and measurements worked out already we be sure the soap making process is a lot easier.
Up until mid 1800's, everyone use to create their own lye soap from simple household supplies. They needed three ingredients Lye, Lard (pig's fat) and a good set of hands for hard work. Back in these times people had huge wooden bins outside their homes, they use to pour the left over ashes from their wood stoves into these bins and when the time came to make their soap they would tip water onto the ashes, it would pour through and they would siphon out the liquid, lye. Lard (fat) was obtained through an annual hog killing that took place once a year around the time of the first hard frost in autumn. The fat was then saved to make the soap. The third ingredient needed was a a pair of hands for some hard labour.
The lard and Lye were then combined over a large fire and mixed with a long handled paddle for hours, it was then poured into a metal pan and left for week to a month. Once it hardened, it was cut and divided out for everybody to use in cleaning and laundry, people today still purchase the original lye soap.
These days the lard which use to be used is replaced with different oils. Fragrances are added for scent, and sometimes natural oils such as aloe, jojoba, or coconut are added which soothe the skin. Oatmeal is great for sensitive and reddened skin and lye soap itself is good for reducing the itching caused by insect bites. The health-full benefits of naturally made soaps are amazing, It can help minimize skin irritations, make your skin feel fresher and you get to avoid the harsh chemicals and by-products in most mass produced soaps.
A fantastic hobby and very cheap to start up, you will find that when you make lye soap yourself you can guarantee that a custom made soap is far better then anything brought of a store shelf.
