lye soap
Initially lye soap didn’t have ready made ingredients available and everything in the composition came from the household . Lye was madefrom the wood ashes remaining in the stoves, while lard, another basic ingredient necessary for soap making was collected and saved after hogs were killed as a source food, every fall. Lye has very powerful caustic properties which is why its use has been banned from common use because of the health hazards it comports. Yet, quality lye soap uses a carefully a reduced amount of lye that is not too concentrated for the soap to burn the skin nor too little to prevent it from reaching the necessary hardness.
Lye soap results from mixing lye and lard in a recipient exposed to a powerful heat source; the process involves continuous stirring, which is why the making lasts for several hours. When the boiling process gets complete, the lye soap is poured into metal, wood, glass or plastic molds where it is left to dry and harden. This remaining part of the process could last up to a month. Afterwards, the lye soap is good to use for a variety of purposes, therefore cut the lye soap in smaller or larger bars depending on what you need it for.
Lye soap is more and more rarely produced at home due to the huge amount of work it involve. Yet, availability is not a problem since lots of manufacturers produce lye soap at industrial levels and sell it through various retailers and online. Differences do exist between the ready-made soaps and the classic homemade lye soap recipe, and usually the distinction results from the use of fats other than lard. Coconut, jojoba and aloe oils and extracts are just a few examples of the lard replacements found in many skin care products.
Besides the basic cleaning properties, there are some further advantages to the use of lye soap. Thus, lye soap can reduce the discomfort of itching caused by insect bites, but it is also recommended in the treatment of dermatological skin conditions such as psoriasis, acne, eczema or athlete’s foot. Last but not least, many people still hold lye soap in high esteem and prefer it for clothes bleaching and stain removal. In this form it is often more advantageous and less dangerous than other rather harmful bleaching agents that not only ruin fabrics but also attack skin.