- Written By: KN
- Edited By: R. Kayne
- Last Modified Date: 18 January 2012
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Copyright Protected:
2003-2012 Conjecture Corporation
Up until the 1850s, when the general store started stocking provisions, folks made most of their household supplies themselves, including lye soap. Three ingredients went into the making of lye soap: lard, lye, and lots of hard work.
Lard was rendered and saved for soap-making from the annual hog kill that took place at the time of the first hard frost in autumn. Lye was made from the ashes left over from the wood stoves. (Most people kept a wooden bin with a side spigot just outside the house, into which they'd dump their ashes. When it came time to make lye soap, they poured water through the ashes and siphoned off the liquid lye.) The third ingredient of lye soap had to be supplied by a pair of hard working hands.
Lye is an extremely caustic agent, so the soap makers had to be careful to have just the right concentration. Too much lye would cause the soap to burn the skin, and too little would keep the soap from hardening. An old wives' tale held that lye was at the proper strength when depositing a floating egg into the mixture revealed only its tip.
To make lye soap, lard and lye were mixed together over an open fire, and stirred for hours with a long-handled paddle. It is said that when the paddle stuck straight up, the soap was ready. Lye soap was then poured into a metal pan and allowed to dry and harden; a process that could take from two weeks to one month. After the lye soap hardened, it was cut into smaller bars for everyday use. People used lye soap to clean everything from their faces to their laundry. Today, many people still like to buy and use original lye soap.
Lye soap can be purchased from soap companies, which sell their product in specialty bath shops or over the Internet. Many people tout the benefits of lye soap; it is a natural product, and because soap makers have perfected the level of lye to add, it can be a very gentle soap. Current lye soap manufacturers have substituted different types of oil for lard. Fragrances are added, and sometimes natural oils such as aloe, jojoba, or coconut, which soothe the skin. Fans of lye soap also say that it can help reduce the itching caused by insect bites. Nostalgia is another reason why people like lye soap. Some enjoy homemade lye for the novelty of using the same rugged brown soap that their Great-Great-grandparents used so many years ago.
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anon210950
Post 41 |
All soap is made with lye. You cannot make soap without it. |
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anon189828
Post 40 |
Where do I buy lye soap? I have ants, not bad but some and I'm tired of it. |
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anon144256
Post 39 |
Will lye soap get rid of acne? Will it cure my baldness? Get a hold of yourself, it's just soap. Try giving up sugar and refined carbohydrates and see how far that gets you. Then you can start looking for miracle soap. |
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longshadows
Post 38 |
Years ago, I bought a bar of "homemade" lye soap from two old boys, selling it at their vegetable stand along a country highway in East Texas. They swore that regular use as a shampoo would restore hair growth to my thinning head. I used up the bar, but never saw anything new up there and didn't buy any more. Has any man had success with restoring hair growth using lye soap? |
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anon108777
Post 35 |
I have trouble with soap and shampoo making my scalp itch and I am sorry to say the lye soap that I get at Cracker Barrel didn't help. |
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rlr62
Post 33 |
My question too, is does it get rid of acne? I am seeing a few testimonies of yes, and acne scars too, and one that says they haven't noticed anything yet. |
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anon87335
Post 32 |
I make lye soap, and it definitely gets things very clean. I use it in the bath, and on my dishes. There is so much natural glycerin in the soap that I have to hold a dish with two hands to keep it from slipping while they are being rinsed! Lye soap has done wonders for my skin too. I am in my mid-thirties, but people swear I look like I'm in my early twenties. I end up with a lot of extra when I make my lye soap, so I tend to give it away to friends and family members. |
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anon82189
Post 31 |
Lye Soap is also an effective cure for bad stomach aches, as unlikely as it may seem. take about a 1/4th a teaspoon of lye soap and dissolve it in four cups of warm water. Let the water cool, and after it has cooled consume the four cups of water a cup at a time throughout the day (one in the morning, then noon, etc.) I had an ache that had lasted a few days, but this got rid of it - next day I was feeling great! |
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SoapLady
Post 28 |
Yes, it is great for all kinds of skin troubles. It doesn't "kill" germs since it is not antibiotic, or antibacterial etc. It does remove them and send them down the drain! One reason Homemade Lye Soap is so good for us, is that the original glycerin is still in the soap. The glycerin is the moisturizer that soaks into your skin, draws moisture to itself and thus your skin, and keeps our skin from cracking and drying, which of course lets bacteria in. Sorry about the long sentence. Commercial soap makers remove the glycerin (the best moisturizer in the world) and sell it individually to other manufacturers of: sweeteners, makeup, medicine and explosives. Once the glycerin is removed from soap, it can no longer be called "soap". So there are products called "bars" as in beauty bars, deodorant bars, facial bars, etc. Petroleum products are added to the bars and we are told that "moisturizers were added." Put some perfume in it to mask the petroleum, some dye also, some alcohol to make it clear, and there you have it! If I made detergent soap like that and sold it to you, then I could also make some lotion to sell to you for your "dry skin" which would result from your using my detergent soap. Then I would have sold you two products instead of just one! Sorry this is so long.
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anon71148
Post 26 |
I used to make lye soap until I couldn't find the lye anymore. It took our any stain in my laundry. It was also very gentle for any use. I miss it. |
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djr0992
Post 25 |
Lye soap does do all those things listed. It can heal eczema and it does kill head lice and poison ivy. i am a soap maker. i don't know what you put in your so called lye soap, but i know the soap i make does do these things and i have 153 people that i sell it to, who will all tell you the same thing, so it's not only me (or would you like to call 153 others a liar too?). So why would you need an urgent answer? looks like you don't know your soap won't do it. Bet my lye soap could. maybe you need a new recipe for soap. |
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anon63923
Post 24 |
Is lye soap suitable for cleaning external fixation pin sites? I need an urgent answer. |
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anon53065
Post 22 |
Lye soap does not do all those things listed at all. It can't cure eczema or head lice or poison ivy, for goodness sakes.
I am a soap maker. I teach soap making and have for over 10 years. It is very good for your skin yes, but it doesn't cure anything like that. It can help with eczema as you can put things in it that are soothing like ground oats and calendula oil, but it does not cure it. If you want a cheap and easy head lice remedy, get any cheap white (not clear) conditioner from the dollar shop and a head lice comb. Put heaps of the cheap conditioner on to the dry hair, so that it is really wet with conditioner and using a normal comb, comb through, then let your child sit/play/read etc for 20 minutes (good in the sun as the heat is there.) You will see the head lice come to the top of the hair as they suffocate in the white conditioner. Then take your child into the bath and comb through the hair with the nit comb. After each pull through, rinse the comb (we use a hose that we attach to the bath nozzle and the kids sit on a little foot stool in there). Keep pulling through and rinsing after each time (to rid the conditioner/comb of nits) and when you can do this without seeing lice, then you are done. Might take about 10 or more minutes. Then rinse out the hair and do this every three days for two weeks to be sure. No nasty chemicals are ever needed to rid your child of head lice. Emergency rooms also use this method of conditioner. Keep hair spray or hair gel etc in your child's hair if it's short hair as lice don't like product on hair -- it's too hard to hold onto the hair. If the hair is long, put a bit of conditioner on it and plait it and keep it up during the day. The conditioner coats the hair and stops them clinging on the hair as well. Lye soap will kill germs, so wash your hands with it after toilet breaks under running water. Rub hands together vigorously. The soap lifts the germs and the scrubbing keeps them in the soap which is then rinsed down the drain. All handmade soap is antibacterial in itself as that's just what it is. djr 0992 - please dont pass on misinformation like you are here, it gives soapmakers a bad name! |
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anon43202
Post 21 |
Hey folks, all soap is made from lye (sodium hydroxide). Lye, when mixed with oil, gradually changes chemically into something quite mild, depending on what oils you choose to use. Store-bought soap is usually not as mild as home-made soap because they have taken the glycerin out of it and/or added various noxious chemicals also, so that's the reason homemade "lye" soap is more luxurious - it's just more natural. |
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anon36763
Post 20 |
since everything that touches our skin absorbs into our bloodstream.....is pig lard ok? |
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jondenise
Post 19 |
anon, have you washed her bedding in the soap with hot water, too? And her pillow! Anyplace her head has touched needs to be washed including her car seat if she uses one. There are over the counter shampoos that do work well. I had used them before with good results. So has a friend of mine whose child went to a pricey private school. Don't be embarrassed to buy the over the counter stuff. Good luck! |
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anon34356
Post 18 |
does lye soap really kill lice? if so how long does it take and how often do u have 2 use it for it 2 work? my child keeps getting it from school. i can clean and strip her hair and the next day she will come home with it again...stressed and at wits end..*help* |
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djr0992
Post 17 |
I make my lye soap with goats milk. I make 100 bars at a time and sell it in about a week. This is because it really does work for people. I use it in my homemade powdered laundry detergent. I wish everyone with skin problems would give it a try. |
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jondenise
Post 16 |
I've been using the lye soap a few months and yes it did get rid of my acne. I also use it in the shower but it does not lather. It seems to take longer to shower because you keep wanting to soap up your washcloth more often. I tried some with lemon and with lavender in them, but they seem to dry out my skin a bit whereas the plain lye soap doesn't. It leaves my skin soft. I've also been using homemade powdered laundry detergent lately and i like the way it washes and it's much cheaper than using the marketed brands. I found the recipe online. Give it a try! |
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anon30236
Post 15 |
I have been diagnosed with Morgellons disease. It is being researched by the CDC and several private sector Drs., but nothing has really been solved. Symptoms include stinging, itching, biting, discoloration of skin, lesions that do not heal and also produce gross "stuff" that cannot be identified, redness, swelling, joint pain, chronic fatigue, hair loss, gastric disturbance, feelings of something crawling underneath the skin. Red, blue, green and black "fibers" that look like thin fishing line, and researchers cannot find a match for them in the FBI Database or NASA. It is unknown how it is contracted, or how to treat it. A few very compassionate Drs. are healing patients with symptom control, pain relief, etc. Nothing definitive exists for our prognosis. I used lye soap years ago (someone gave me a homemade bar). I noticed how velvety my skin became at that time. I also used it to get stains out before washing clothes. Nothing that I have ever used benefited in so many wonderful ways! I have a theory that lye soap may just be the magic bullet that will heal my skin! I began using it today and will give it a couple of weeks, then report back here. I absolutely love lye soap. Morgellons sufferers would buy tons if it helps. One point here, we who suffer also have an extremely difficult time with chemicals, pesticides, preservatives. The open wounds that plague us *attract* parasites of every imaginable species. It is an ugly and debilitating disease. Pray lye soap may be the magic bullet for us! |
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jondenise
Post 14 |
I was given a bar of homemade lye soap 29years ago. I had pretty bad acne. I used that soap and the acne went away and I had baby soft skin in about a month. It was the only bar I was ever given and never seen it in the stores until yesterday. I bought it. Hopefully it will work on my "middle age" acne. |
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djr0992
Post 13 |
only JESUS can wash away people's sins. |
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anon21009
Post 12 |
will lye soap wash away sins? |
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djr0992
Post 10 |
yes it kills germs. yes it kills lice and eggs. |
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djr0992
Post 9 |
it's good for many, many things. i will aways have lye soap at my home. here are some but there are more
11. kills head and body lice 10. psoriasis, eczema & acne 9. poison ivy & poison oak rash -rub in let dry on 8. keeps mosquitoes & chiggers away -rub in let dry on skin 7. relieves pain and itching from sunburn, mosquitoes or chigger bites & athlete's foot, just lather on and let it dry on skin. 6. tied in old sock at backs of tree prevents insect invasion 5. better than bleach on whites and removes stains- wet, rub, wash 4. put on hook for catfish bait 3. lather hides human scent for hunters 2. kills fleas & dander on pets 1. best for dirty mouthed kids
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anon13070
Post 8 |
Lye soap is great for my laundry. I disolve a few chips in hot water and pour into my washing machine. The beauty of this is that the waste water is safe for my garden. Donna (Pembroke, Bermuda) |
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anon10062
Post 7 |
is lye soap supposed to be good for you? because i just bought a bar after reading a comment that she uses it to wash her face because she has acne. the only thing i have noticed is very soft skin. so the question is what exactly does lye soap do for you? thanks |
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djr0992
Post 5 |
yes, it will kill head and body lice. and fleas on pets too. |
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anon7214
Post 4 |
is this soap good for lice treatment? |
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djr0992
Post 3 |
i have been using 14 oz of red devil lye for my soap but if i wanted to use Lye,#2 Flake how much would i need to use? or would it still be the same? any help would be great. thanks |
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anon2160
Post 2 |
Will lye soap kill germs? |
