Table of Contents
To make lye in the kitchen, boil the ashes from a hardwood fire (soft woods are too resinous to mix with fat) in a little soft water, rainwater is best, for about half an hour. Allow the ashes to settle to the bottom of the pan and then skim the liquid lye off the top.
Does wood ash mixed with water make lye?
You see, lye (sodium hydroxide) is formed when wood ash (which is mostly potassium carbonate) is mixed with water. The mixed solution is extremely alkaline and if it comes in contact with your skin, it begins to absorb the oils and turns your skin into soap.
How do you make soap out of wood ashes?
Step 1: Gather Ashes. To produce a good soap, you need hardwood ashes that have been burnt throughout. Step 2: Make Lye. There are two methods you can use to make lye from hardwood ashes. Step 3: Concentrating the Lye. Step 4: Add Your Fat. Step 5: Pour Into Molds. Using Salt to Make Harder Soap.
Can you make lye from oak ash?
The Basics of Making Lye One way to produce lye is with rainwater and hardwood ash, which you will have to collect. For this method, you need a wooden barrel, metal containers for the ashes, a rain barrel to collect the water, and safe containers to capture the leached lye water.
How was lye made in the old days?
Lye is made from wood ashes. In the pioneer days, the women would make lye by gathering the wood ashes from their fireplace and putting them into a wooden hopper. Next, they would pour water over it to soak the ashes. The water that seeped out of the hopper and into the wooden bucket was lye water.
What happens when you mix ash and water?
When you mix wood ash with water, you get lye, which is a common ingredient in traditional soap-making. Throw in a form of fat and add a lot of boiling and stirring, and you’ve got homemade soap.
How do you make lye solution?
Instructions Weigh the Water. To begin, put on your safety goggles and rubber gloves, and make sure your work space has good ventilation. Weigh the Lye. Place the mason jar on the scale, and zero out the weight. Add the Lye to the Water. Stir the Lye and Water Mixture. Set the Lye Solution in a Safe Place to Cool.
How do you make free lye soap?
The main way that you can make soap without handling lye is by using melt-and-pour soap. It’s already been through saponification (oils reacting with lye) and is safe to use and handle straight out of the package. All you do with it is melt it, add your scent, color, and other additives, then pour it into molds.
How do you make liquid soap out of ash?
Ten cups of ashes and one and a half to two gallons of rainwater will make an average strength lye, so there’s no need to test the strength. The finished soap will vary a little in strength, but you can use slightly stronger soap for laundry, and slightly weaker as a bath soap if it varies too much.
What can I use instead of lye in soap making?
Here are some good choices: Goat’s Milk Soap Base. Shea Butter Soap Base. Glycerin Soap Base. Cocoa Butter Soap Base.
What is the best wood to make lye?
The best hardwoods for lye water include ash, hickory, beech, sugar maple, and buckeye. To make lye using this method, you’ll need enough ash to nearly fill a wooden barrel. Don’t use ashes from softwood trees, as these don’t contain enough potassium.
What can I use wood ash for?
Here are 8 ways you can use fireplace ashes around your home and garden. Amending Soil and Boosting Your Lawn. Add Ash to Your Home Compost. Wood Ashes for Cleaning. Make Soap at Home. Keep Harmful Bugs Away. Add Traction to Slippery Walkways. Soak Up Driveway Spills. Fire Control.
How do I use wood ash in my garden?
Wood ash can be used sparingly in gardens, spread thinly over lawns and stirred thoroughly into compost piles. Lawns needing lime and potassium benefit from wood ash — 10 to 15 pounds per 1,000 square feet, Perry said. “This is the amount you may get from one cord of firewood,” he said.
How did settlers make lye?
Early American families made their own soap from lye and animal fats. They obtained their lye from wood ash, which contains the mineral potash, also known as lye, or more scientifically, potassium hydroxide. Rainwater was collected in the containers and leached the potash from the ashes.
How do you make sodium hydroxide at home?
Dissolve 1 tablespoon (17 grams) of salt in 1.24 cups (290 mL) of water. Add the water to a glass and gently pour the salt into the water. Stir it in well with a spoon until the salt is completely dissolved. If your cup has a lid, attach it after adding the salt and shake it up and down to mix the salt it in.
