Table of Contents
Where can lye be found?
Sources of lye include: Drain cleaner (check the label) – e.g., Roebic Crystal Drain Cleaner, sold at Lowes. Sodium hydroxide from an online chemical supply store. Soap-making store. Candle-making store. Biodiesel supply store.
How do you get lye?
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.
Is lye sold in stores?
Lye used to be available in the supermarket but not anymore. You might be able to find it in some hardware stores often in the drain cleaning section next to the Draino. In order for that lye to be effective in soapmaking, you need to make sure that you are getting 100 percent sodium hydroxide.
What can be used instead of lye?
A common home alternative to lye when making pretzels or bagels is to use a baking soda solution.
Can I buy lye?
Pure lye is available in some hardware stores and farm supply stores or can be ordered from some chemical suppliers or soap making suppliers. Because lye is a reactive chemical it is shipped in small quantities and often only by surface transportation.
Does Walmart sell pure lye?
Pure Lye Drain Opener, 1 Lb – Walmart.com.
How much does lye cost?
Price Discounts when Organization Members Buy Lye to Make Soap Quantity Price per Lb Total Price 1.25 lbs $6.39 $7.98 2.50 lbs $6.39 $15.97 3.75 lbs $6.39 $23.96 5.00 lbs $6.39 $31.95.
Can I use any lye for soap making?
You must only use 100% lye in your soap making. If the package does not specifically say 100% lye, or 100% sodium hydroxide (the chemical name for lye) you should not use it. The most common brands you’ll find locally are Roebic or Rooto. Do not use drain openers, like Drano.
Can soap be made without lye?
In short the answer is no. Soap must be made using lye. Lye is the key ingredient in making soap. All products that are legally allowed to be called soap, must have gone through the process of saponification.
Is lye harmful to humans?
Lye is a caustic substance that can certainly damage your skin if you’re exposed to it. It can cause a number of problems, such as burns, blindness, and even death when consumed. You see, the lye used to create soap reacts with other chemicals, which results in the formation of soap.
How do you make Boerseep?
Making boerseep involves science, art and more than a little muscle. It begins with collecting rainwater, then adding lye and tallow, and then stirring (and stirring and stirring) by hand until the mixture is creamy and the fat and lye have finally dissolved.
Is lye naturally occurring?
Is Lye natural? Lye refers to sodium hydroxide NaOH (bar soap) or potassium hydroxide KOH (liquid soap) and they are both made in a factory. Even though some people would consider all soap as a synthetic due to this. It is based on these organizations stand on soap that we list our soap as 100% Natural.
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.
How do you make lye water for food?
It’s very easy, and inexpensive, to prepare a homemade version as a substitute. You only need two ingredients for homemade lye water: Baked baking soda and water. Mix them at a 1:4 ratio. Then you’re ready to use it!Jul 2, 2021.
What is lye in South Africa?
Sodium hydroxide, also known as lye and caustic soda, is an inorganic compound with formula NaOH. Sodium hydroxide is a popular strong base used in industry.
What is pure lye used for?
Making of household and industrial products: Lye is used to make commercial and industrial cleaners and clogged drain openers because of its cleaning effects and ability to dissolve grease. Tissue digestion: NaOH or KOH can be used to digest tissues of animal carcasses.
Is baking soda lye?
It’s not lye, but it’s strong enough to irritate. Baked soda is also strong enough to make a good lye substitute for pretzels. Many home recipes replace the lye with baking soda, but the results taste like breadsticks, not pretzels. Baked soda does a much better job of approximating true lye-dipped pretzels.
Can you use baking soda instead of lye to make soap?
It is certainly possible to make an acceptable cold process soap using baking soda or washing soda, but lather performance suffers compared to the same soap formula without them. This supports the conventional wisdom that they are better used in a hot process soap (after the cook) or in a rebatched soap.
What is lye made of?
Lye, or sodium hydroxide, is a chemical made from salt. Yep, ordinary salt. A system similar to electroplating is used to change the salt to lye.
