Lye & Water
Lye is a constant ingredient in all soaps. It is a strong alkaline solution of caustic soda (sodium hydroxide) or a caustic potash (potassium hydroxide) and water. Sodium hydroxide yields hard soaps and potassium hydroxide yields soft or liquid soaps.
In the past, people 'leached' their own lye by running water through wood or plant ashes. The soaps made then were often harsh on the skin and soft in texture.
Sodium hydroxide (caustic soda) which is readily available is now most commonly used in soap making. It is available in most supermarkets and hardware stores among the cleaning supplies.
Majestic Mountain Sage offers a lye calculator, which will automatically calculate the amount of lye you need for a large variety of different fats and oils. This is useful if you're experimenting and making up your own recipe. The lye calculator will tell you what the lye:fat/oil ratio should be in your recipe.
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