Page 264 - The Lost Ways

However, this is not as difficult as it seems, and all you need to understand is what makes
the best soap through practice. You may have to repeat a procedure several times before
you finally get it right.

An easy way to convert the process into a manageable routine is to break down the
ingredients into cups and smaller portions that you can work with. This allows you to
handle the process of soap making with ease and guarantees similar results no matter
how many times you have to do it. It spares you the errors of bulk soap making that can
occur when you miss something, thus wasting the entire process.

Irreplaceable Ingredients

Great soaps require the use of crystal lye or pure sodium hydroxide. You cannot replace
either of these ingredients with the other because of the challenge of measurements.
While there are numerous substitutes, you can never be too sure about measurements,
hence the possibility of making a serious mistake. Apart from the challenge of

measurements, substituting your lye could also mean having soap with metallic pieces in
it, which is something that you do not want. Every soap maker wants pure, natural soap
that is free of impurities and easy to make.

Be cautious when using lye. It eats into fabric and can easily cause holes in even the
strongest materials. The same effects are also felt on the skin as it burns and irritates the
skin.

You need to exercise caution when using lye and wear protective covering, such as gloves
and eye masks, to prevent the burning substance from reaching into unwanted parts of
the body. Mixing the lye with water causes it to heat up and fume after thirty seconds to
about one minute. The choking sensation you get is because of this process and should
not be worrying as it clears in a few seconds.

Be careful not to reverse the procedure, as it is always advisable to add lye to water and
not the other way around. In addition, you need to stir the mixture immediately after you
have added the lye into the water. The last thing you want is an explosion caused by
overheated lye that was clumped at the bottom of the mixing container.

Since safety is a concern for everyone, proper mixing of lye allows it to react with oils in
your soap, breaking it down completely. As such, you get the assurance that your finished

product is 100% safe and free from caustic lye because it has undergone the process of
saponification.

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