After receiving many requests for old fashioned lye soap, I started making it almost three years ago. Old fashioned lye soap is the only soap that I make with animal fat. I use 100% lard for this recipe, with a bit of borax added to help soften the water. This is also the only soap that I make without any superfat. All of the other soaps that I make are superfatted at 4-6%, meaning that 4-6% of the finished soap is excess fats that have not been chemically altered by the lye to form soap. This, in addition to the glycerin that is formed from the saponification process, helps contribute to the moisturizing effects of the majority of my handmade natural soaps.

So, why no superfat in the old fashioned lye soap? There are three different uses of this soap that make superfatting unnecessary:

1. Laundry soap. Of course, back in the day, lye soap was all that was used for laundry soap. Some people still like to use it and declare that it’s way better than the commercial detergents that most people use today. If there was excess fat in the soap, it would leave oil marks on clothing.

2. Poison ivy remedy. You can read more about how to use old fashioned lye soap to treat poison ivy by clicking the link. Because the soap has a drying effect without the superfat, it can help heal up those pesky – perhaps “miserable” is a better word – outbreaks.

3. Facial soap for oily skin. An elderly lady was talking to me at the farmer’s market one day about growing up using old fashioned lye soap for everything – including skin, of course. She was convinced that people had fewer acne problems back then because of the soap. One of my customers gave me this testimonial: “After buying your lye soap this summer, I have noticed that my teenage son’s acne has cleared and my hands aren’t nearly as dry as usual in the winter. My family’s skin has always been sensitive and your soap has been a true blessing!”
—Kathy B., Olathe, KS

Now I’ve heard from other soapmakers that this soap really doesn’t need to cure all that long, since the longer a handmade soap cures, the milder it gets. The purpose of this soap isn’t to be mild at all, but to be somewhat drying. However, I will be leaving this one on the curing rack for two weeks anyway, so it will be available on March 10th.

I will be following up tomorrow with information about the differences between old fashioned lye soap and the handmade natural soap that soapmakers create today.