lye soap
Grandmother's harsh bar
Lye soap is soap made by combining lye (sodium or potassium hydroxide) with fats or oils.
The traditional method involves rendering animal fat and mixing it with lye derived from wood ash.
Lye soap is valued for being natural and unscented, though it can be harsh on skin: My grandmother made her own lye soap.
The term often evokes old-fashioned self-sufficiency.
- causticChemically burning; bitterly mocking
- lardClarified pork fat
- tallowRendered animal fat
- pioneerEarly explorer or settler
- homemadePrepared at one's residence
harsh · cleansing · scrub · washboard · wash day · grandmother · rendering · kettle · wood ash · ash · potash · frontier · suds · laundry · gritty · old-fashioned · old timey · alkaline
- vintage toiletriescold cream, face powder, rouge, pomade, hair tonic
- Amish goodsquilts, baskets, baked goods, jams, jellies
- laundrywashing machine, wash, dryer, clothes dryer, fold
- homemakingcooking, cleaning, laundry, recipes, baking
- Vintage Householdicebox, washboard, wringer, butter churn, coal stove
- historical sanitationcesspit, cesspool, chamber pot, latrine, outhouse
harshness/gentleness
lye soapbaby soap
Gentle cleanser for infants
moisturizing soap · glycerin soap · Cetaphil · hypoallergenic soap · gentle soap