Beauty > Beauty Recipes > SoapDecember 03, 2007

Grammaw's Lye Soap

My sister got this at a church circle meeting during the 70's. It's called Grammaw's Lye Soap. I call it the best complexion bar ever.
  • 3 lbs. lard or strained meat drippings
  • 2 1/2 pints water
  • 1/4 cup 20 Mule Team Borax
  • 1 can Lye
Mix ingredients in a glass or plastic bowl. Stir with wooden or plastic spoon. (Lye will react to metal of any kind) Stir constantly until it's the consistency of cake batter. Pour into a box lined with waxed paper. The box in which soap is placed to set up should be on several layers of folded newspaper sections and should be about the size that will fit 2 six packs of cola drinks. Cover with a heavy towel. Allow to set for 24 hours or untill solid. Use rubber gloves to cut into bars. Let it age for about 2 weeks before using. Lye will be very caustic during the mixing and setting process so this should be kept out of the reach of pets and small children. After it ages, it is wonderful for complexion problems and for dry skin. All bar soaps have lye in them so there is nothing to fear. I used it for years until I got too trifling to make it. It costs just pennies a bar.

By MartyD from Houston,TX

By

Feedback

Read feedback for this post below.

By
05/13/2010

Hi, I was just wondering, how much is a "can of lye" exactly? I've never made soap before, and I just want to make sure that I do it exactly right!

Thanks :)

By
12/03/2007

thank you for posting this recipe my friend had made it years ago and was trying to tell me how to make it on the phone today but couldnt remember all ingredients it was strange to see it posted...i love homemade soap and have been wanting to make it so often...i will give this a try

Related

Post Feedback

Your thoughts are welcomed and appreciated. Enter your feedback here!

Feedback:

Image Upload:

Add an image to your post! Click the "Browse" button above and select an image from your hard drive. Please only select gifs or jpegs. If you have any problems, please contact us.

  

facebook like arrowLike ThriftyFun on Facebook

Browse Topics

Over 80,000 tips, recipes, questions & crafts.

Ask a Question

Submit a question to the TF community.

Subscribe to ThriftyFun Newsletters!

Email: