About Lye For information on Potassium Hydroxide or Potash - CLICK HERE
People have been using lye as a detergent or soap for thousands of years! Up until the 18th Century, the old-fashioned ingredients for making soap were: wood ashes, water, animal fat and salt. This was used all around the globe.
Below are links to Vintage Pamphlets (PDF) showing the many uses, historically, of Lye. The uses of Lye in these vintage pamphlets is for historical review only and may not be safe to be used in the manner indicated in the vintage pamphlet. Lye is a dangerous chemical; and as such, you should be very careful when using Lye.