If it’s true that the first soap ever made was the result of an accident – animal fats dripping into the ashes of a cooking fire – then the first lye most likely wasn’t sodium hydroxide (NaOH), but potassium hydroxide (KOH) – also known as caustic potash – and the first soap wasn’t bar but liquid.
Potassium Hydroxide Is Here Now!
Here’s the important thing. Until now, sodium hydroxide was all you could get at Botanie. Not surprising, considering bar soap was all we did for a long time. But after we introduced foaming and castile liquid soaps, we knew KOH couldn’t be far behind. Now it’s here, 90% pure, available in two-pound canisters. We know some of you have been waiting. So, for you, and all other liquid soapmakers, now you can get what you need right here.
Some Background
There are two kinds of lye used in soapmaking – potassium hydroxide, used for liquid soap, and sodium hydroxide, also known as caustic soda, used for bar soap. Both are hazardous to use. Both require safety equipment and protocols. And despite their extremely caustic natures, both are used to make to make the most skin-compatible and nourishing soaps you can buy, all-natural, certified organic bar and liquid soap. Together, they make the whole world of cold-processing available to soapmakers.