
07/09/2022
Natural Lye vs Chemical Based Lye in Soaps
People often ask me what I use to keep my skin so clear and soft. I tell them I’ve been using Raw African Black Soap and Raw African Shea Butter for the past 20 yrs. It has done wonders for my skin.
I used to have razor bumps and black marks on my face from shaving with Bic razors so I switched to electric trimmers that Barbers use to shave my beard. Afterwards I’d apply the raw black soap and scrub my face exfoliate my skin. I would then leave the soap on until is dried on my face 5-10min. Next I’d wash the soap of with cold water, pat dry my face and apply the raw shea butter. I’ve been doing this consistently for 20yrs and my face is extremely clear and soft daily.
The natural ingredients in the soap and she’s butter has truly benefited me and I’ll never stop using them.
Natural lye in skin soaps is much healthier than chemical based lye. It has healing effects rather than being an irritant yo your skin.
Here’s some information you can research
Cocoa Pod Ash:
Cocoa Pod Ash is made from the leftover cocoa pods after seed removal. The seeds are then used as the main ingredient in chocolate. But the cocoa pods are left behind as a by-product. These cocoa pods have traditionally been burnt to create cocoa ash. Cocoa ash is processed to create organic lye.
This is the sudsing and skin repair agent in natural soaps.
The cocoa pod ash or potash stands in for Lye: (Sodium Hydroxide) in an organic soap ingredient. Lye is an essential ingredient in soap. All soaps must have a lye base or it isn't soap, however, natural lye which is derived from burnt cocoa pods or banana peels is much healthier for the skin than chemical based lye (Sodium Hydroxide).
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Sodium Hydroxide:
Sodium Hydroxide (Lye or Caustic Soda) is a caustic metallic base
It is toxic to the skin and can cause burns and ulcers.
"It I s commonly present in commercial drain and oven cleaners. Sodium hydroxide is also known as lye or soda , or caustic soda. At room temperature, sodium hydroxide is a white crystalline odorless solid that absorbs moisture from the air. It is a synthetically manufactured substance." - PubMed
Sources:
Hope Eno- Chief Resource Officer at Info-House Service Limited - Nigeria
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-produce-black-soap-using-cocoa-pod-ash-where-get-hope-eno
https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Sodium-hydroxide
https://www.cs.mcgill.ca/~rwest/wikispeedia/wpcd/wp/s/Sodium_hydroxide.htm
Saponification:
Saponification is an age-old chemical process where triglycerides (plant or animal fats and oils) are mixed with aqueous lye (sodium hydroxide, NaOH, or potassium hydroxide, KOH, dissolved into water) and then heated to reaction," explains Christopher Fenk, Ph.
Mar 26, 2021
Sodium hydroxide (Na OH), also known as lye or caustic soda, is a caustic metallic base. An alkali, caustic soda is widely used in many industries, mostly as a strong chemical base in the manufacture of pulp and paper, textiles, drinking water, and detergents. Worldwide production in 1998 was around...