Is this the right lye?

[MGM]

https://www.homehardware.ca/en/3kg-pure-lye-crystals-cleaner/p/3226431

TNX!

 

[IrishLass]

Hi MGM- does it specify anywhere on the label what kind of lye it is- ie, NaOH (sodium hydroxide) or KOH (potassium hydroxide)? For solid soap, you need NaOH, and for liquid soap you need KOH. If you try to make hard soap with KOH, you'll be disappointed.... and vice versa.


IrishLass

 

[Misschief]

You're good, MGM. That's the one I use (and my mother used to use). It is NaOH.

 

[MGM]

You're good, MGM. That's the one I use (and my mother used to use). It is NaOH.

Thanks @Misschief ! I was hoping someone would recognize it 'cause, as @IrishLass pointed out, there was no more detail. God forbid I go all the way to the store to check the back of the container
Loving the price....$10/kg versus the $16/lb I paid for my first lye!

 

[Misschief]

Thanks @Misschief ! I was hoping someone would recognize it 'cause, as @IrishLass pointed out, there was no more detail. God forbid I go all the way to the store to check the back of the container
Loving the price....$10/kg versus the $16/lb I paid for my first lye!

I had to buy lye from Voyageur last time I needed some as HH was completely out in all three Kelowna stores. Apparently, the vineyards use lye to adjust the ph of the soil in the vineyards and they cleaned out all the lye stocks in town. Now that I know that, I'll know to stock up before the grapes are ready.

HH has the best price I've been able to find for the amount of soap I make.

 

[Rune]

You can call the store and ask for a material safety data sheet (MSDS). There you can find out more about the product. That lye might be very good, or might be useless. So you need more information.
The lye must be close to 100% Naoh (sodium hydroxide) with no additives.

A cheap lye I found in a car and building supply store said in the MSDS 60-90% sodium hydroxide . But it was nothing else added, so I guess the rest is impurities or something like that. That is not good enough at all. The lye I buy in grocery stores states that it is >99% sodium hydroxide. So it is less that 1% impurities. Which is definately good enough.

So find out more about the cheap lye from Home Hardware. They should be able to mail you a MSDS. It might be a perfectly good lye, actually.

 

[Misschief]

You can call the store and ask for a material safety data sheet (MSDS). There you can find out more about the product. That lye might be very good, or might be useless. So you need more information.
The lye must be close to 100% Naoh (sodium hydroxide) with no additives.

A cheap lye I found in a car and building supply store said in the MSDS 60-90% sodium hydroxide . But it was nothing else added, so I guess the rest is impurities or something like that. That is not good enough at all. The lye I buy in grocery stores states that it is >99% sodium hydroxide. So it is less that 1% impurities. Which is definately good enough.

So find out more about the cheap lye from Home Hardware. They should be able to mail you a MSDS. It might be a perfectly good lye, actually.

I use the same product. It is Sodium Hydroxide and is just fine for soaping with. I've been using that particular brand for almost five years. And it's the same brand my mother used to use when she was soaping.

 

[MGM]

MDS vs @Misschief ...I'll go with the latter ;-)
Just used it for my 4th batch of soap ever (using almost exactly the recipe as for my first batch of soap ever). We'll see what we get!