Dallas County
Scented
Lye Soap
Mary Duncan would rather buy soaps than shoes. This industrious
woman was looking for a hobby when she remembered her grandmother saying, “it
takes grease to cut grease”. So, nearly seven years ago Mary borrowed a library
book and taught herself the ancient art of soap-making. She still remains
fascinated by the chemical reactions involved and wonders how the first
soap-makers made their discovery of joining lye with tallow.
Mary has made her own tallow (rendered beef fat), but prefers to
purchase it from a restaurant supplier. She first mixes water with lye. This
creates a chemical reaction that heats the lye. The lye is carefully
added to liquefied tallow. The temperatures must be accurate to prevent premature
hardening (seizing). After scents and textures are added, the mixture is poured
into PVC pipe tubes, which are then wrapped in blankets. Once hardened, the
soap is removed, sliced into smaller pieces and allowed to dry and cure for
more than two weeks.
Mary’s soaps are also available at the Holiday House,
the Southern Hub, and Southern Antique in Selma.