Thank you! What a generous and thoughtful response!
I was cautious about telling them that their method was not actually making soap. If they had a traditional method of soap making that I was not familiar with I did not want to appear arrogant even if what they were saying did not seem "logical".
There are many possible reasons why they would not use Lye. It is a very poor country. In a different project, a bag of concrete was too pricey for them. Even a thermometer was something that they had to make a special effort to aquire.
Another goal of the nonprofit is to promote a maker’s spirit and a willingness to try things. I didn't realize how privileged I was to be able to afford to try things that might not work. "Fail early and fail often" assumes a degree of wealth that much of the world does not have. Logic and common sense are culturally specific. What would make financial sense in our world of abundance may not apply in a place where you build your own home and it has a grass roof.
I may have been overly eager to imagine that in Malawi they had a different method.
I'm very concerned about them attempting to use Sodium or Potassium Hydroxide. I don't want to try to advise them on personal protective equipment and safety procedures over WhatsApp. Even running water, to wash off in an emergency is not a given.
Mea Culpa about the video. I didn't watch closely enough. I thought they started with a liquid oil and ended up with a room temperature solid. This reminds me to be generous when I snicker at people who believe things they read on Pinterest.
I did check with them and what they made did not solidify. In fact it separated.
I will ask but even if the nonprofit is able to aquire Lye I expect that they will be concerned that even if they help develop a recipe with Lye it will not be something that a typical person can afford and they may have to buy an industrial quantity.
Maybe we can come up with a process that they can afford and is reasonably safe. Maybe they can use a pressure cooker and Sodium Carbonate that they make by simple heating. That would produce CO2. I could imagine soap foam plugging the pressure relief valve. That would be a problem. Would have to be a stainless steel pressure cooker.
Thanks again for all your responses.
