Sodium hydroxide

Sodium hydroxide is a type of chemical that is used for lots of different things. One of the ways it is used is to make soap!

Imagine you are playing with Play-Doh and you want to make it into a ball. If you just squish and squish the Play-Doh together, it might not stick very well. But if you add some water, it gets stickier and easier to mold into a ball.

That's kind of like what happens when you mix sodium hydroxide with some other chemicals to make soap. The sodium hydroxide helps the other chemicals stick together and form a solid soap.

But sodium hydroxide can be very dangerous if you aren't careful. It can burn your skin and be harmful if you breathe it in. So it's important to always be careful when using it and follow the directions closely.