{"id":575,"date":"2015-08-19T20:00:34","date_gmt":"2015-08-19T17:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/luga.bg\/bg_wp\/?page_id=164"},"modified":"2026-10-02T21:08:30","modified_gmt":"2026-10-02T18:08:30","slug":"lye_en","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.luga.bg\/en\/lye_en\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is Lye?"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Guide to Black Sea Lye<\/p>

What Is Lye?<\/h1>

Pomorie (Black Sea) lye \u2014 from the salt pans to your home<\/p>

Lye is the thick, oil-like liquid that remains in the salt pans once the sun has evaporated the seawater and the salt has crystallised. It holds all the minerals of the sea \u2014 many times more concentrated \u2014 and above all magnesium<\/strong>.<\/p>

Along Bulgaria's Black Sea coast it has been used for generations for baths, compresses and massage. Here is what it is, what it contains, what it helps with and how to use it at home.<\/p><\/div>

Lye Products<\/a>How to use<\/a><\/div>

Reading time: about 8 minutes<\/p><\/div>

\"A<\/figure>
230\u2013280 g\/l<\/dt>
magnesium salts<\/dd><\/div>
340\u2013370 g\/l<\/dt>
total mineralisation<\/dd><\/div>
\u2248 6.6<\/dt>
pH \u2014 almost neutral<\/dd><\/div>
2 lakes<\/dt>
Pomorie and Atanasovsko<\/dd><\/div><\/dl><\/div><\/section><\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div><\/div>

Essence<\/p>

What is Black Sea lye<\/h2><\/header>

Black Sea lye<\/strong> is the end product of sea salt production by the traditional method \u2014 evaporating the water with the sun and the wind. In Bulgaria, salt is produced this way in two places: in the salt pans of Pomorie Lake<\/strong> and Atanasovsko Lake<\/strong> near Burgas. This is why lye is also known as Pomorie lye<\/em>, while its older names are mother<\/em>, natural<\/em> and medicinal<\/em> lye.<\/p>\n

The water in the two lakes is far saltier than sea water and locals call it \u201cbrine\u201d<\/strong>. It is used to fill shallow basins \u2014 the salt pans, also known as \u201cpans\u201d. As the water evaporates, the salt (sodium chloride, NaCl) crystallises and forms a layer 8 to 12 cm thick on the bottom. Above it remains a dense, oil-like liquid with a brownish-red colour and a faint smell of hydrogen sulphide. This is lye.<\/p>\n

In this way, the very same basins yield two valuable natural products \u2014 sea salt and lye<\/strong>. After crystallisation, the lye is pumped into separate basins, where it is stored until processing.<\/p>\n

Why the colour and smell of lye vary<\/h3>\n

Lye is a natural product and its colour and smell depend on the rainfall and temperatures throughout the year. It \u201cmatures\u201d \u2014 reaching the required density and concentration of active substances \u2014 at the end of summer, in August and September<\/strong>. This is when the lye for cosmetic use is collected.<\/p>\n

In composition, lye is close to the healing Pomorie liman mud<\/a>, which is extracted from the same lake, which is why their effects are similar.<\/p><\/div>