In ceramics, a common use of soda ash is as a soluble deflocculant in ceramic slips and glazes. It works well in combination with sodium silicate to produce slips that do not gel too quickly and whose rheology can be adjusted for changes in the hardness of the water. Soda ash is not normally used as a source of Na2O in glazes because it is soluble. It is used as a source of sodium in frits and glass. Its solubility makes it an ideal flux for Egyptian paste glazes.