diff --git a/isso/__init__.py b/isso/__init__.py
index fe3b579..b83975e 100644
--- a/isso/__init__.py
+++ b/isso/__init__.py
@@ -86,7 +86,9 @@ class Isso(object):
         self.db = db.SQLite3(conf.get('general', 'dbpath'), conf)
         self.signer = URLSafeTimedSerializer(self.db.preferences.get("session-key"))
         self.markup = html.Markup(conf.section('markup'))
-        self.hasher = hash.new(conf.section("hash"))
+        self.hasher = hash.new(
+            conf.get("hash", "algorithm"),
+            conf.get("hash", "salt"))
 
         super(Isso, self).__init__(conf)
 
diff --git a/isso/tests/test_utils_hash.py b/isso/tests/test_utils_hash.py
index 626d75e..3094609 100644
--- a/isso/tests/test_utils_hash.py
+++ b/isso/tests/test_utils_hash.py
@@ -7,8 +7,6 @@ try:
 except ImportError:
     import unittest
 
-from isso import config
-
 from isso.compat import PY2K, string_types
 from isso.utils.hash import Hash, PBKDF2, new
 
@@ -49,25 +47,16 @@ class TestCreate(unittest.TestCase):
 
     def test_custom(self):
 
-        def _new(val):
-            conf = config.new({
-                "hash": {
-                    "algorithm": val,
-                    "salt": ""
-                }
-            })
-            return new(conf.section("hash"))
-
-        sha1 = _new("sha1")
+        sha1 = new("sha1")
         self.assertIsInstance(sha1, Hash)
         self.assertEqual(sha1.func, "sha1")
-        self.assertRaises(ValueError, _new, "foo")
+        self.assertRaises(ValueError, new, "foo")
 
-        pbkdf2 = _new("pbkdf2:16")
+        pbkdf2 = new("pbkdf2:16")
         self.assertIsInstance(pbkdf2, PBKDF2)
         self.assertEqual(pbkdf2.iterations, 16)
 
-        pbkdf2 = _new("pbkdf2:16:2:md5")
+        pbkdf2 = new("pbkdf2:16:2:md5")
         self.assertIsInstance(pbkdf2, PBKDF2)
         self.assertEqual(pbkdf2.dklen, 2)
         self.assertEqual(pbkdf2.func, "md5")
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/isso/utils/hash.py b/isso/utils/hash.py
index 0e93a1a..c35f1a2 100644
--- a/isso/utils/hash.py
+++ b/isso/utils/hash.py
@@ -85,13 +85,14 @@ class PBKDF2(Hash):
         return pbkdf2(val, self.salt, self.iterations, self.dklen, self.func)
 
 
-def new(conf):
+def new(algorithm, salt=None):
     """Factory to create hash functions from configuration section. If an
     algorithm takes custom parameters, you can separate them by a colon like
     this: pbkdf2:arg1:arg2:arg3."""
 
-    algorithm = conf.get("algorithm")
-    salt = conf.get("salt").encode("utf-8")
+    if salt is None:
+        salt = ''
+    salt = salt.encode("utf-8")
 
     if algorithm == "none":
         return Hash(salt, None)