The expansive soils are soils that exhibit an increase in volume when it becomes wet. These soils are considered a natural hazard to engineering construction. In Egypt, expansive soil exists in many arid and semi-arid areas. The increase in the population leads to an increase in the facilities and the expansion of cities in these areas. Thus, the treatment of expansive soils is an essential problematic study in the current time. In recent years, large steps have been taken to treat the geotechnical properties of swelling soil using chemical or natural additives. In this paper, some of previous studies concerning the treatment of expansive soil, their physical and chemical properties and their effects on the behavior of soil are discussed. The change of the texture of expansive soil and the physical and chemical properties depends on the type and the percent of the additives. There is an optimum percent of additive must be used to obtain the best results.