Lye and Lies (Soap Making)

Since Saturdays are kind of our open days to write about anything today we are going to talk about Lye in soaps and what "Lyeless" Soap really means.

As many people may know home made soaps and bath products has becoming extremely popular over the last few years. With this trend it means that a lot of people are also exploring and experimenting with soaps and different recipes and recipes online that they might not completely understand. This leaves it open for people to take advantage of customers that don't completely understand what they are buying.

The biggest thing in soap making that is often not 100% clear or understood is lye. When people learn about lye they hear about all the safety steps you need to take to deal with and handle lye. This can be very scary and a lot of people feel, if it is such a strong chemical, why am I putting it in my soap or why am I buying a soap with lye in it? And it is completely understandable. Why would you want a harmful chemical in your soap? And people, sometimes unknowingly, take advantage of this fear and offer "Lyeless" soap.

TRUTHS:

Lye's chemical name is Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH), and it is a strong chemical.

You need to be extremely careful when handling lye, it will burn skin and clothes. Make sure to wear protective eye gear, rubber gloves, long sleeved clothing, long and thick pants such as jeans to protect your skin. Make sure you are in a well ventilated area when handling lye.

QUESTIONS:

Why am I putting lye in my soap?

You can not make soap without lye. ALL soaps are made with lye and a fat (oils, butters, etc). No soap recipe can be without lye. With that being said there is no lye in soap.

No lye in soap?

When working with lye for soap purposes, you add a fat to the lye. When the fat and lye mix, it goes through a process called SAPONIFICATION. Once saponification occurs the lye is not dangerous anymore and the chemical make up has changed to make soap.

What is lyeless soap?

Lyeless soap usually is what some soap kits are called. This just means that someone has dealt with the lye already and you don't have to when buying this kits. These kits are also called MELT AND POUR. This is because the saponification process has already happens and the results have hardened ready for you.This DOES NOT mean there is no lye in that soap.

What is melt and pour?

Melt and pour is when someone else had made the base of the soap already (this may be yourself or a company) and then has let it solidify. Usually, this is what is in basic soap making kits. All you have to do is melt the soap base, add your own colouring and scents and then pour it into a mold to create soap. This just means the lye and fat blending process has been done already for you.