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Bar soap is made through a chemical process known as saponification (sapo is Latin for soap): A lye solution is combined with oil or fat to cause a chemical reaction. This reaction breaks down the fats or oils into fatty acid chains and the lye mixture is neutralized in the process.
Why lye is used in a soap?
Lye, which has a scientific name of sodium hydroxide, reacts when it is properly mixed; the process of mixing and causing this reaction is called saponification. The process typically involves mixing lye with oils or butters, which contribute scents and other natural properties, such as vitamins and minerals, to soap.
Can soap be made without lye?
In short the answer is no. Soap must be made using lye. Lye is the key ingredient in making soap. All products that are legally allowed to be called soap, must have gone through the process of saponification.
Is lye soap good for your skin?
Lye is a caustic substance that can certainly damage your skin if you’re exposed to it. It can cause a number of problems, such as burns, blindness, and even death when consumed. But, and this is a big but, soap that is created with lye (which is all real soap) will do absolutely no harm to your skin.
Does Dove soap have lye in it?
Dove. It is true that the words “lye” or “sodium hydroxide” do not appear on the Dove ingredient label. But, the first ingredients listed were sodium tallowate, sodium cocoate, and sodium palm kernelate. Yes, Dove is made with lye!Feb 18, 2014.
What can replace lye in soap?
Here are some good choices: Goat’s Milk Soap Base. Shea Butter Soap Base. Glycerin Soap Base. Cocoa Butter Soap Base.
Can you use baking soda instead of lye to make soap?
It is certainly possible to make an acceptable cold process soap using baking soda or washing soda, but lather performance suffers compared to the same soap formula without them. This supports the conventional wisdom that they are better used in a hot process soap (after the cook) or in a rebatched soap.
Where does lye come from?
Whatever meat scraps and drippings you have on hand will supply the fat and the lye comes from wood ashes and water. To make lye in the kitchen, boil the ashes from a hardwood fire (soft woods are too resinous to mix with fat) in a little soft water, rainwater is best, for about half an hour.
Is lye a natural ingredient?
Lye isn’t organic, but it is one of the allowable non-organic ingredients included in USDA organic standards since their inception. Lye, after all, is also known as caustic soda, and soap made from lye is what frontier women made in cauldrons that was great on clothes but murder on skin.
Why is lye soap harsh?
So why does “lye soap” have a reputation of being harsh? In days past, homemakers made soap using lye made from wood ash. Sophisticated scales for measuring were not available, and often too much lye was used. When saponification occurred, some lye was left in the soap, making it harsh on the skin.
Does lye soap lighten skin?
All natural handmade Lye soap, use it as a full body soap or use it as a face and neck soap. Guaranteed to lighten and or remove blemishes and dark spots. Lye soap is great for dry and oily skin.
Is lye soap antibacterial?
Lye is both a disinfectant and a cleanser. Lye is particularly suitable to kill germs and bacteria as well as cleaning the surface of food containers, room vessels, the surface of wash bowls, etc.
Is lye good for your hair?
Yes, lye is a corrosive substance. And yes, it has also been used to make soap for centuries. As far as hair relaxers, Schueller says, ones with lye are “the most effective relaxers, and they are only painful if they are left on the scalp too long.
Does Ivory soap have lye in it?
Ivory is a lye based soap, and is the only lye based soap on the market today. Ivory is made by the reaction of Fat and oils (animal or plant) with either NaOH or KOH.
Does Dawn have lye?
No. By the very definition, soap is not soap unless lye was used to make it (liquid or bar). Unfortunately surfactants are found in everything from laundry detergent, dishwashing soap, dishwasher detergent, hand soap, body wash, etc.
How do you make moisturizing soap without lye?
The main way that you can make soap without handling lye is by using melt-and-pour soap. It’s already been through saponification (oils reacting with lye) and is safe to use and handle straight out of the package. All you do with it is melt it, add your scent, color, and other additives, then pour it into molds.
Is glycerin soap made with lye?
Glycerin soap is made without lye. Commercial soaps/detergents are safer than handmade soaps because they don’t have any lye in them.
What is a natural substitute for lye?
The bulk oils I keep on hand for soap making (and general cooking and use) are: Coconut Oil. Olive Oil. Shea Butter. Cocoa Butter. Castor Oil. Avocado Oil. Mango Butter.
What exactly is Castile Soap?
Castile soap is an amazingly versatile vegetable-based soap that’s made free of animal fats and synthetic ingredients. This natural, nontoxic, biodegradable soap is available in bar or liquid form. Traditionally, castile soap was made of olive oil. It gets its name from the Castile region of Spain.
How do you make shea butter soap without lye?
Chamomile Shea Butter Soap Recipe Without Lye Cut the shea butter soap base into approximately 1 inch chunks. On low heat, warm the soap base gently until just melted. After the soap base is completely melted, pour in the chamomile and stir gently until thoroughly mixed. Pour the melted soap base into the soap mold.
