Lye is a very caustic chemical capable of causing serious damage. It can burn skin, cause blindness, and even cause death if ingested. And yet, this dangerous chemical is one of the main components of homemade soaps. Old timers will tell stories of how harsh lye soap is on the skin, but how well it cleans clothes.
It is true that extreme caution must be taken when using lye in soap making. Protective glasses should be worn, arms and legs should be kept covered, gloves should be worn, and an acid such as vinegar should be kept nearby to counter-act lye’s alkalinity if it should come in contact with skin. Good ventilation is another consideration when working with lye. So, why would a soap maker continue to use such a harsh product?
The other main ingredient of soap is fat – tallow, olive oil, coconut or palm oil, for example. When fat and lye are combined in proper proportions, a chemical reaction called saponification occurs. The end result is soap plus glycerin. (Glycerin is often removed from factory produced soaps which is why soap is often drying to the skin). When properly prepared and cured for several weeks, no lye remains in the final product.
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. It is vitally important to measure carefully so that the correct amount of lye is used.
To answer the question, yes, soap made with lye is completely safe and is not harsh when made properly, using every precaution. Have you avoided “lye soap”, thinking that it was harsh or unsafe?
Recommended Reading: Handmade Soap: Recipes for Crafting Soap at Home
Yes, until you set me straight
Thanks!! I have been avoiding making my own soap for this very reason. I am so grateful you shared your knowledge!
Let me know how it works out for you, if you do decide to go ahead and make your own soap, Carrie.
I have made my own soap. I was nervous the first time, but now that I have learned to make it properly, I love making soap!
It’s a good feeling, isn’t it?
I’ve been making soap for years but never thought someone would think it’s dangerous. What a great post! It’s always good to see the other side of the coin.
Thanks so much for sharing this in this week’s Thank Goodness It’s Monday carnival. I’ve pinned it on our “Thank Goodness It’s Monday” Pinterest page, too.
Blessings!
Kresha from NourishingJoy.com
Thanks for hosting the carnival, Kreesha!!
I still really want to learn how to do it from scratch! If I need to buy the lye, I might as well buy the soap and save myself the hassle. I will continue looking, as I believe this is a good skill to have tucked away ‘just in case’.
You’ll have to let me know what you come up with. I think being exact with measurements will be the biggest challenge.
For a short while I had my own soap making business, it was a small business and I stopped because I got caught up in my studies and I didn’t make it a priority. Now I won’t use store bought soap, I still have leftover stock that I use today (3yrs later). When you read the labels of store bought soap and see the chemicals that go into it, you may also change your mind about the cost and time that goes into it. One of the great things about it was that I always had soap on hand that I could use for gifts for birthdays and christmas. Handmade gifts are great to receive!
I make my own cold process soap with lye and this is such a misconception among the public. What makes it worse is some homemade soapmakers add lye as an ingredient in their soap. Like you say in your article there should be no lye left in your finished soap product. What you have are saponified oils and lye doesn’t remain any longer. Great article!
Thanks, April!! All soap is made with lye, of course. The other bars on the market are detergents, as far as I know.
Great post! I often get asked if it’s possible to skip the lye when making soap because of the perceived harshness of the end result. Love this historical look at how it got that reputation!
There is no such thing as soap without lye, as you know, of course!! Thanks for visiting, Heather. I appreciate you and your blog!
Learned about soapmkaing from the time I was a toddler. We butchered at my grandparents’ and made luye and tallow over a fire in a HUGE cast pot. we ate the lard and used tallow for soapmking. We did use Red Devil lye from the store and just tallow. Made for great soap for wringer washers. We all had them then. Used store bought for our bodies, I’m 51, but did clean grease from clothes well. We quit that when I was 10 or so. For the past 14 years I have been making my own body soaps and shampoo bars with olive oil and other oils. No access to the fat like when we butchered. I now make it using my stand mixer with a crdboard piece over the top around the mixers as my hand won’t stir that long. Works great and I know all the ingredients, and how to pronounce them. LOL Never use gloves or safety glasses. I agree the old fashioned way of making wood ashes makes lye very harsh or we have no way to measure it for strength. Wouldn’t have it any other way making lye soap myself from commercial lye. I add herbs and EO to most of them also. Love the smell of cinnamon soap.
Although I didn’t grow up with all of this, I did wash clothes in a wringer washer for many years in my early marriage – including cloth diapers. We bought a house from a woman who made soap and there were boxes of it left in the house. I used that soap to wash clothes for years. Your soap making experience certainly exceeds mine; I just make plain soap!
I’ve been making my own soap for the past year or so and LOVE it! I share the recipes on my site, here: http://mindbodyandsoleonline.com/links/making-cold-process-soap/ and here: http://mindbodyandsoleonline.com/links/soap-lotion-recipes/. Now that I know how easy it is and how much better than the store-bought stuff, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Thanks for sharing on Wildcrafting Wednesday!
Thanks for hosting, Kathy.
I have, unfortunately, made some rather harsh soap myself until I learned to measure the lye very, very carefully. These days, I also always superfat my soap. Couldn’t ask for a better bar!
So, is that adding extra fat to the recipe?
What about lye used to cook pretzels? Is that unsafe, because it makes them taste really good, and I’d be sad if it did.
Well, you’ve definitely stumped me on this one!
Nice post! My family has been making lye soap since I was almost 2yo. It’s very gentle when made with the right ratios. I use it as my face soap, and used it on my babies. A tip that is probably common – lye is a strong base, so keep apple cider vinegar out to counteract the lye if it comes in contact with your skin. Also, regarding the pretzels, there is food grade lye which is commonly used in baking as well as other food preparation.
Yes, I always keep vinegar on hand as well. Thanks for letting us know about food grade lye!
My grandmother used to make soap and cure olives with lye. If proper care is taken while making both there is no problem. Its important to keep children and pets away from soapmaking area also.
Since there is a slight bacon scent to the soap when using lard my dog decided to take a bite. From that time on I decided not to use tallow or lard for soap making. I purchased palm, olive and coconut oils which actually made a nicer soap. I added essential oils for the scent. The soap lasts a longtime and lathers even in ocean water. Great for camping.
Strong lye soap like the pioneers made is great to do laundry with. It will bleach the stains out of anything.
Mrs. J.
Oh, that’s interesting that your dog was attracted to the smell! So, I guess that soap with extra lye does have its purpose.
My dad won’t use my soap because he’s worried about the lye – he actually told me not to let the kids use it because it would burn them! Meanwhile, we’ve been using it exclusively for months, with no side effects (except softer hands and shinier hair!)
Oh, my, that’s a shame. But I’m glad you are getting great results!
Great explanation of the saponification process! Even though making soap with lye requires some precautions, I’d much rather use old-fashioned lye soap than modern soap that’s full of synthetic fragrances, dyes, etc.
Thanks for linking up to Old-Fashioned Friday!
Great post ! A nice lady approached me st a craft store looking at stuff in soap section. We chatted about Lye, I am a soap maker and she had a hard time understanding that you have to use Lye to make soap. By the end of conversation she got it. Thanks for post
It does have a reputation of being extra harsh! Thanks for setting the record straight.
Dumb question, but where do you get lye?
Not a dumb question at all. I generally get mine here: http://amzn.to/12POCGP