BellaOnline Forums Hobbies and Crafts Soapmaking Very new at making soap

Hi,I am new to making soap and I need help(Okay I haven't even made my first batch <img src="/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />) I am also newly married and my man is a black-smith and does Mountain Men show all over, and I'd like to help him buy selling my soap, essential oils etc, however, is there any soap out there that does not contain lye? My vegan friends are asking about the lye is it bad for your skin? Does all soap contain lye? thanks <img src="/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

Yes, soap is by definition fat and and a strong alkali (lye). There is no free lye left in properly made soap. It's taken up in the reaction with the fatty acids. Fat + lye = soap + glycerin, chemically. Well made handcrafted soap is actually easier on your skin because it retains the natural glycerin that is usually removed by commercial soap manufacturers (and sold as a separate product.)

All soaps use lye at the beginning; even melt n pour.
No lye = no soap. <img src="/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />)

Soaps with too much lye are drying and can irritate the skin. Nowadays with scales to measure our lye, we can make a soap as mild as we like.

Hi Cochita:
All soap start out as a mixture of lye and lipids(fats). Through a chemical process, soap is created- at the end of which there is no lye left in the soap. However, to make soap correctly, and to ensure that the chemical process does not leave traces of lye means that all ingredients have to be measured precisely. Majestic Mountain SageBellaOnline ALERT: Raw URLs are not allowed in these forums for security reasons. Please use UBB code. If you don't know how to do UBB code just post here for help - we will help out!