Lye causing finger infections, am I the only one?

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KentuckySilks

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Hi everybody!!!
First question I know you have is "do I wear gloves?", right?
Yes, I wear those disposable gloves that come in a box, found in laundry aisle. I like those as opposed to the more rigid, reusable gloves because I theyre more flexible and its so much easier to soap, add colors, swirl, etc.
-Also, when I wore the rigid gloves I still got a skin infection.
So, I've had 2 or 3 over 3 years of soaping, it hurts where the skin meets the nail, and doctors give me an antibiotic to clear it up...
I know its from lye exposure- anyone have any tips or does it happen to you too?
I've recently switched to master batching my lye water to 50/50 lye and water, then add the water to that when I soap, but that doesn't help...
love the masterbatching though!!! hate making lye water so its nice to just do a bunch at once -
thanks!
 
How do you know it's from lye exposure? Have you seen a dermatologist?

If you have got lye on your fingers and not washed it off immediately, you will end up with a chemical burn - that could look like red, irritated skin or cracking or blistering. If the lye damaged your skin enough to break it, then yes, it could be open and exposed to infection. Is that what's happening? How would the lye be getting through your gloves?
 
If you haven't gotten lye on your hands then it's not from lye exposure. If it's from lye exposure you are either not gloving up correctly, have holes in your gloves or are exposing your hands to lye during prep, cleanup or some other way. If you "know it's from lye exposure" then you should be fairly aware of how it came about. Exposed area will burn or a minimum itch like crazy with the slightest exposure.

What kind of gloves are you using? Nitrile, latex, vinyl? You might be allergic to the glove material. (My daughter has severe allergic reaction to latex.) You could be having an allergic reaction to oils or colorant. It coul be something not related to soapmaking at all.

I agree with Toxikon - check with a dermatologist to determine if it's lye, gloves, oils, micas.....
 
After ruling out allergies to the gloves, I will say that many times I get a grain or tiny drop between my nail and cuticle. It burns like a **b***h and seems to like to keep burning after copious amounts of cold water. I cannot say it has caused an infection but it could. Do no ask me how it finds a finger since I Always wear gloves but it does, although at times I figure it is a stray grain from pouring dry lye when masterbatching. You should be able to avoid any infection by applying some ointment after running cold water over your finger. Lye is such a devious little devil :). If you are using the vinyl gloves you should not have any allergies, but I would recommend using tighter fitting nitrile gloves.
 
Maybe try coating your fingernails and cuticles with petroleum jelly before soaping, to provide a barrier between the lye and the skin? Since petroleum jelly won't saponify.

But I'm with the others...I think it might be the gloves. Maybe try a non-latex glove?
 
Regarding using different kinds of gloves- don't use vinyl. Lye attacks vinyl and breaks it down. I started off using vinyl gloves, and noticed that after making a batch of soap the fingertips of my gloves were all stiff, and disturbingly brittle. Found an MSDS for NaOH, and sure enough, vinyl is one of the materials that lye eats. It doesn't eat nitrile or latex, though, so those kinds of gloves are safe to use (barring allergic reactions to either material).

It sounds an awful like what's causing your problem is the gloves, not your lye. You can find boxes of disposable nitrile gloves in the first aid section of Wal-Mart. The ones you're using are probably latex.
 
Well, actually I'm positive its the lye...forgot to mention that my fingernail turns yellow-its right after soaping...I've used the gloves to cut onions/garlic before with no adverse reaction...
I'm thinking its in the cleanup, after I've taken my gloves off :(
I shall work toward safer soaping practices, aka, gloves on from start to finish- even after soap is in the mold

-Thanks for the tips! I'll try the petroleum jelly....
In retrospect, I've torn the tips of my gloves during soaping but kept going, I'll replace the broken glove next time- :)

And I'll buy those nitrile gloves TODAY!!!
thanks :)
 
If you described what Carolyn is talking about, I would agree that it could be the lye.

However, you are describing a paronychia (infection around the nail) since the doctor gives you an antibiotic. Here is an article about it: https://www.drugs.com/health-guide/paronychia.html

You sound like you have a chronic case. There are suggestions on how to avoid them in the above article.
 
Susie said:
If you described what Carolyn is talking about, I would agree that it could be the lye.

However, you are describing a paronychia (infection around the nail) since the doctor gives you an antibiotic. Here is an article about it: https://www.drugs.com/health-guide/paronychia.html

You sound like you have a chronic case. There are suggestions on how to avoid them in the above article.
Click to expand...

I'd also ask my doctor to test for fungal infection. Antibiotics won't touch it if it's fungus, and the flare ups could be related to keeping the finger warm and damp (encased in gloves) for stretches at a time.
 
Thanks for the medical information, I'm gonna bring it up to my doc-
Just stinks that everytime I get back into soaping, I took a break for a couple years but now am back with a vengeance!, I have these fingernail/cuticle pains....gotta nip in in the bud because I'm a verified soap addict, relate!
 
I can't offer any advice ... just my hope that you figure it out and can get back to soaping without being miserable. That sounds painful!
 
Do you wear acrylic nails, if so it could be related more from acrylic applications, I also am a licensed manicurist, and this sounds more like a product issue.
 
Hi. I wear gloves just about every day at work. I’m allergic to the nitrile gloves so I have to use the latex ones. I use a powder free glove. I also get a snug fit. The medium is too big, but the small can be too tight if my arthritis is flaring up. I may wear the gloves for several hours at a time, but I give my hands a break (and thorough washing/drying) before putting on a new pair. I also use a hand lotion before gloving. The gloves I use at work are the same ones I use at home for soaping. They’re thick and textured so I can grip better than with non-textured gloves. They’re about $15 a box, but worth the price (IMO) for the added comfort and safety. I get mine from Bound Tree Medical, but you can find similar gloves at Amazon and other online retailers. They’re also great for handling meat, which I cannot stand to do, and messy household chores. You can get pretty rough with them and they stand up to a beating. I’ve scrubbed a rusty cast iron frying pan wearing them and didn’t shred them. I believe they’re called Opti-Flex.
 
TeresaT said:
Hi. I wear gloves just about every day at work. I’m allergic to the nitrile gloves so I have to use the latex ones. I use a powder free glove. I also get a snug fit. The medium is too big, but the small can be too tight if my arthritis is flaring up.
Click to expand...

Welcome back to the forum, Teresa!
 
Great to see you back, Teresa!

And yes, I love Opti-Flex gloves, also. I have not seen them in quite a while, as everywhere around here has switched to Nitrile, but back in the day I would buy my own until whoever I worked for would get them ordered in the Powder Free.
 
Thanks for the welcome. I’m in work now and the gloves are actually called OptiGrip Plus by Digitcare. I’ll try to post a photo. These are the best gloves I’ve ever used. They also make a nitrile glove. I get those for the agents in my office because they’re a bit thicker than the latex ones I like wearing all day and none of them are allergic to nitrile.
 

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